Leeds United: Tottenham, Archie Gray development may surprise some at Elland Road | OneFootball

Leeds United may be surprised to see Archie Gray playing in central defence for Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur had a relatively quiet summer transfer window compared to some of their Premier League rivals, but one of their more notable additions was that of Archie Gray, who joined Spurs from Championship outfit Leeds United last summer.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou clearly has high hopes for the 18-year-old, who excelled in the second tier for the Whites last season, which was enough to convince the north London side to fork out a fee within the region of £30m for his services.

Making the switch from a Championship side to a Premier League club who are also striving to enjoy a successful Europa League campaign was a brave jump for Gray, who had to wait until early December to make his first top-flight start, albeit he had heavily featured for Spurs in both the EFL Cup and in Europe.

Gray's position at Spurs will surprise Leeds

Last season was Gray's first as a member of the senior squad at Elland Road, and one in which he proved his versatility, as he shone through as one of the second tier's best players both at full-back and in central midfield.

However, during his time with the West Yorkshire club, the Leeds academy graduate never started at centre-back for the Whites in the Championship, but being moved to central defence by Postecoglou has seen him make back-to-back starts for Spurs for the first time.

The Whites faithful will be surprised to see Gray operating as a central defender, but it is a role which clearly has the potential to work in both his and Tottenham's favour.

Last Thursday, he starred at the heart of Postecoglou's back four alongside Romania international Radu Dragusin, as Spurs drew 1-1 with Rangers at Ibrox.

Following a decent performance in Glasgow, the talented teenager was chosen as a centre-back once more as his side took on Southampton on Sunday night, and it worked a treat as Spurs kept a clean sheet during an emphatic 5-0 win over the Saints.

Furthermore, as per FotMob, Gray completed the most passes out of any player involved in Sunday's fixture between the Saints and Spurs, with 91 successful passes.

While the central defence role is still fairly unfamiliar to the England youth international, who played as a full-back or in midfield for Leeds last term, he is currently performing well there, and has every chance of remaining in his new position for upcoming challenges against Manchester United in the EFL Cup, and against Premier League leaders Liverpool in the top-flight.

Leeds supporters will be proud of Gray's Tottenham exploits

Last term, the Ellland Road faithful would have felt an enormous sense of pride seeing their club's academy graduate performing so well for the West Yorkshire side week in, week out.

Furthermore, the 18-year-old is part of a proud Leeds dynasty, as the son of Andy Gray, who played for the Whites in the Premier League, and the grandson of Frank Gray, who won the first division title with the Elland Road outfit in the 1970s, while he is also the great nephew of Leeds legend Eddie Gray.

His family links to the club will have made his decision to leave the Whites even more difficult, but supporters will also be proud to see him performing so well in the top-flight and in the Europa League.

But one aspect of Gray's Spurs career to date which may continue to surprise Leeds fans is that he is being deployed as a centre-back for his new club. He has the talent to play anywhere on the pitch in the eyes of many, but to see him at the heart of defence for an established and ambitious Premier League side already, will catch a few off guard.