Tottenham 'being used for Real Madrid transfer' as wonderkid makes £40m U-turn

Tottenham icon Chris Waddle believes Archie Gray is using their interest in his services as a springboard for a future move to Real Madrid. The north Londoners have reportedly hijacked Brentford’s move for Gray, who enjoyed a stellar breakthrough campaign with Leeds United last season.

Last week, it was reported that Brentford made a £40million bid for Gray and went as far as arranging a medical. However, their offer was rejected by Leeds and Tottenham are now believed to be in pole position, with discussions said to be ongoing.

Waddle believes Gray will use his potential move to Tottenham as a platform to join Real Madrid in the future, with the 18-year-old tipped to follow in the footsteps of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.

“He’s an ideal Tottenham project,” Waddle told Genting. “Tottenham have a history of buying young players and giving them an opportunity. We’ve seen Tottenham make some very canny moves in the transfer market over the years with younger players.

“They can obviously see the potential that’s there, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Gray followed the likes of Gareth Bale and Luka Modric by joining Real Madrid for a massive fee if he lives up to his potential. Tottenham can obviously see his potential.

“He was probably the pick of the Championship players in terms of his age and ability. I think he could easily step up to the level of the Premier League. Whether he gets straight into the Tottenham team is a different question.

“I’m sure they will have a precise development plan for him which could see him join another Premier League club on loan. He’d be a good signing for Tottenham Hotspur because he’s only going to get better.”

Waddle added that he is expecting Gray to shine under Ange Postecoglou, with his versatility a major plus point. He played at right-back for the vast majority of last season despite being a natural midfielder, winning the Championship Young Player of the Year award in the process.

“I’ve seen enough of Archie Gray to say that he is a very good player,” said Waddle. “He’s a versatile player that can perform in a number of roles: midfield, full-back. That tells you two things about him: his manager trusts him to perform in numerous roles and he has the intelligence to do it.

“That’s rare for a player of 18 years old. He was ever-present in that Leeds United team last season, so again, that’s a good sign. His best role is in central midfield and I think that’s where he prefers to play.”