Scotland boss Sébastien Pocognoli is actively trying to convince Tottenham midfielder Archie Gray to switch his international allegiance from England to Scotland.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Archie Gray has been quietly enjoying a stellar 26-27 campaign under head coach Roberto De Zerbi.
The 20-year-old ranks among the top five Spurs players for Premier League minutes this season, having played an impressive 715 minutes, with De Zerbi trusting him in midfield and at full-back.
Not only is he getting minutes, but Gray is impressing as well, with the 20-year-old among Tottenham’s top ten performers this season.
Scotland boss Sebastien Pocognoli targets Tottenham’s Archie Gray
But the midfielder is not only a key part of the Tottenham first team; he is also part of the England Under-21 side and was among the 15 Spurs players called up for international duty this month.
However, despite Gray having represented England’s youth sides from Under-15 to Under-21 level, Scotland manager Sébastien Pocognoli is trying to persuade him to join the Scottish senior squad.
Gray is eligible to represent Scotland through his grandfather, Frank Gray, who was born in Glasgow.
MORE SPURS STORIES
But the Spurs man is far from the only player Pocognoli is trying to bring into the Scotland national team. Everton’s Hayden Hackney, who was linked with Tottenham in the summer, is also on their radar, while Scotland failed to convince Harvey Barnes to switch from England before the World Cup.
Now, though, with Gray and Hackney being younger players, there is a feeling they could well be convinced.
Pocognoli said as relayed by The Times: “I’ve done it with many players. I’ll do my best to bring them. With Barnes it was different. I knew before my first camp that he was different. The two other lads [Gray and Hackney] are young lads.
“In a year’s time, we will see. Right now, we have players in the squad who are performing well. It will always be them who are the priority. We know which players are eligible to represent the country one day. We had this case with Barnes at Newcastle when I arrived here. I’m not busy with this right now because there are too many other things to consider to make the team perform well. But I try to anticipate everything.
“We are always proactive in all of these situations. What is very exciting about those two names [Gray and Hackney] is that they are young players. That’s interesting. That’s part of my role, for sure. Not only for me but for other people working at the Scottish FA. And we are on it. We also have a lot of good players in the under-21s and that’s the first step for me, for the future.”
Should Gray make the switch to Scotland?
Making the switch could allow Gray to earn his first senior international cap and become more of a regular at that level.
Should he, however, look to break into the England first team, he will certainly face stiff competition in midfield, with Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham all options for Thomas Tuchel.
The 20-year-old’s versatility, though, could work in his favour, as he is capable of filling in not just in midfield but across the backline, which is a valuable quality to have at this level.