TalkSPORT’s Jamie O’Hara isn’t letting go of the topic regarding Tottenham Hotspur’s transfer strategy this past summer.
After Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Arsenal, the pundit slammed Spurs for pursuing players from the bottom half of the Premier League table and the Championship, including former Leeds United youngster Archie Gray.
Since his high-profile move, Gray has only played 29 minutes across two appearances for Spurs this season. Tottenham hasn’t yet seen a return on their investment after spending a significant amount on him.
However, given that Gray is just 18 years old, this signing was probably seen as a long-term play. Still, O’Hara is giving analysis in the moment, not in the future, which is why he only sees Gray as a Championship-level player.
“Have we brought in top players?” O’Hara said Monday on talkSPORT. “[Dominic] Solanke, one good season at Bournemouth. Hasn’t scored yet. He’s had one good season at Bournemouth and we signed him for £60 million.
“Brennan Johnson [is a] good player, a young player, Nottingham Forest, done the business of Forest. We signed him for £50 million. He looks miles off it, miles off it. And then I look at him and go, Archie Gray, good player. He’s from Leeds. It’s a Championship player.
Jamie O’Hara: Tottenham are shopping at Zara
Nonetheless, O’Hara continues to vent his frustration regarding these signings. On Tuesday, the pundit was on talkSPORT and made an analogy of how he sees Spurs’ 2024 summer transfer window in his latest dig at Gray and the arrivals.
“I feel like we’re shopping at Zara,” O’Hara told his co-host, Jason Cundy. “Zara is all right; it’s cheap [and] looks good [but] it’s not Reiss. Do you know what I mean? It’s not Gucci.”
O’Hara also acknowledged that Tottenham has successfully purchased players who played in the Championship. However, he believes those were different circumstances.
“People say, ‘Well, you bought [players] from Championship clubs,'” O’Hara said. “But the difference is everyone wanted Robbie Keane, and we got him. Everyone wanted Aaron Lennon. Everyone wanted Tom Huddlestone. We signed these players who were going to be top players. Jermain Defoe, when we signed him, he was guaranteed top player.”
Gray had an impressive season with Leeds, featuring in 52 matches across all competitions and providing two assists. The teenager showed his versatility, playing as a right-back and in various midfield roles.
It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes for Gray, who should use this criticism from O’Hara as motivation.
