Multi-million Archie Gray theory posited as Leeds United teen closes in on rare Championship milestone

English football’s second tier has for several years doubled as a finishing school for players who would go on to become household names, offering valuable senior exposure to youngsters taking their first steps in the professional game.

While many are given an opportunity, few excel to the extent that they are deemed first-team regulars during their debut professional season, but that is the bracket in which Leeds’ Archie Gray currently finds himself.

Most recently deployed at right-back for the visit of Bristol City, despite the availability of substitute and Whites stalwart Luke Ayling, Gray was awarded Man of the Match by United supporters on social media following the 2-1 win. It was his 11th start in 13 matches across all competitions.

“I have to give all the compliments to Archie,” Daniel Farke said. “One thing is having an idea. It's much more important that the player brings it on the pitch.

"We wanted to play with a more technical player, like a traditional midfield player with pace tracking the wingers."

Gray’s participation against the Robins took him past the 800-minute mark for the season. Only two outfielders - ever-present duo Ethan Ampadu and Pascal Struijk - have featured in more league minutes for Leeds during 2023/24.

Over the past ten Championship seasons, only six players have surpassed 1,000 minutes in a single season before their 18th birthday. One of them goes by the name Jude Bellingham, one is Liverpool regular Harvey Elliott and another is Premier League winner Joe Gomez.

Ryan Sessegnon is also included on that list, having accrued a staggering 5,600 minutes of league football before his 18th birthday and a subsequent £25 million transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.

There is even a former Leeds midfielder in the narrow pool of six; Lewis Cook played just shy of 2,000 minutes for the Whites during the 2014/15 campaign.

The latter pair have seen injuries rob them of a decent chunk of their careers to date, which should serve as a cautionary tale in Leeds’ management of the prodigious Gray. Nevertheless, it is clear that to play at such regular intervals, even in the second tier, at the Leeds teen’s tender age, you need to have a bit.

All being well, Gray will surpass the 1,000 minute mark with ease, perhaps before November’s international break. He may even eclipse 2,000 before turning 18 next March - something only Sessegnon, Elliott and Bellingham have achieved in the last decade.

Noting the fees Bellingham and Sessegnon moved for, and the £7 million which Bournemouth parted with for Cook before transfer window inflation kicked into overdrive these past summers, it is obvious for all to see that Leeds already have a multi-million pound asset on their books. The club know very well Gray is one who will only appreciate in value the more he features under Farke, hence the importance he has undertaken during the early part of the season, which sees Leeds fifth after 11 games.

His involvement has not been a token gesture either, unlike clubs who field soon-to-be out-of-contract youngsters in a bid to tempt them into signing new terms and extending their stays. Gray agreed a professional, first-team, deal earlier this year, which runs until the summer of 2025 - the maximum length Leeds were permitted to offer, a week after turning 17.

The minutes he has played so far are more impressive when considering United signed Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev as the summer transfer window drew to a close this year, both of whom ostensibly play the same position as Gray. The latter has barely had a sniff, let alone a first start, while Kamara is sharing minutes with the 17-year-old.

Leeds certainly hope their future is in the Premier League, next season if they could have it their way. Gray will hope so, too, having had a taste of several matchday squads but no appearances in the top flight.

Unlike Cook, whose time at Elland Road coincided with the club populating mid-table rather than the play-offs and above, Gray has the opportunity to play a potentially central role in restoring Leeds’ Premier League status.

For a club which has seen the likes of Cook, James Milner and even Kalvin Phillips move on to play at a higher level, wouldn’t it be great if this one fulfilled his potential at his boyhood club? Everything about his minutes played so far suggests he’ll get there sooner rather than later.