Thomas Frank will finally have the opportunity to work with Archie Gray at Tottenham after missing out on his signature 12 months ago. Following a standout season for Leeds United in the Championship, the teenager appeared to be on the verge of joining Brentford in a £40million deal after the West Yorkshire club had missed out on promotion to the top flight.
Unfortunately for Frank and Brentford, the move fell apart very late on as Leeds were unhappy with the structure of the deal the Bees were offering. That decision opened the door for Tottenham and they duly snuck in to wrap up a deal for Ange Postecoglou and leave Frank frustrated.
The 19-year-old probably featured more than he expected in the 2024/25 season after making 46 appearances in all competitions. An injury crisis saw Gray take his place in the Tottenham XI on a regular basis, with his versatility resulting in him taking on an emergency role at centre-back for a lengthy spell.
Gray will only have benefitted from a season like no other at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and that in turn will only stand him in good stead for the future. Frank is certainly a fan of the player and namechecked Gray in his first interview as Spurs boss, stating that the ex-Leeds player, along with Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert and Destiny Udogie, has "a high ceiling".
Gray's versatility is a big plus point for Frank but ultimately he is expected to become a holding midfielder in the long-term future. The highly-rated ace played there on only a few occasions last season and struggled at times, most notably in a 5-1 humbling at Liverpool that saw him make way at half-time.
What should become clear in the weeks ahead is what Frank has planned for Gray. Given Brentford were so intent on luring him to the Gtech Community Stadium, you would imagine that the player has a huge role to play under the Dane.
Pre-season training is now underway at Hotspur Way and a number of Tottenham's players have returned. Those not involved in international action during the summer are present and the same goes for those returning from loan deals in the 2024/25 campaign.
Tottenham's international players have also now returned after a few extra days off but players such as Gray, Mathys Tel, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore are expected to be off for slightly longer after playing in major tournaments that ran until the end of June. Once Gray is back amongst his teammates at the club's Enfield base, Frank can take a good look at him and decide what the future has in store for Spurs' No.14.
He may decide that he is a player who can fill in the troublesome No.6 role or that maybe he believes he is a better option at right-back or even centre-back. Gray is at an age where his long-term position could potentially change and it may not be in midfield as many expect to be the case.
His first appearance in a Tottenham shirt in pre-season could drop a huge hint about Gray's role for the new head coach.