Tottenham Hotspur’s winter transfer window was pretty underwhelming.
Tottenham Hotspur supporters expected to have a strong winter transfer window, given the difficult season that the Lilywhites have been enduring under Thomas Frank’s tutelage.
But all the rumours and big talks did not follow through, and many fans are in the same boat as Cristian Romero.
This is where the Dane head coach may be forced into another positional compromise, where Leeds United academy graduate Archie Gray could be deployed away from his natural role once again.
Lack of reinforcements force Archie Gray positional change
We saw the Lilywhites bring in Conor Gallagher and Souza in January, but Spurs failed to add reinforcements in defence as well as in the front line.
And this is where things start to look dim for Tottenham. With Pedro Porro and Djed Spence currently sidelined with calf and thigh injuries, respectively. This leaves Frank short of options on the right side of defence.
And according to Lilywhites correspondent at Football London, Alasdair Gold, Archie Gray is now expected to fill in at right back in the upcoming weeks as the North Londoners continue to manage the ever-growing injury list at Hotspur Way.
The teenager was playing as a makeshift centre-back last season under Ange Postecoglou, and he was quite impressive there. But just as it appeared that he would be getting some formidable minutes under his belt in his preferred midfield position, he will be pushed back into a makeshift role.
Author Opinion
Many regard Archie Gray as one of the more gifted midfielders coming up through English football. And when you watch him move in the middle of the park, there lies barely any doubt that his future lies in the centre. But regularly moving him around to solve short-term problems is not the way to go about it. This ends up risking his development, especially in a position where he is most likely to thrive.
If Tottenham had maybe gone into the market and brought in a mobile defender who can play in a few positions, then this could have avoided forcing Gray into that right-back role. But it looks like this is how Tottenham operate now, and we may just have to get used to players moving around across makeshift positions (very much like last season), at least for the ongoing campaign as well.
What do you make of Archie Gray being used in that right-back role (and away from midfielder)? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
