Ange Postecoglou told what 'different breed' Archie Gray will give Tottenham after transfer move

Tottenham are on the verge of adding to Ange Postecoglou's squad ahead of the 2024/25 season with the signing of Leeds United's Archie Gray. After initially looking set to join Brentford over the weekend before it was announced on Sunday morning that his switch to west London had fallen through, Spurs have nipped in to win the race for the highly-rated midfielder.

football.london understands that Tottenham are now closing in on the signing of the 18-year-old with Joe Rodon heading back to Elland Road in a separate deal. The deal is expected to cost between £25million and £30million plus Rodon returning to Leeds on a permanent basis after such a successful loan spell with the Championship club last term.

Gray will now sign a long-term deal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and provide Postecoglou with options in midfield and at right-back. Having made Leeds United's substitutes' bench as a 15-year-old in the Premier League, it wasn't until the start of last season when he made his senior bow for the club.

Gray went on to flourish in Leeds' promotion push, subsequently making 52 appearances in all competitions. Coming to the attention of a host of top clubs in the process after some standout performances in England's second tier and also the FA Cup, Postecoglou and Tottenham have pulled off quite the transfer coup and it will now be Spurs who benefit from having such a talent in their squad.

So what exactly can Tottenham fans expect from Gray once he officially becomes a Tottenham player? football.london takes a look at what his former managers and Leeds teammates have said about him

READ MORE: Tottenham to seal £30m Archie Gray Leeds transfer as Joe Rodon and Oliver Skipp roles explained

READ MORE: Archie Gray Tottenham transfer could result in new £17m deal as Ange Postecoglou dilemma solved

Daniel Farke

"All the praise has to go to Archie," the German told Sky Sports. "You can work with a player, back the player and trust the player, but we can only bring him to the door and he has to make that step through it. How he's done that, with the maturity and consistency he has, is outstanding for a 17-year-old.

"He's still unbelievably grounded, humble and has good habits. That is so crucial that you don't get over the moon after just one or two good games or a couple of good months. It is so far, so good. But quality is always defined over the long term, and he has to keep going in order to speak about a really quality season.

"I've worked throughout my career with fantastic young players. I don't like to compare that much, but it is fantastic what he's doing. When you are that young and getting that much praise it is not always easy to handle, but he's so, so grounded and so open to developing and working hard each day. The experience in his family helps a lot, and I have to give many compliments to the Gray family. They are doing fantastically well with him."

Farke on not wanting to swap Gray for anyone

"I know we are not the finished product and make mistakes or get nervous and over-excited, but I am struggling to criticise my players," he said (via Leeds Live ). I would not swap Archie with anyone in this league. He has more potential than any player in this league in this position."

Jesse Marsch

“I consider Archie a first-team player at 16," said the American, as reported by Yorkshire Evening Post. "He has cleverness, the flexibility to play in multiple positions, he can run, he sees things quickly, he’s aggressive against the ball and he’s fearless. I think he’s got the full package."

He added: “I think he’s a [Number] six, eight, ten. I had a good talk with [dad] Andy in the summer and he thinks he’s good a little bit deeper. I said, ‘No way man, he’s about final plays and scoring goals!’ but he can do all those things because he’s intelligent.”

Ethan Ampadu

"Honestly, it's pretty easy," the Wales international told the official Leeds United podcast (via Leeds Live) when asked about playing alongside Gray. "Obviously I played alongside him in a couple of ties in pre-season and in training you play with everyone.

"Honestly, in the game it's pretty easy. I don't feel like I have to sit here and big him up to any of you. I think everyone has seen what he can do.

"The good thing is and the scary thing is for the opposition, is that he's so young and he's still got such a long way to go but he's already at such a high level. It's about keeping that and I do really believe that he will.

"I think what he showed is the base and he can kick on again. Obviously it's going to take time he's young, he's got to learn stuff, I've got to learn stuff. Hopefully we can learn stuff together.

"That Cardiff game is a base and hopefully we can both kick on. Honestly, to play alongside him against Cardiff was pretty easy, he's comfortable on the ball and does his defensive stuff off it, he made it easy for me."

Georginio Rutter

“For me, the first time I came here and I saw him, I saw something special," said the attacker. "He’s a very big player. He’s had a good progression and he deserves that because he works every day for that. And he’s a good guy. He knows everything – so I don’t have to say more for him!”

Patrick Bamford

"The good thing is about him, he's so kind of humble," admitted Bamford. "He believes in his ability but I don't think he knows how good he is. He's always like, he's got a younger brother who is in the academy, I think he's only 14, but he's always like 'yeah he's better than me'. He must be unbelievable then."

Glen Kamara

“You've got Ethan [Ampadu] filling in at centre-back, great player," said Kamara, as reported by Yorkshire Evening Post. "Obviously Archie, don't have to speak about him! He's just a different breed, only, what 17/18. Ilia [Gruev] as well, really clicking well with him as well in midfield. But all of them three different kind of midfielders have got their own qualities and it works out really well."

Daniel James

“Yeah definitely, obviously I had my first experience of Archie when he was 15 or 16 and I thought what a player," said James. "His movement off the ball reminded me of how [Aaron] Ramsey was off the ball, those runs in behind, he can run all day, he’s strong.

"I’ve come back this year and he’s matured, he’s very child-like, but that helps him because he has no fear, he’s brilliant and it’s nice to play with him and nurture him. He’s been absolutely brilliant and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was Team of the Year in a position that he’s only played this year in his life."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham featuring lots of chat on Archie Gray by clicking here! In depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

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