Should Archie Gray replace Rodrigo Bentancur in the Tottenham midfield?
Earlier this week, the FA slapped Rodrigo Bentancur with a seven-game domestic ban for his comments made on skipper Son Heung-min back in June.
In their official statement, The FA stated that an independent regulatory commission has imposed a seven-match suspension and a £100,000 fine on the Spurs midfielder after his comments were found to have breached the FA’s Rule E3.1 in relation to a media interview.
Bentancur will now miss Spurs’ league games against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool. He is also suspended for the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 19.
The Uruguayan international has been a key cog in Ange Postecoglou’s machine this season. He has played 15 times for the North Londoners across all competitions thus far, scoring his first goal of the campaign in a shock 2-1 defeat to newly promoted Ipswich Town on November 11.
John Wenham—the owner of the reputable Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose—thinks Archie Gray will get a run in midfield after Bentancur was suspended by the FA. The club insider has been happy with the youngster’s progress since arriving at N17 and has backed him to step up in the South American’s absence.
“Gray is an incredibly versatile player,” John Wenham exclusively told Tottenham News.
“With Bentancur banned, I think Gray will now get a run in the Spurs midfield. He has already played a lot of minutes for the club this season.
“He is making good progress and I think fans forget how young he is because of his high transfer fee. He’s still just 18, and I think this year is all about him just settling in at the club.”
Archie Gray only arrived at Tottenham from Championship side Leeds United in the past summer transfer window, but will have been left frustrated by his lack of game time under Ange Postecoglou. The teenage prodigy has managed a total of 46 minutes of Premier League football thus far this season, limited mostly to outings in the Carabao Cup and the Europa League.
The versatile Englishman is yet to start a Premier League game for the North London side, leading to speculation suggesting that a temporary return to Leeds United could be on the cards. There is perhaps frustration also from the player’s camp that has not been handed any starts in his preferred midfield role.
Despite three months into the new season and not starting a single Premier League fixture, a loan move away from the Hotspur Way is unlikely to materialise as it is expected that Postecoglou will begin to use the England under-21 international more frequently in the upcoming weeks and months.
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Having barely tasted action in the Premier League, throwing Gray straight into the mix against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday would be a brave call from Big Ange. Nonetheless, if our gaffer makes the bold call and hands him his first Premier League start for Spurs against the English champions in a hostile atmosphere, Gray has to ensure he steps up and repays Big Ange’s faith.
