New signing Archie Gray was at Hotspur Way on Saturday for the first day of Tottenham’s pre-season training

• 17:00, 7 JUL 2024
• Bookmark

Archie Gray’s smile said it all as he stepped inside Hotspur Way for his first day of Tottenham training. Completing his move from Leeds United on Tuesday, the 18-year-old ace didn’t have to wait long at all to meet his new Spurs  teammates for the first time with pre-season training commencing at Hotspur Way on Saturday morning.

Once they are back outside on the grass, Gray will be looking to make an immediate impact on the pitch as he bids to become a major player in Ange Postecoglou’s system. The new signing will also be counting down the minutes until he can get to work with the Australian for the first time as he did mention in his club interview immediately after signing his love for Postecoglou due to the fact that he is a Celtic fan.

During his first interview as a Tottenham player, the Durham-born starlet also mentioned that already knows “many players” at the club, which in turn should hopefully help him settle into life in north London rather easily.

“When Spurs came and I had the opportunity to play in the Champions League eventually and Europa League this year I couldn’t really say no,” said Gray. “I know so many players that are here, not so much the first team but the young lads and another thing is that it’s a massive project under Ange and it’s something that I want to be a part of.

“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m a massive Celtic fan so I love him and my whole family loves him. I haven’t really said this to be fair. He’s also a massive factor because playing under a really good manager is really important for me as well. I’ve still got loads to learn because I’m only 18 so it’s really important.”

Upon arriving at Hotspur Way on Saturday morning, Gray entered the building alongside fellow Tottenham youngster Dane Scarlett. The former Ipswich Town loanee is someone the new signing knows from their time together playing for England Under-20s last November.

Gray started in midfield in the team that lost 3-0 against Italy, with Scarlett forming part of England’s attack. During the defeat in Doncaster, Gray did in fact playing next to fellow Tottenham youngster Alfie Devine in the team’s midfield. They may well get the opportunity to do likewise over the course of pre-season with Spurs having six summer friendlies on the agenda prior to commencing the new Premier League season away at Leicester City on Monday, August 19.

Scarlett and Devine are not the only Tottenham players Gray knows from international duty. When playing three games for England Under-19s back in October, the highly-rated teenager did in fact play in the same team as four Tottenham youngsters.

Luca Gunter was in goal for Simon Rusk’s side, Ashley Phillips captained the team at the back, Jamie Donley started in attack and Alfie Dorrington was one of the substitutes. Gray is also very familiar with Djed Spence after the right-back spent the first half of the 2023/24 season on loan with the player at Leeds United before heading for Italy in January as he linked up with Genoa for the remainder of the campaign.

Gray is most definitely right when he says he knows “many players” already at the club and that is only going to help him in his first few days when it comes to making a smooth transition after swapping Leeds for Tottenham. Spurs’ first-team players are very much a welcoming bunch and it won’t be long at all before Gray finds himself right at home, with the team’s summer tour of Japan and South Korea only set to benefit him due to the amount of bonding time on offer with the rest of the squad.

In terms of settling into his new surroundings in his first few days as a Tottenham player, the likes of Scarlett, Devine, Phillips, Donley and Spence could be key figures for last season’s Championship young player of the year.