Spurs have added some much-needed experience in Palhinha but could he block the progress of one of their brightest talents?
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Tottenham Hotspur enjoyed or endured one of the strangest seasons in their modern history last year after a bipolar campaign that delivered major success but also one of the worst league records ever.
Ange Postecoglu should be getting a statue made of him after his Europa League success, instead though, the dismal Premier League points tally meant that Daniel Levy was left with little choice but to sack him.
There hasn’t just been a new direction in the dugout either with changes on the pitch likely to lead to an unfamiliar looking starting XI when 2025/26 kicks off competitively.
Summer signing Palhinha could see Archie Gray miss out for Spurs
Son Heung-min has bid an emotional farewell and there will be no James Maddison due to injury either, Thomas Frank is already up against it without a ball being kicked. What the new Spurs boss has managed to secure though is much needed experience in the middle of the park in the shape of Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich. The 30-year old has had a frustrating time in the Bundesliga but knows the Premier League well from his time at Fulham.
The 34-times capped Portugal international will bring a calmness to the Spurs engine room as well as the sort of control and physicality that has been missing recently, however, there is a downside to such a vastly experienced player arriving on loan who will be expected to start more often than not.
Archie Gray has played 99 senior games already at the tender age of 19 with all of them coming at Leeds United and Tottenham, he knows nothing other than the pressure of having to perform in front of big crowds with high expectations.
Despite his versatility, Gray’s best position is as a defensive midfielder where his ability on the ball, reading of the game and composure are his greatest assets.
He is more than capable of filling in at the back, but he has always done his best work in the engine room, in the position that Palhinha is set to occupy.
At best, it might give the £30m teenager the chance to develop in his preferred position, at worst, it might see the Scotland and England eligible youth international regress due to not playing regular football or pinning down a stable role in the starting XI.
What does Gray think his best position is?
Asked last season what his best position was, Gray was diplomatic, with the standard utility player answer of ‘I’m just happy to play’ being trotted out:
“To be honest,” he tells The i Paper, “I don’t really know myself. I always trust the manager. He knows best and wherever he thinks to put me on the pitch or bring me on in the game, I’ll back that 100 per cent. I’m an 18-year-old – he knows the game a lot better than I do.
“It was difficult at the start,” he admits about first moving to Spurs. “Moving away from the family is always tough, and all my friends. But after a month or two it was easy to settle in, especially with the bunch of lads we’ve got and the coaches, they all helped me. I definitely feel really settled with the group and with the fans at the club – and I’ve always got people visiting me.”
What Gray needs now is stability. He is at a key age in terms of his development and being a good player in a number of roles should no longer be his focus. He has the potential to be an exceptional player in midfield, but he won’t improve if he is sitting on the bench or providing cover in defence when others are injured or in need of a rest.