Danny Mills reveals Archie Gray "fear" if Leeds United got promoted | OneFootball

Leeds United midfielder Archie Gray has caught the eye this season in the Championship, in what has been the 18-year-old's breakout campaign for his boyhood club, and Danny Mills believes he will benefit from another year of second tier football.

Leeds' teenage sensation took home the division’s Apprentice of the Season award after a stunning campaign at Elland Road, whilst also winning the prestigious Championship Young Player of the Season award ahead of Jon Rowe and Jordan James.

The Leeds starlet has been one of the stories of the 2023/24 Championship campaign, making 52 appearances in all competitions for the Whites, meaning he missed just three of their games all season. Gray has taken the chance to make inroads into the first team under Daniel Farke with both hands and had a highly successful first season as a professional player despite a disappointing end.

Of course, Leeds were able to fend off any January interest and tie the central midfielder turned right-back to a long-term contract, but fresh updates on such transfer speculation continue to gather pace. According to Football Insider, Leeds' resolve "will be tested" when it comes to keeping hold of their sought-after academy graduate, as multiple suitors circle over a potential summer deal.

However, his versatility and maturity has been crucial and Leeds will hope that he remains in West Yorkshire next term, as he continues to rapidly develop. Naturally, for such a talented youngster, the pace at which Gray is improving has caught the eye of many of Europe's elite, as well as the England setup as well with the U-21 side.

Danny Mills' Archie Gray verdict

Danny Mills played 141 games for Leeds between 1999 and 2004 and believes Gray is best served remaining at Leeds in the Championship next season, as a potential silver-lining following failure to gain promotion.

"He's not been played in his preferred position; I think his best position is midfield. He's been farmed out to right-back where he's performed brilliantly. My fear was if Leeds got into the Premier League, and he plays right-back, he might get a little bit lost.

"The quality that you're suddenly playing against, - Jeremy Doku, Mohamed Salah. It's another level. This is not the Championship anymore. And my fear would be that Leeds would bring in a right-back with experience and he might not make that midfield berth. "I actually think for Archie's development, even if they’d got promoted, it wouldn't be a bad thing if he went and did a year in the Championship in midfield. He's very, very young, learning his game in midfield. Now, with all the experience that he has, I think it could be one of the best things that happened to him. "Personally, I know Leeds fans wanted to be in the Premier League, and I'm sure Archie wanted to be playing in in the Premier League, but I think in terms of long-term development, when you look at the history of players, sometimes you can get thrown into the Premier League too soon and you're going from playing every game in the Championship to suddenly not playing many in the Premier League. And that can be tough to deal with at times.

"So, from a personal perspective, I think actually, Archie having another season in the Championship long-term will be the best thing for his development, especially if he plays in midfield this season."

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Archie Gray's Leeds development

There has been constant speculation across the campaign regarding Gray's future, which included reports in November claiming that Liverpool were readying themselves for a bid in excess of £40 million to acquire the youngster's services.

The teenager’s deal is set to keep him with the club until the summer of 2028, so the club are well protected in that sense. The recent deal with Red Bull has also given them an extra injection of cash, too, so things appear somewhat less desperate than they were in the aftermath of the play-off final.

Gray's development is the most crucial thing, and he himself will know that the first-team opportunities are there at Elland Road, where they may not be so easy to find elsewhere. Mills is right to suggest that another year in the same league will probably suit Gray best at this moment in time.

He's already a key player at such a young age but has taken so much responsibility in his stride, across two positions no less, already. Leeds can build their short and long-term future around him, so Gray should be well down the list of possible sales, if the club can avoid it.

He remains raw and unrefined in particular areas of his skill-set, but keeping hold of the youngster has to be their top priority given what an exciting talent he is, and his value is surely going to skyrocket as he continues to improve further.