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Leeds United sold Archie Gray to Tottenham for a fee in the region of £40 million last summer.

Spurs activated his release clause, meaning the academy graduate was sold by Leeds after just one professional season at the club in the 2023/24 Championship campaign.

Archie Gray’s departure threatened to be a major blow for the Whites, having also sold Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter and therefore needing to rebuild the squad for the second consecutive summer.

After disappointment at Wembley this time last year, Leeds secured the title this season. In that same campaign, Gray has won the Europa League with Spurs and will face Leeds next season as a Champions League player.

Spurs’ Archie Gray praises Leeds United’s role in his development and versatility

The 19-year-old has had to operate as a central midfielder, defensive midfielder, right-back, and as a centre-back this season under Ange Postecoglou’s tutelage. Gray even referenced Leeds after winning the Europa League.

That experience of winning a major honour, while also featuring in a variety of roles, will serve him well heading into 2025/26, with Gray speaking to Sky Sports to explain his thoughts on his season with Tottenham.

He said: “100%. For everyone, the fans, it’s been a season worthwhile, 100%.

“I’ve enjoyed this year — this year so much. You know, it’s provided me with so much and so much different experience than what I thought I was going to get.

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“And I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful for the manager trusting me in so many different positions. All these different things you get experience for.

The youngster Gray is rubbing shoulders with Cole Palmer and he explained that Leeds have played a huge role in his development in one particular area. He added: I’ve grown a lot and I’ve enjoyed it a lot.

“Wherever I’m put on the pitch I’ll try to do the same job, just give 100%, and that’s a thing Leeds do really well with all their young players.

“They always put them in every position on the pitch, so I think that provided me with a good base for playing in these different positions.

“So, I’m not going out there never playing in them.”

Archie Gray’s career stats so far are incredibly impressive

Some Spurs fans want to see Gray return to Leeds in the short-term on loan but, should he stay, Gray will face Leeds next season, having featured in some capacity in 46 of Spurs’ 60 games in all competitions this season.

Not only that, but he started 35 of those amid various injury crises they faced in defence and midfield. The utility man may be required to fill in again next term.

However, Gray will also be eyeing a season of specialising at some stage. He has primarily operated as a box-to-box midfielder or at the base of midfield in recent years. Gray is also just two senior appearances away from a century already.

Ask most Leeds United fans what they would like the club to do first this summer, and it would be to sign Manor Solomon on a permanent basis from Tottenham Hotspur.

When Solomon joined last summer, there was a mixed reaction. Most agreed that Solomon would be a stunning signing in the Championship if fully fit – and while some saw it as a coup, others felt it was risky.

Michael Bridges has said Leeds took a risk in signing Solomon. But that gamble paid off with Solomon having a hand in 23 goals during 2024-25, scoring an injury-time winner to win the Championship title.

Leeds have been told Daniel Levy wants £15m-£20m for Solomon this summer, a deal that represents pure profit for Spurs given they signed him on a free. But emerging reports from Israel come as a worry.

Solomon talks reach impasse despite Leeds and Tottenham link

Leeds have had plenty of dealings with Spurs in recent years. Djed Spence, Joe Rodon (twice) and Archie Gray have all been the subject of successful transfers between the clubs – as well as a loan for Solomon.

Gretar Steinsson is the reason for that, having swapped Spurs’ transfer team for Leeds in 2023. Now, the Icelandic has been promoted to a similar role he held at Leeds, but within the overall 49ers football team.

Steinsson will be a part of talks as Leeds try to sign Solomon, but according to Israeli outlet Ynet, Leeds and Spurs are struggling to reach a conclusion in talks to land the winger beyond his current loan spell.

Leeds announced their retained list and confirmed that Solomon had returned to his parent club. Many saw that as a formality before a permanent deal is done but perhaps, Solomon won’t sign on after all.

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Solomon’s stance and rivals for Leeds favourite’s signature

The Israeli report adds that Leeds are not alone in the race to sign Solomon. They claim that Angus Kinnear wants to take Solomon to Everton, with Jack Harrison unlikely to stay at Everton beyond his loan.

Marseille are also said to have an interest, even if Sacha Tavolieri said Marseille sources had denied the Ligue 1 club wanted him. Solomon meanwhile, is said to be keen on signing for Leeds permanently.

Archie Gray is one of the brightest prospects Leeds United have produced in the last few decades, with the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder now regularly featuring in the Premier League.

With Frank Gray as his grandfather and Eddie Gray as his great uncle, Archie Gray became the fourth Gray to play for Leeds United when he broke through into the first-team following the club’s relegation to the Premier League.

Gray’s Leeds colours still shine through but the young Leeds hero departed for Tottenham in a £40 million switch last summer after the club failed to gain promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking. Under Ange Postecoglou, Gray has been utilised as a right-back, centre-back, and as a deeper midfielder.

His future is likely to lie in midfield in the long run, although some Spurs fans want to see Gray return to Leeds in the short-term on loan. It was at the base of midfield where he featured during last night’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa.

Archie Gray joins incredible Spurs list since joining from Leeds

Spurs are now 17th and sat on 38 points heading into their Europa League final and with just one game left of the Premier League season. It’s been a bitterly disappointing campaign but it could have an incredible ending if they beat Manchester United.

For Gray, it has been a productive season and a year which will be particularly beneficial in his development as well. He has played 44 games in all competitions, completing the full 90 last night as a defensive midfielder in a double-pivot.

He has started in 34 of those games so far, with two still left to play. Gray has already had a taste of a final previously with Leeds after losing the play-off final at Wembley but he can hope for better at the San Mames Stadium on Wednesday night.

Irrespective of what happens, Gray’s potential is evident and Spurs know it. The youngster Gray is rubbing shoulders with Cole Palmer but also other impressive Spurs players in years gone by.

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The 19-year-old is alongside Sol Campbell, Dele Alli, and former Leeds man Aaron Lennon in terms of the most starts for Tottenham as teenagers. It underlines his talent and potential as a player and is an incredible list of names to be associated with.

Lennon joined Spurs following Leeds’ relegation and enjoyed ten fantastic years at Spurs. Even a career half as good as that would be an achievement for Gray, who continues to follow in the footsteps of greatness.

Harry Gray’s potential could be greater than Archie Gray’s

Leeds’ famed academy continues to churn out talent and Harry Gray is the latest in the Gray dynasty to collect first-team experience this season. Harry Gray has overtaken Archie and Eddie in one particular area already.

However, he must stay grounded and Daniel Farke has had to speak to Harry Gray regarding keeping his feet on the ground after the promotion celebrations, but also with so much excitement regarding his future.

Speaking of Aaron Lennon, he believes Harry Gray has the potential to be something incredible. Leeds will hope to retain his services for longer than Archie, but the pair will also want to take to the pitch together one day, be that with England, Leeds, or Spurs.

Spurs and Leeds United will meet in the Premier League next season. Before that, though, they could come to blows in the transfer market.

Leeds United are returning to the big time after winning the Championship title in a brilliant 100-point campaign under Daniel Farke.

It’s already been reported that Leeds United are ready to spend £100million or more this summer as the 49ers eye a long-term future in the Premier League for the club.

There’s a growing number of players linked with summer moves to Elland Road as we near the start of the summer transfer window which opens on June 1st.

And as was the case throughout much of the 2024/25 season, it looks like Farke will look for a new no.10 in the summer transfer window.

This position was often cited as one that Farke wanted to bolster and that will surely be the case again this summer, in particular after the mixed second half of the season for Brenden Aaronson.

One player who could replace Aaronson in that no.10 role this summer could be James McAtee. It’s reported that he’s set to be sold by Man City this summer and Leeds United are being linked with McAtee once again, after the Whites were linked with the 22-year-old during the January transfer window as well.

But GIVEMESPORT are now reporting that Spurs are also interested in signing McAtee. They write that ‘Tottenham are keeping tabs on McAtee’s situation’ but reiterate the fact that there are a number of teams looking to sign the Salford-born midfielder this summer.

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Man City want £25million for McAtee this summer making him a potentially very expensive signing for Leeds. But Leeds United fans are excited by the McAtee rumours and so it could prove money well-spent for Farke and the 49ers.

Spurs also want Leeds United transfer target Georgios Vagiannidis

Spurs would of course be an attractive option for McAtee and the North Londoners may have the cash ready to buy him out of his Man City misery.

And Ange Postecoglou might not stop there in his plight of Leeds United. It’s also reported that Spurs want to sign Georgios Vagiannidis who has recently been linked with a move to Elland Road.

Leeds want to sign the Panathinaikos right-back who’s valued at £8.5million, meaning a double deal for him and McAtee would cost £33.5million for either Spurs or Leeds, should they both move to the same club this summer.

As soon as the transfer window opens, Leeds United need to be completing deals, or risk losing out on almost every target this summer.

Leeds United will obviously be trying to sign Manor Solomon permanently from Tottenham Hotspur this summer, with the on-loan winger scoring the goal that won the Championship trophy.

His tenth and last goal of the season saw Solomon cut inside a couple of Plymouth defenders before curling a low effort into the back of the net. Shirt off, Solomon’s passion was clear to see for Leeds fans.

Solomon has said he is unsure where his future lies. But Graeme Bailey has told LeedsUnited.News that Solomon is set to complete a permanent move to Leeds – with a fee of £15m-£20m expected for him.

Leeds and Tottenham have an excellent relationship. The two sides have completed deals for Joe Rodon – on loan and permanent – Djed Spence, Archie Gray and of course, Solomon. But Marseille were linked.

Leeds receive boost in Manor Solomon pursuit on Monday

Reports of Marseille’s interest emerged over the weekend, with Roberto De Zerbi keen to strengthen a side that have just qualified for the Champions League. Marseille were said to be keen on Solomon.

However, Belgian reporter and reliable journalist Sacha Tavolieri has taken to X to confirm that he has spoken to sources at Marseille and says that the French club have denied any interest in Solomon.

Tavolieri wrote: “Contacted, Marseille was keen to deny any interest in Manor Solomon.”

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Leeds need Manor Solomon deal tied up as soon as possible

Leeds are firmly of the belief that Solomon will be the club’s first summer signing. But with Tottenham still having two Premier League games left to play and a Europa League final, focus will not be on transfers.

Whether Leeds can get to the negotiating table with Spurs to strike a deal soon, remains to be seen. But Marseille’s interest – whether real, or not – is a reminder to Leeds that they really need to get on with it.

While Leeds United will not be crowned champions this weekend – well, technically speaking anyway – the same can’t be said about runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool.

Leeds United and Burnley were both promoted on Easter Monday. Sheffield United coming third in a three-horse race as they stumble over the final few hurdles.

The Whites and The Clarets went into the 45th matchday level on points, meanwhile, at the top of the Championship summit.

As such, the destination of the title will only be confirmed officially on the final day, regardless of the fact Leeds’ far superior goal difference essentially counts as an extra point advantage over Scott Parker’s defensively-brilliant but far-less-prolific outfit.

Liverpool, however, need not concern themselves with goal difference or – that classic end-of-season term we hear nowhere else – ‘permutations’.

As Arsenal bumble along in second, going through the motions and racking up draw after draw, Liverpool can be crowned Premier League champions for the second time if they beat Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.

Given that even Leicester and Ipswich have defeated Spurs this season, that should not be too daunting a task.

Especially given that Tottenham will be without Heung-Min Son. The ageing but still-occasionally brilliant South Korean who, with seven, has scored the fourth-most goals against Liverpool in the Premier League era.

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But how do Leeds fit into all this? Well, while many Tottenham fans seem willing to give Manor Solomon another chance, it remains to be seen what decision Ange Postecoglou takes with the Leeds loanee. Presuming – and it really is a presumption at this stage – that the cantankerous Aussie will still be at the helm come the opening of the summer transfer window.

Manor Solomon return to Tottenham feels unlikely as Leeds United eye permanent deal

Solomon, as a right-footed left-winger, feels like one of the players best suited to stepping into Son’s shoes long-term. Or he would do, if Tottenham had not already brought in Mathys Tel on a loan-to-buy deal from Bayern Munich.

A January addition which pushed Solomon even further down the pecking order at his parent club. And one which could leave the door ajar for Leeds to pick him up on a bargain deal. Tottenham reportedly value Solomon at just £15 million.

According to Give Me Sport, Tottenham are impressed with the way Tel has integrated into English football. While the teenage Frenchman has only two goals from eight top-flight appearances, the report adds that Spurs are already planning to negotiate a deal with Bayern at around £30 million.

This, coupled with Wilson Odobert’s eye-catching return from a long-term injury, only add credence to the idea that Solomon has played his last game in a Tottenham shirt.

Former Burnley starlet Odobert is another who could step into Son’s shoes long-term. Arguably he and Tel were Spurs brightest sparks – though that isn’t saying much really – during the 2-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest last time out.

Leeds, then, appear to be in a much stronger position to sign Manor Solomon permanently than they were a few months ago. And not only because their place in the Premier League – if not the Championship title – has now been sealed.

And while the man himself has been careful not to show his hand too early, Solomon does seem keen to stay at Leeds United. One suspects, after nine goals, 11 assists and numerous Man of the Match awards, that feeling may just be mutual.

“In my mind, I want to get back to the Premier League where I belong,” Solomon said a few months ago. “That is my goal. I understood that the best way to get back to myself and get back to the Premier League is to go to Leeds,” Solomon said.

“A club like Leeds, I think, must get into the Premier League. And that’s a very, very big goal for the team and for me. It’s something that I really, really want. I really, really want to get to the Premier League.

“It’s a big goal.”

Manor Solomon’s stellar season at Leeds United has not only earned the Tottenham Hotspur loanee a place in the hearts of the Elland Road faithful, it has also come as a massive relief to his backers back home.

In the last two seasons before this one – at Fulham and Spurs respectively – the winger had started a grand total of six Premier League matches.

And as recently as 2023, according to his agent, Manor Solomon was on the radars of an ambitious Aston Villa outfit, plus an a RB Leipzig side who identified the then-Shakhtar Donetsk winger as a replacement for the Chelsea-bound Christopher Nkunku.

In the 12 months after that, silence.

No wonder Leeds’ decision to bring Solomon in was labelled ‘a gamble’, regardless of his obvious talent.

And when Solomon dropped down a division in an attempt to jump-start his injury-stalled career, it wasn’t just the Leeds United fans who were desperate to see the posterboy of the Israel national team rediscover the confidence and the sharpness which underpinned those Champions League goals against Atalanta, Manchester City and Real Madrid.

Manor Solomon enjoys ‘best season of his career’ at Leeds United

True, Oxford United, Swansea City and Preston North End are no Real Madrid.

But, five years after Shakhtar did the double over the reigning European champions thanks to a pair of Solomon goals both home and away against Los Blancos, the feeling back home is that Tottenham’s £15 million-rated forgotten man is finally back on the right track after a couple of seasons rusting in the garage.

This is, Sport 5 say, the ‘best season of his career’. Numerically – nine goals and 11 assists – but also performance-wise.

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It is easy to forget just how much pressure Solomon was under when he was handpicked to replace the 2024 Championship Player of the Year Crysencio Summerville at Elland Road.

But while Solomon might not have come close to matching Summerville’s tally of 21 goals, it is no coincidence that his arrival has coincided with vastly-improved performances from Junior Firpo, Dan James and Joel Piroe.

A far more collaborative performer in comparison to the greedier, goal-hungry Summerville, Solomon has brought a supreme sense of intelligence and guile to a far-more functional frontline.

Solomon urged to make Tottenham Hotspur exit for Leeds stay

Sport 5 believe that the 2025 version of Manor Solomon may even be the best yet. Better than the one who inspired a 3-2 victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. Better than the one RB Leipzig identified following the £52 million departure of talisman Nkunku.

“[Solomon is] becoming a much more complete player. A player who not only thinks about dribbling, but also picks up [possession], passes inside, plays long balls and shoots from close range,” Sport 5 write.

“The April 2025 version of Manor Solomon is the best Manor Solomon.

“After three years out of football, after wandering around on loan at Fulham and now Leeds, he looks more complete and was one of the best players in the Championship.

“On a mental level, by the way, it looks significantly better. Solomon is the most talked-about [Israeli footballer] this season. He is also one of Leeds’ biggest stars.”

While the £15 million fee Tottenham want will eat up a sizeable portion of the summer budget, the feeling around Solomon is that he has done more than enough to justify a leading role in their Daniel Farke’s Premier League cast.

“Solomon should continue at Leeds United,” Sport 5 conclude. “This story feels too good, and too short, to end like this.”

While everything is right in Leeds United’s world right now, fans of Tottenham Hotspur must once again be wondering if the entirety of the universe was created purely as a joke at their expense.

In a week where Spurs moved to within 270 minutes of Europa League glory, their quarter-final victory over Eintracht Frankfurt was overshadowed by North London neighbours Arsenal bloodying the regal noses of Real Madrid in their own Santiago Bernabeu back yard.

Wouldn’t it be so very ‘Spursy’ for Tottenham to end their near-two decade trophy drought, only to see it immediately one-upped by their rivals from down the road?

On Friday night, meanwhile, the long-suffering Spurs faithful saw two players they let go combine to ensure Leeds United are within touching distance of another Championship title.

Leeds can officially return to the Premier League on Monday with a victory against Stoke City. It was Manor Solomon who made the difference at Oxford, converting the only goal of the game at the far post.

In fact, if it hadn’t been for the outstanding Joe Rodon – Tottenham loanee Solomon was left-awestruck by his imperious Leeds teammate – he surely would have had another Man of the Match award to add to his collection.

Tottenham fans want Manor Solomon back as he fires Leeds United to another win

During a season in which both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have been absent for long spells, the Championship’s stand-out centre-half probably would have come in handy for Tottenham.

Furthermore, as Heung-Min Son struggles to terrorise even Rasmus Kristensen these days, and with Wilson Odobert and Richarlison missing for months at a time, the feeling in North London is that Solomon’s silk, skill and scoring instinct might just have helped turn Ange Postecoglou’s tattooed-on frown upside down.

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The less said about Timo Werner, meanwhile, the better.

“Manor Solomon scoring again for Leeds. Would you be open to giving him another chance in pre season?”, one fan asks on social media, not without good reason.

“I don’t know why he left in the first place,” one responds. “[Solomon] would have been so useful during the injury crisis, and with rotation in general.”

“I wanted him to stay over getting Werner and got laughed at,” another points out, Solomon’s tally of nine goals and nine assists in a Leeds shirt perhaps proving his point.

“100 per cent yes [Solomon should come back]. He’s been class this season,” one argues.

“Yes, him and [now-Marseille midfielder Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg were solid parts of our start last season. You need some kind of experience in tougher times like from November to February this season.”

“Yes [bring Solomom back]. He has not really had a chance.”

“Of course [he could have a role to play at Tottenham]. Not as a starter on the left, but he’d be a great option off the bench. He was quite good for us before he got injured so it’s not a big shock that he’s done well.”

Solomon is loving life at Leeds as promotion to the Premier League edges closer

Solomon always felt likely to resemble a big fish in a smaller pond. This is a footballer who dazzled at Fulham in the top-flight after all, while accumulating his fair share of stand-out Champions League performances at Shakhtar Donetsk.

Tottenham value Manor Solomon at around £15 million, though Spurs could be forgiven if they are having cold feet now with regards to a potential permanent departure.

The man himself, however, appears in no rush to return to the capital.

“We knew it would be difficult tonight and it really was,” Solomon says in the immediate aftermath of that Oxford triumph. “We struggled but we got the three points. This is the most important thing for us.

“The job is not done yet. We need to stay humble but I’m waiting for Monday already!

“I am enjoying it so much here, and I want to enjoy it until the end. I’m sure we are going to [secure promotion] but it’s not done yet. Lets bring on Monday!”