Former Leeds United man Archie Gray earned his first start for Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday in the North London club’s 2-1 win over Coventry in the EFL Cup.
Gray has been in the headlines these last few days and it’s not for anything he’s done on or off the pitch. After Spurs lost 1-0 last weekend to Arsenal in the latest North London Derby, talkSPORT pundit Jamie O’Hara has picked on Gray and the rest of Spurs’ summer signings.
O’Hara has a significant problem with Tottenham’s pursuit of players from the bottom half of the Premier League table and the Championship.
“I feel like we’re shopping at Zara,” O’Hara told his co-host, Jason Cundy, on Tuesday. “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.
“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.”
Archie Gray flashed his potential in his first Spurs start
After coming off the bench for his first two appearances, the 18-year-old played a full 90 minutes in the EFL Cup match against Coventry. Gray had two clearances and two tackles to go along with 71 touches, completing 49 of 54 passes and having a 91 percent pass completion percentage.
Moreover, the teenager also won five of seven duels and only lost possession of the ball on seven occasions. Following the victory, Gray spoke with Sky Sports and noted that playing Coventry last season while with Leeds allowed him to know what to expect for his first start.
“It’s a difficult place to come,” Gray said postgame on Wednesday. “We played here last year and even at our ground last year, I was playing, they always bring a tough game, and lots of transitions, and that’s the way they play.
"I think that's happened too many times for us this season, too chaotic."
Brennan Johnson and Archie Gray reflect on Tottenham's dramatic comeback against Coventry 😲 pic.twitter.com/iU65DBBJ47
— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) September 18, 2024
“They did well this game and the fans got behind them. They brought a good game to us and credit to them, but we always knew that we had what it took to take it right to the end. But yeah, they did very well and I thought the game plan was executed very well as well.”
