De Zerbi revealed one-on-one meetings with the Tottenham youngster who will play a key role
Archie Gray has been backed as a future Tottenham captain by Roberto De Zerbi.
Gray has been one of the best players for Spurs in a disappointing season where they suffered defeat in the Premier League and a Champions League last-16 draw against Atletico Madrid last month.
Minutes have been hard to come by for Gray since De Zerbi took over and, ahead of Monday’s visit of former club Leeds, the 20-year-old has been praised but urged to hit the ground running after playing in defense and midfield.
De Zerbi says Gray is ‘the future’
“He is very young, (but) he has a lot of skill as a player. I think he can be the future,” said De Zerbi.
The Leeds graduate is not yet one of Tottenham’s highest paid players but he has earned his place as one of the most important members of the team.
|
Level |
The player |
Total salary per week |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Conor Gallagher |
£200,000 |
|
=2 |
Xavi Simons |
£195,000 |
|
=2 |
Cristian Romero |
£195,000 |
|
4 |
James Maddison |
£170,000 |
|
=5 |
Mohammed Kudus |
£150,000 |
|
=5 |
Randal Kolo Muani |
£150,000 |
|
7 |
Dominic Solanke |
£140,000 |
|
8 |
João Palhinha |
£135,000 |
|
9 |
Dejan Kulusevski |
£110,000 |
|
=10 |
Richarlison |
£90,000 |
|
=10 |
Micky van de Ven |
£90,000 |
|
=12 |
Pedro Porro |
£85,000 |
|
=12 |
Radu Dragusin |
£85,000 |
|
14 |
Ben Davies |
£80,000 |
|
=15 |
Guglielmo Vicario |
£75,000 |
|
=15 |
Rodrigo Bentancur |
£75,000 |
|
=15 |
Destiny Udogie |
£75,000 |
|
=15 |
Archie Grey |
£75,000 |
|
19 |
Pape Sarr |
£70,000 |
|
20 |
Kevin Danso |
£65,000 |
|
21 |
Lucas Bergvall |
£60,000 |
|
=22 |
Yves Bissouma |
£55,000 |
|
=22 |
Mathys Tel |
£55,000 |
|
=24 |
Djed Spence |
£40,000 |
|
=24 |
Wilson Odobert |
£40,000 |
|
26 |
Antonin Kinsky |
£30,000 |
|
=27 |
Brandon Austin |
£15,000 |
|
=27 |
Dane Scarlett |
£15,000 |
The manager continued: “I am sure that he can be the future of this team and the captain of this club.
“He needs to better understand what his place will be on the field, he can play in many places but maybe I would like him to be specific in one place.
“We are working on that, in individual meetings and individual clips.
“For me in any way (he is still an important player). Joao Palhinha did not play the first three games and in the fourth he was one of the best players on the field.”
Palhinha is a prime example for Gray after the Portugal midfielder was overlooked, in favor of Yves Bissouma, before his late winner at Wolves was followed by a start in Sunday’s 2-1 win at Aston Villa.
Tottenham moved out of the bottom three with a second successive league win at Villa Park, where one of the tactical delights was Palhinha’s tendency to drop into the right-back position.
It allowed right-back Pedro Porro the freedom to get into the center of the pitch regularly and ensured Spurs had possession, but De Zerbi insisted a replay was not guaranteed at home to Leeds.
He went on to say: “It depends on different games because goals in football are very important.
“The mental part is important, but also the strategy can be very important. We will change something in the work of the posts, for sure, but I don’t like to give too many ideas, too many instructions, especially at this time.
“I don’t want the players to lose energy thinking about what the plan is, no, I want the players to play freely, play with confidence and follow the plan.”
Tottenham vs Leeds team news
Tottenham remain without goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, captain Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert and Dominic Solanke who is likely to face Leeds, but the club’s situation has changed.
Tottenham want to sign ‘underrated’ Newcastle star who is now ‘on his way out’
Spurs have apparently identified him as a summer target.
De Zerbi’s brilliance and front-foot approach have revived Spurs after three weeks in the relegation zone, but the Italian warned against underestimating 14th-placed Leeds.
“First of all, we will play against one of the best teams at the moment,” he said.
“We are very respectful, we cannot think otherwise, we must keep this concept.
“We must remain humble, nothing has changed, we must prepare for an important game.”
