3 players that could save Leeds United millions of pounds | OneFootball

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.

Famously, Leeds have tended to afford their young players opportunities, from Archie Gray and his well-documeted rise this season, to the likes of James Milner, Kalvin Phillips, Fabian Delph, Jonny Howson, Lewis Cook, and Jonathan Woodgate in the past as well.

Farke needs to be sure that the younger lads can contribute again next year, and the early signs were positive this season, with Charlie Cresswell, Joe Gelhardt and Gray just three of the youngsters who were sure to have a role to play, albeit Gray was the best performer from that trio.

The Leeds academy is famed 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 much like Gray has.

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 Ethan Ampadu and Dan James against Gibraltar, before ever making a senior appearance for Leeds.

He has made the bench on a number of occasions this season, 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.

Diogo Monteiro

If Diogo Monteiro is to break through this season, then it would represent a debut for Leeds' 2023 January signing from Servette, with the centre-back joining on a three-and-a-half year deal on transfer deadline day.

The Portuguese youth international fits into the philosophy Farke is attempting to implement at Leeds and is a capable ball-player at the heart of the defence. The loss of Joe Rodon and potentially Liam Cooper and Charlie Cresswell could see a space open up this summer for one of their U-23 centre-backs, which could be Monteiro.

Victor Orta’s recruitment at youth level has largely been very good for Leeds, so it wouldn’t be a major surprise if he does make the step up in the near future to the senior squad, if the 19-year-old proves to be well above the level of the development side as he has shown glimpses of so far.

His athleticism also makes him a candidate as a player who should be able to quickly adapt to the English leagues, too, be that on loan or with the Whites under the tutelage of Farke.

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.

Archie has revealed that it is 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.”

“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.”

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.