Archie Gray has been told he looks like the “real deal” after Tottenham Hotspur‘s 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.
Gray has always been highly rated at Spurs since he joined for £40million from Leeds in 2024, but now he seems to be adapting into a first-team regular.
He put in an impressive display in the draw with Liverpool on 15 March, and the victory over the Spaniards only reaffirmed his rise to stardom.
Igor Tudor seems to have only helped his development, and Tottenham are set to reap the benefits in the near future.
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What has been said about Gray’s showing in Tottenham win?
John Wenham believes that Gray has taken a step up under Tudor, and that has been evident from the last two games.
Speaking exclusively to Tottenham News, the Spurs expert said: “We’ve seen the evolution, over all of Tudor’s reign, but particularly impressive at both Anfield and against Atletico, of young Archie Gray.
“20 years of age, now on 77 first-team appearances for Tottenham already, he’s looking the real deal, he’s carrying the ball so nicely forward from midfield, also creating opportunities and giving us a real platform to build out our attacks from, his development has been fantastic.
“Last night, you saw Marcus Llorente, a very highly regarded Spain international, when Archie Gray was subbed off, go over and give him a high-five and wish him well.
“It shows when other players in the game respect you, and what you’re doing, how your stock is rising. I thought that was fantastic last night.”
How did Gray perform vs Atletico?
Gray was particularly brilliant against Madrid, completing 88 per cent of his pass attempts, misplacing just five of them, per Sofascore.
He made two key passes and notched one assist in the contest, and he also made 10 carries for a total distance of 81.7m.
The young maestro was extremely comfortable with the ball in his own half, completing 93 per cent of his 15 passes in that area, which allowed Tudor’s side to build out from the back.
He made one interception, one clearance, blocked one shot and nine recoveries as he constantly tried to help out defensively.
If Gray can maintain this level of form from now until the end of the season, he will be a superstar in no time for the Lilywhites.