There hasn’t been much to cheer about for Tottenham Hotspur this season.
Ange Postecoglou’s side are 12th in the Premier League and out of both domestic cup competitions.
While many of their problems are undoubtedly linked to the seemingly never-ending string of injuries they’ve had to deal with, it would also be fair to say that the form of a number of their fit stars has been subpar.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as some players have impressed, including one of Postecoglou’s signings who is sure to be worth a king’s ransom in the future.
Postecoglou’s most expensive signings
While he’s not the player in question, Dominic Solanke, who was Spurs’ record signing in the summer at £65m, is one of those regular starters who has been having an impressive campaign.
Prior to his recent knee injury, which has kept him out of the side for a month now, the Basingstoke-born poacher had racked up a brilliant tally of 11 goals and six assists in just 29 games, totalling 2248 minutes.
That means the Englishman was averaging a goal involvement every 1.7 games, or every 132.23 minutes, which is great for his debut campaign for the club, although he’s still only the second top scorer, behind Postecoglou’s second most expensive signing: Brennan Johnson.
The Welshman cost the North Londoners around £47.5m in September 2023, and while he endured a slow start to both last season and this one, he’s become a useful attacking outlet for the team.
Across the season and a half he’s played for the club, the 23-year-old has made 67 appearances, totalling 4395 minutes, in which he’s scored 17 goals and provided 13 assists, which comes to an average of a goal involvement every 2.23 games, or every 146.5 minutes.
Such a rate of return makes it hard to describe Johnson’s move to Spurs as anything other than a success.
However, his performances haven’t been so incredible that his valuation will soar in the future, unlike one of Postecoglou’s signings from the summer.
The Postecoglou signing set to be worth a fortune
Alongside Solanke, Spurs also welcomed in the likes of Lucas Bergvall – although his deal was completed in winter – and Wilson Odobert, who both look like players who will be worth considerable sums of money in the future.
However, of the young up-and-comers signed by Postecoglou and Co over the summer, the one who looks the most like a dead certainty is undoubtedly Archie Gray.
The young Englishman joined the club from Leeds United for around £30m, and while many saw him as one for the future, who might be gradually introduced into the team, circumstances dictated that he’d be thrust into the spotlight in December, a spotlight he has hardly vacated since.
Primarily seen as a midfielder in the long term, the club’s severe injury crisis has seen the “outstanding” Durham-born ace, as dubbed by respected football analyst Ben Mattinson, almost exclusively play out of position.
So far, he has made 16 appearances at centre-back, seven at right-back, five at left-back, and just two in defensive midfield.
|
Gray’s positional versatility |
|
|---|---|
|
Position |
Appearances |
|
Centre-Back |
16 |
|
Right-Back |
7 |
|
Left-Back |
5 |
|
Defensive Midfield |
2 |
However, instead of struggling and being a weak point in the side, the 18-year-old phenomenon has been one of the most reliable starters for the manager, and if his first campaign is anything to go by, then Mattinson’s claim that he’s a “future £100m” player seems entirely realistic.
Ultimately, while he’s been thrust into a less-than-ideal situation this season, it looks like Gray is set to be a leading star in this Tottenham team for years to come and someone who’ll eventually be worth a king’s ransom.
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