Leeds United handed Summerville and Gnonto boost as Archie Gray heads to Spurs | OneFootball

Archie Gray's transfer to Tottenham Hotspur has provided a shock source of positivity at Elland Road

Leeds United's imminent sale of Archie Gray to Tottenham Hotspur will offer significant support to their attempts at keeping Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto at Elland Road this summer.

Academy product Gray, who made 52 appearances across all competitions in a sensational breakout campaign for the Whites, is now set to join Spurs in a deal that will not only net Leeds £40m but also sees Joe Rodon head in the other direction after they dramatically rebuffed Brentford's advances.

Leeds knew that reluctant player sales were inevitable this summer upon their failure to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, with Southampton's play-off final victory on Wembley Way at their expense forcing them into financial action.

Apart from negotiating the financial conditions of the departure on their own terms, they could do very little to ultimately prevent Gray from leaving West Yorkshire after a decade with the club, given the degree of interest in his signature and the appealing figures promptly put on the table.

Gray aside, there has been a lingering fear that Leeds will have to sanction further sales in order to balance the books ahead of a second promotion bid next term, but a recent report from The Athletic might just cool the panic stations for now.

Leeds United do not have to sell Crysencio Summerville and Wilfried Gnonto following Archie Gray's Tottenham transfer

As detailed in the report, Gray's transfer to North London is set to put Leeds in a favourable position with the EFL and Premier League's Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, which has recently created a questionable series of domino-effect transactions across numerous top-flight clubs desperate to avoid falling foul of such regulations and incurring potential points deductions for the 2024/25 season.

Leeds, however, are no longer expected to be under that sort of pressure to accept further sales this summer unless players request to leave, as Gnonto himself did last August.

Of course, Leeds' fresh adherence to PSR regulations doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be able to keep all of their prized assets at the club - Summerville in particular will be a hot property after scoring 19 goals and assisting a further nine to win the Championship's Player of the Year Award - but it's an overwhelming positive nonetheless, giving strong bargaining power if any players decide to kick up a fuss and preventing them from being bullied into selling their very finest.

Leeds United

This revelation considerably changes the situation regarding the duo, who should both, once again, orchestrate leading roles in a probable promotion mission next time around.

Admittedly to varying degrees, they both underlined their importance to Daniel Farke's side on countless occasions last term and, at 22 and 20 respectively, can only be expected to improve even more - which is a tantalising prospect from a Leeds perspective should they stay put.

It's pretty hard to rule out Summerville establishing himself as the division's leading performer yet again next term, while with a more stable campaign, Gnonto's numerical return should begin to mirror the frightening game-changing ability in his possession.

With that in mind, keeping both players would represent a serious statement of intent towards Leeds' promotion credentials, which they must desperately realise in 2025.

Gnonto would likely benefit from another season in the Championship, but Summerville has every right to desire a top-flight transfer in the coming weeks and months.

However, with no financial pressure to sell, the ball is firmly in Leeds' court for the time being and they absolutely should take full advantage of that.