Archie Gray should note Kalvin Phillips situation amid Leeds United uncertainty: View | OneFootball

Archie Gray has had a great breakthrough season at Elland Road with Leeds United, but there is an air of uncertainty surrounding his future at the club.

The midfielder could be used as one of many transfers to help balance Leeds' finances and meet the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) that are set by the EFL after the club missed out on promotion back to the Premier League, losing the play-off final against Southampton.

If Gray is to make a move elsewhere to both further his footballing career beyond the Championship, and to help Leeds' financial troubles, he should perhaps look at a cautionary tale surrounding a former Leeds favourite who shares Gray's playing position and realised that the grass is not always greener: Kalvin Phillips.

Archie Gray Leeds United future uncertain

The 18-year-old's future looks to be a little unclear due to a statement made by club chairman Paraag Marathe.

Marathe spoke to the press on Wednesday, addressing the disappointing loss in the play-off final against Southampton, and how the summer window would be shaping up.

Focusing on any potential summer moves for Gray, Marathe said, as quoted by Leeds Live: "I can't talk on specific players right now, but, if I can paint the big picture for you, there are certain things we need to do and we will make sure we are fully compliant with PSR, as we always have been.

"There are certain trade-offs we have to make and so we'll have to get to the drawing board and figure out which moves we have to make to make sure we are compliant.

"Archie is a tremendous player, as [are] all of the players who put in so much effort for us, but every season brings change. I can't yet comment on it, but we'll see what happens."

The few quotes above do, by no means, appear to be a resignation to losing Gray over the summer, but do perhaps paint that uncertainty, as Marathe has somewhat highlighted that a sale of Gray would certainly help Leeds out of their current financial predicament.

Archie Gray's brilliant breakthrough season

If the young Englishman is to move on from the West Yorkshire club, then he will not be without a plethora of suitors.

The midfielder has been fantastic when deputising at right-back for the majority of this campaign, having had to fill in due to the poor form of Luke Ayling and the failed loan of Djed Spence in the early part of the season, before remaining as first choice ahead of Sam Byram, and January signing Conor Roberts.

However, Gray's main position is as a midfielder, and there are many top clubs circling, hoping that Gray could be a Jude Bellingham-esque signing.

One such club is Arsenal, who were credited by journalist Fabrizio Romano recently with having an interest in signing the midfielder.

There have been multiple previous links too to clubs from abroad, including Spanish giants Real Madrid, as well as German heavyweights Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

Archie Gray should look at Kalvin Phillips' move for caution

If Gray is to join one of these many top clubs that are reportedly interested in him, then he should not look too far to find out a very cautionary tale about the grass not always being greener away from Elland Road.

Kalvin Phillips left the West Yorkshire outfit in 2022 for Manchester City, 12 months on from a great tournament with England at the delayed 2020 European Championships, and a fantastic season with Leeds in the Premier League in 20/21, when the club finished ninth.

But in his time with City, he has barely featured, and perhaps now regrets not sticking with Leeds for a little longer after an injury-ravaged campaign.

It had seemed like an ideal move for Phillips, as he was leaving for a side being managed by a former player who starred in his holding midfield position and was a disciple of the manager that elevated him in Marcelo Bielsa, Pep Guardiola. However, Guardiola did not place much faith in Phillips from the start, and slowly restricted him from featuring, going from fleeting cup appearances, to only substitute roles, before finally freezing him out altogether.

During this time, Phillips would see his stock plummet, losing his England place to breakthrough stars, and eventually saw him shipped out on an extremely poor loan spell with West Ham United.

All of Phillips' career since leaving Elland Road, then, can perhaps be seen by Gray as a reason to stick around a while longer, building on a great breakout season in the Championship and seeing where both he, and the club, are in another 12 months.

Gray currently has four years remaining on his current deal at Leeds, so there is plenty of time for the Whites to still cash in on their young star should they need to further down the line. A high-profile sale for Leeds this summer is a must, but Gray is one player that will retain value across the next year even if the club remain in the Championship.

For his own development, another 40+ game season at Leeds might be best. Despite very different situations and differing ceilings, Phillips is the obvious example of how making a move to a big club is not straightforward and could hinder, rather than help, the young Yorkshire talent.