3 exciting Leeds United starlets that could make the club serious money | OneFootball

FLW outline some of the most promising Leeds United youngsters who are likely to break through in the coming seasons.

Highlights

Leeds United are famed for their ability to produce and develop young talent, with a clear pathway to the first-team a part of the fabric of the club for decades now.

Given the club's vast financial resources, there was always likely to be something of an aggressive approach to Leeds building their squad in the hope of making their latest EFL stint a brief one this season, but academy products such as Crysencio Summerville and Pascal Struijk were fundamental pieces of Daniel Farke's side in 2023/24.

On top of that pair, there were a number of young players on Leeds' books who had come through their academy set-up, who would have been hoping for more chances this season in the Championship, and that has proven to be the case, with Archie Gray the latest off the conveyor belt of young talent emerging from the club in recent years.

Famously, Leeds have tended to afford their young players opportunities, from Gray and his well-documented rise this season, to the likes of James Milner, Kalvin Phillips, Fabian Delph, Jonny Howson, Lewis Cook, and Jonathan Woodgate in the not-so distant past as well.

Farke needs to be sure that the younger lads can contribute again next year, and the early signs have been positive with Mateo Joseph starting his first league game for the club during the 3-3 draw with Portsmouth on opening weekend in the Championship.

The Leeds academy is famed in England for producing talent, and with that in mind, we have taken a look at three players that could save the club millions, should they make the grade over the next few seasons in West Yorkshire like Gray has.

Harry Gray

The family name speaks to the talents of both Archie (pictured above) and Harry Gray at Leeds. They are in good company as the grandnephews of Leeds legend Eddie Gray, with another favourite with the Whites faithful in Frank Gray as their grandfather, and they are also Andy Gray's son; all of whom played for Leeds at one stage or another.

Archie's 15-year-old brother, Harry Gray, is the spitting image of his sibling, and has been linked with a move away previously, with Man City one interested party potentially. He is also said to be attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League, much like his older brother had prior to his summer switch to Tottenham Hotspur.

Archie previously revealed that it has been his dream to play with Harry and to take Leeds all the way back to European nights at Elland Road. Speaking in an interview with The Guardian back in December, he said: "I wouldn’t tell him this myself, but it’s my dream to play with Harry one day.

"I just don’t know how we’d get along in training as we’re so competitive in everything we do and always have been. We’d have to be on the same team, but as brothers, we’re really close.

"My childhood dream was to win the Champions League with Leeds, captain England at senior level and win a Ballon d’Or. I’m still really young, so there’s a long way to go before any of that happens, but I believe I’ve got the ability to do it."

Despite pre-season involvement this summer, Harry is a few years away from the first-team yet, but if he's anything like his brother, then he has an extremely bright future as a footballer. He would also become the fifth Gray to appear in a Leeds shirt, and the second pair of brothers should Archie's wishes ever be fulfilled in the future, should he one day return to Elland Road.

Charlie Crew

Yet another talented midfielder to come through the ranks in recent years, Charlie Crew was given a professional contract earlier this year, with the 17-year-old agreeing terms to stay for another two years, which highlights his potential.

Crew started his career at Cardiff City, where he played in the club's academy from the age of seven. In 2022, he transferred to Leeds for an undisclosed fee, joining the club's U-18s initially, before being promoted to the U-23 team in January 2023.

It's been a rapid rise since then, with Crew involved in the first-team set up, but he isn’t as far along as someone like Gray. Despite that, he is regarded as a top talent within the academy, and he won his first senior cap for the Wales national team, alongside Leeds teammates Joe Rodon, Ethan Ampadu (both pictured), and Dan James against Gibraltar, before ever making a senior appearance for Leeds.

He has made the bench on a number of occasions last season and was the most inexperienced player named among the substitutes against Portsmouth, but you would think a loan move could be on the horizon for Crew in the next year or two, and he will hope that gives him a chance to impress before coming back to Elland Road, where he could be worth a fortune in the future.

James Debayo

James Debayo impressed in pre-season and appears to have overtaken the likes of Jeremiah Chilokoa-Mullen and Diogo Monteiro in the pecking order this season, although they are all yet to make a first-team appearance under Daniel Farke.

He was one of only six U-21 players to be taken to Leeds' pre-season tour of Germany, alongside both Gray and Crew. Since then, Farke has outlined just how impressed he has been with the youngster recently in training and pre-season matches, perhaps signifying his role is to be increased in the first-team this season. Farke said: "He’s probably the player I’m most strict with, always trying to correct him but it’s a good sign when I moan at a player. He's earned a spot and rightly so."

Ethan Ampadu filled in at centre-back last year, but Struijk and Rodon are the primary pair, whilst Max Wöber is the left-footed cover for Struijk. Debayo could therefore be seen as the right-sided central defensive cover this season, and the 19-year-old has the chance to develop into a solidified senior player this season.

Alongside Crew and Sam Chambers, Debayo is the only U-21 player to have been handed a squad number from the beginning of the campaign, which also hints at increased usage of the athletic central defender. With Charlie Cresswell departing for France this summer, it provides him with an opportunity to pick up minutes when called upon, and should he replicate the display against Harrogate Town, then there is a bright future at Leeds in front of Debayo.