"Summerville will leave if" - Simon Grayson makes Leeds United claim on Archie Gray and Whites winger | OneFootball

Leeds United may be sweating on the futures of vital players if they lose to Southampton in the play-off final at Wembley, with Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray two key men that will almost certainly have plenty of summer interest.

Relegation was a tough pill to swallow for the club at the end of last season, but the overall reset that followed has benefitted many aspects of the club, and not least the opportunity that has presented itself to young players in the process, many of whom have become regulars in the first-team under Daniel Farke, but may not have if Leeds remained a top-flight club.

Two of Leeds' young stars have been among the stories of the 2023/24 Championship campaign, with both Summerville and Gray emerging as key figures during the race for promotion. Gray has made a staggering 51 appearances for the Whites so far in his breakout season. Meanwhile, Summerville has scored 21 goals and provided 10 assists, with both scooping the Young Player of the Year and Player of the Year awards in the Championship's end of season awards, respectively.

It's fair to say that both have taken the chance to make inroads into the first-team under Farke with both hands, with Gray the big story in particular in enjoying his first season as a professional player, making him the fourth player in his family to play for the club over the last half-century.

However, with winning such prestigious awards at a young age, there is bound to be plenty of interest this summer, especially if the White fail to gain promotion in the Championship play-off final on Sunday. A whirlwind season could yet have a fantastic ending for both of them and Leeds, but there are no guarantees against a side as strong as Russell Martin's Southampton.

Simon Grayson's Summerville and Gray verdict

The standard being set at the top of the table has been at an all-time high this year, and the two best sides to miss out on promotion have made it to Wembley. Simon Grayson spoke exclusively to Football League World to give his verdict on the futures of both Gray and Summerville, should Leeds miss out with defeat in the play-off final.

He said: "I think it's a must-win game for both teams - both Leeds and Southampton.

"They (Southampton) need to win as well for what they want to achieve financially as well.

"For Leeds, I expect Summerville will leave if Leeds weren't to be promoted, but I'm not so sure on Archie Gray. "There will be many people who will want to take him, depending on the price tag; but I think for him, he'll be wanting to stay and to get regular first-team football for another year. "Based on his history with the football club as well, with all the family. I do think he'd want to stay, but you can never say never. "But also, finances will dictate it. There are lots of players coming back from loans out in Europe, which is going to weigh heavily on them if they can't get them out still in the Championship.

"So, there will be a lot of uncertain times in the summer if Leeds don't get promoted. The best thing to do is win it at Wembley this weekend, then these problems are more or less solved."

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The concern for Leeds and Southampton

Retaining your best players as a second year parachute payment team is always a difficult situation to navigate, and especially with young players who are near-certainties to be too good for the Championship after a year of development.

This is an issue for both Leeds and Southampton, but a particularly pertinent one for a Leeds side with Gray, Summerville, Willy Gnonto, and Georginio Rutter amongst others. They have proven that they should not be playing another year of Championship football in 2024/25.

It piles extra pressure on success on Sunday, due to the repercussions surrounding individuals that have taken Leeds to this point. Gray may be a slightly different matter in the early stages of his development, as Grayson alludes to, but Leeds fans may have to quickly come to terms with saying farewell to some of the heroes who got them into the final in the first place.