Spurs’ inability to nurture youth is just one in a long list of problems for the club to mull over during the upcoming international break. Core to this concern is the man who swept the club’s end-of-season awards and possesses clear talent in abundance: Archie Gray. The Englishman was signed as a midfielder, but has been used across the back line because of his versatility and also because of Spurs’ lack of depth. But are Spurs doing arguably their most talented young player more harm than good?
The natural comparison to draw here is to Eric Dier. There was once a time when Spurs’ most obvious solution to almost any squad problem was Dier.
Need a centre-back? Dier.
Need a right-back? Dier.
Need a defensive midfielder? Dier.
It was one of Dier’s greatest strengths, and it may also have been one of the things that made it so difficult to work out exactly what his best position was. Now Spurs are seemingly doing something remarkably similar with Archie Gray.
Archie Gray of Spurs (Photo by John Patrick Fletcher/Action Plus/Icon Sportswire)
This isn’t to dismiss Eric Dier’s contribution to Pochettino-era Spurs – we are talking about an immensely popular club servant who represented England, whose role at Spurs was far more sophisticated than that of a pure utility man. Pochettino developed a system in which Dier could change roles depending on whether Spurs had possession, shifting between defender and midfielder within games.
Dier wasn’t bad because of his versatility; it was actually what made him so valuable. But even he was conscious of the need to specialise, telling Sky Sports that he wanted to establish himself at centre-back rather than allowing his career to pass by “jumping around.”
The difference, though, between Gray and Dier is the underlying level of ability – and that really underlines Gray’s ceiling, because Eric Dier was an asset for Spurs over many years.
Archie Gray can play right-back, and the evidence suggests he could make a career in that position. But are Spurs getting the most out of him here, and are they impacting his overall growth in the process?
The latter part of that question is obviously impossible to know at this stage, and there is a debate to be had as to whether first-team exposure, regardless of position, is what will help Gray grow as a footballer. But it is clear that he prefers midfield, and the managers who know him best also accept that this is his natural home, despite squad needs pulling him elsewhere.
But positions are specialised, and there is a difference between developing versatility and becoming adept in a specific role. A young midfielder needs repetitions: receiving under pressure, controlling games and progressing the ball from the middle of the park – these aren’t traits to be developed from right-back.
The issue at Spurs, though, is the level of midfield investment and competition represented by the arrivals of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes. Despite well-documented struggles, both will justify first-team persistence by their price tags alone.
With Spurs already eliminated from the Carabao Cup, Gray’s involvement in midfield is likely only to be as a substitute. Pedro Porro’s injury concerns mean that the right-back experiment isn’t likely to end any time soon either.
What is Tottenham’s long-term plan for Archie Gray?
Archie Gray is clearly immensely talented, and Spurs need to plan for him rather than make him the solution when Plan A fails. If they don’t, they are potentially wasting the talents of one of the most gifted players to pass through the club in years.
If he’s supposed to become a midfielder, then there comes a point where he needs to spend the majority of his football actually playing there. If he’s supposed to become a hybrid player, then Spurs need to build a tactical structure that makes that versatility an advantage rather than simply moving him around whenever there is an injury. And if he’s eventually going to become a centre-back, that’s a different development pathway altogether.
At 20, there is still plenty of time, and that’s why this isn’t an emergency. But it is a decision Spurs eventually need to make.
The lesson for Gray is that versatility should be an additional weapon rather than his entire identity. Spurs have already discovered that Gray can play almost anywhere. The next stage of his development is working out where he can become genuinely exceptional.
Because there is a difference between being the player who can fill every hole in the team and becoming the player the team is built around.
Spurs now need to decide which one they want Archie Gray to be.
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