Leeds United should look to Coventry City following latest Archie Gray, Spurs development: View | OneFootball

The Whites could remedy Gray's impending departure by swooping for a Sky Blues star

Leeds United supporters knew that the dreaded day would come regarding the future of endeared prodigy Archie Gray as soon as they crumbled on Wembley Way to be denied of an immediate return to the Premier League by Southampton in May's Championship playoff final.

Gray was inevitably going to be the subject of intense transfer speculation after a sensational breakout campaign for the Whites, making his professional debut in a 2-2 home draw with Cardiff City on the opening day before establishing himself as a mainstay in Daniel Farke's promotion-chasing outfit.

Not the first Gray to be held in glowing regard at Elland Road - after all, he was born into a family synonymous with what it takes to gain adoration from the Leeds faithful - the 18-year-old shone all term, displaying footballing intelligence and remarkable assurance in possession beyond his years to help the side control the ball centrally by inverting into midfield, proactively dictating the match tempo on so many occasions.

Despite often deputising as a right-back due to Leeds' dearth of options there, the teenager is an embodiment of a rare midfield breed in the domestic club game who always appears to have time and space when receiving possession, which leaves little wonder towards the magnitude of top-flight interest he's rightfully earned on both English and continental shores.

Leeds United's Archie Gray is set to transfer to Tottenham

This revelation in the Gray transfer saga comes from a report by FootballInsider, who claim that both player and club have performed a shocking U-turn on the agreed £40m deal with Brentford.

Gray was reportedly scheduled for a medical with the West London outfit in what would've represented a slightly left-field, but nonetheless smart, move amid long-standing interest from leading clubs across Europe.

Now, though, with Leeds believed to be in a precarious financial position following their failure to reattain Premier League football at the first time of asking, their hand has been reluctantly forced into sanctioning a summer sale for the club's chief prized asset.

Gray himself is said to have engaged with a dramatic change of heart, opening the door for Tottenham to optimise their strongly sustained interest in the prospect at Brentford's expense to conjure yet another twist to the tale.

Either way, you simply can't understate the importance of sourcing a stylistically-similar replacement if Leeds are serious about achieving their designs of going one better next term and upwardly progressing through the Championship promotion trapdoor.

Leeds United should look to Coventry City's Ben Sheaf to replace Tottenham-bound Archie Gray

For Leeds, negotiating an acceptable transfer figure for Gray has been anything but a straightforward enterprise and striking a successful replacement will undoubtedly present its own separate crash course of challenges.

However, they would most certainly give themselves a fighting chance of doing exactly that by launching a swoop for Coventry City star Ben Sheaf, who has emerged among the most composed ball-playing midfielders in the division over the last couple of years and aligns with Leeds' possession-based principles and, in turn, displays profile parallels with Gray.

As the underlying data efficiently displays, Sheaf is a composed and progressive passer who can progress play centrally through both distribution and carrying, all the while being capable of breaking defensive lines, which is crucial for Leeds given how many Championship sides deploy low blocks against them, particularly at Elland Road.

Sheaf is most at home in a deep midfield role, where he can orchestrate the flow of the game and screen the backline, giving the license for attacking players to get forward through his first-rate reading of the game to break up play, which is highlighted across his defensive metrics.

Now, where Leeds may come unstuck in any potential deal pertains to Coventry's stance as Sheaf is a vital cog of Mark Robins' system and performed a recent clean-sweep at the club's end of season awards ceremony, underlining his importance.

They'll be reluctant to sell and willing to play hardball, as they did so expertly during the Viktor Gyokeres saga last summer by eventually agreeing a lucrative fee from Sporting CP on their terms.

It's also important to note that Sheaf agreed a new contract in March 2023 that keeps him enlisted in the West Midlands until 2026, meaning that Coventry, who now operate a sustainable buy-low, sell-high strategy, will not be in any rush to sanction a sale.

Indeed, there's every chance that Premier League suitors will return to knock on the door at Coventry this summer and Sheaf is likely to be a wanted man, although Leeds can offer a gradual transition along with guaranteed match minutes which are pivotal at the age of 26.

While it's difficult to contest that Coventry are progressive and upwardly-mobile of late, Leeds are likely to propose a swifter route to the highest echelons of English football too, a vitally-attractive prospect that they will hope can turn Sheaf's head in the event of any potential move.

They'll have a tangible transfer kitty at their disposal too, particularly so if the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Ilian Meslier and even Wilfried Gnonto among others move on this summer, which remains an undeniable possibility.

Make no mistake about it, Sheaf cannot be the sole orchestrator behind a promotion-winning campaign next time around; Leeds still must desperately work on their tactical acumen, especially away from home, recruit a prolific striker over the duration of a full season and solve their ongoing dilemma in the right-back berth.

However, there can be few more positive ways to get the potential promotion ball rolling ahead of the 2024/25 season.