Archie Gray can leave Adam Wharton in the dust soon
Archie Gray did not start against Crystal Palace as a center midfielder, and he has only rarely played in his preferred position for Tottenham Hotspur this season. But he still made a profound impact from the right back position and has steadily grown into the role for his team, scoring the opener with a wide open header from a Mohammed Kudus corner and playing solidly on both ends of the pitch in 45 minutes before exiting for mainstay starter Pedro Porro in the second half.
With Porro dealing with fitness issues, Gray has spread his wing as a captain and done damage on the right flank, still tucking in and charging up into the box almost like an auxillary inverted box to box midfielder in this suffocating Roberto De Zerbi tactical system. Gray went from being a potential liability at right back to legitimately one of the best right backs in the Premier League right now.
Porro, though, is rounding back into fitness after his World Cup summer, and with that, Gray will soon be starting as a midfielder again when he does get opportunities to rotate into the starting 11 for either Sandro Tonali or Mateus Fernandes.
Archie Gray is a bigger jewel than he gets credit for
And when he does, he will be more equipped to shine after learning more skills at right back. Archie Gray was one of Tottenham Hotspur's best players last season when they were at their worst under Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, and he honestly deseves a lot more shine for being the next big thing in the English midfield.
Tottenham's opponent on Saturday against Crystal Palace, interestingly enough, has also been hyped as the future of the England midfield. Adam Wharton was even a top Tottenham transfer target before Spurs aimed higher for Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
It's a decision Spurs and Roberto De Zerbi will not regret in the slightest. Crystal Palace as a team have definitely done Wharton no favors, but it was jarring to see how badly the game passed him by against Spurs with a completion percentage below 70, no key passes, no dribbles completed, and no fouls drawn. He defended at a high level for his team and has been good defensively overall with more than three combined tackles and interceptions per game, but on the ball, he's been very sloppy and lacking overall; he is also a problem for Palace, too.
Tottenham's own gem Archie Gray can leave Wharton in the dust soon enough. Once he gets starts in the midfield again, just like a couple of weeks ago in the win over Coventry, he can show his full quality and remind people that maybe the Adam Wharton hype train got out of hand and that he is actually the real shining jewel of the future England midfield.
