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The right-back was brilliant as the Reds cantered into the next round with a 4-0 win, but Nunez remains a passenger for Arne Slot's side.

Liverpool will have expected a routine win over Accrington Stanley when the two sides were drawn together in the third round of the FA Cup, and that is exactly what they got, despite a spirited display from their League Two visitors.

After an initial period of frustration, the hosts had the lead after 28 minutes, as Darwin Nunez took on Trent Alexander-Arnold's clever pass, drove into the box and found Diogo Jota, who tapped home from close-range.

On the stroke of half-time, the Reds added a second in superb fashion as Alexander-Arnold found the top corner from the edge of the box, in what is a timely reminder of his quality.

Early in the second half, Accrington rattled the crossbar, but it was the closest they came, as the Reds saw out the game with a minimum of fuss, making a variety of changes and adding a third with 15 minutes to go, as substitute Jayden Danns finished in front of the Kop.

Federico Chiesa had time to add some gloss with a long-range drive that kissed the post on its way in, with the Reds safely through to the fourth round.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from Anfield…

AFPGoalkeeper & Defence

Caoimhin Kelleher (6/10):

Had a nervy moment when Accrington hit the crossbar but he couldn't have had a quieter day otherwise.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (9/10):

Forced a good early save and netted a superb goal on the stroke of half-time, arrowing the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box. Subbed in the second half after an excellent performance as Liverpool's quarterback. They can't afford to lose him, surely?

Jarell Quansah (7/10):

Elegant on the ball and strong without it, Quansah has taken a few notes from Virgil van Dijk. Looked somewhat uncertain when Accrington ran straight at him but that was a rarity. A fine display.

Wataru Endo (6/10):

Looked uncertain under a couple of high balls but a strong display overall. Replaced by Trey Nyoni.

Kostas Tsimikas (7/10):

Played most of the game in Accrington's half, clipping balls into the box from deep. Not really tested defensively.

AdvertisementAFPMidfield

Tyler Morton (6/10):

Busy in midfield, even if he did lack a bit of quality. Did plenty of running regardless, in an industrious performance.

Dominik Szoboszlai (7/10):

Lovely pass to kick-start the move that led to Jota's goal. Nobody got near him in midfield before he was substituted at half-time.

AFPAttack

Harvey Elliott (6/10):

Shook off a nasty-looking knock in the second half. Always willing to dribble at Stanley but couldn't turn it into anything tangible.

Diogo Jota (7/10):

Tapped in Liverpool's first. Always showing for the ball, and made himself a typical nuisance throughout.

Darwin Nunez (3/10):

Rampaged down the flank before finding Jota to make it 1-0 but struggled continuously. He missed two glaring opportunities and looked overawed against a physical Accrington backline. Given that he is a Premier League striker, this was embarrassing at times.

Rio Ngumoha (7/10):

Became Liverpool's youngest-ever starter and was desperate to show his worth. Some lovely touches and flicks and was subbed in the second half to a standing ovation. Replaced by Jayden Danns.

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Federico Chiesa (7/10):

On for Szoboszlai at half-time. Got on the ball regularly and scored a belter from range to make it 4-0, after hitting the post. A lively, energetic display.

Conor Bradley (6/10):

Came on for Alexander-Arnold as the right-back was given a rest.

James McConnell (6/10):

Replaced Morton. Slotted well into midfield.

Jayden Danns (7/10):

On for the sparkling Ngumoha. Scored within two minutes, finishing powerfully in front of the Kop.

Trent Nyoni (N/A):

Came on late.

Arne Slot (7/10):

Able to make a number of changes, which included giving a professional debut to Ngumoha, and still saw his side produce a fine team performance. Liverpool are through, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk afforded a rest. Not a bad start to the weekend.

Campbell, Kalis share century stand to overhaul target after Diamonds dominate with the ball

ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2021A dominant bowling display preceded a comfortable chase of 176 as the Northern Diamonds booked their place in Saturday’s Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy final with a semi-final eliminator win over Central Sparks at Scarborough.The Diamonds will travel to Northampton to face defending champions Southern Vipers in a repeat of last season’s final.Beth Langston, Rachel Slater and Linsey Smith claimed two wickets before 42 apiece for Gwen Davies and Ria Fackrell recovered the Sparks from 68 for 5 to 175 for 7.The Diamonds fell from 33 without loss to 42 for 3 in reply before aggressive Ami Campbell and more reserved Dutch international Sterre Kalis shared 116 for the fourth wicket, posting 76 off 78 balls and 42 not out respectively.Campbell’s half-century was her first of the season as the six-wicket win was secured with 17.1 overs remaining.In-form Sparks captain Eve Jones elected to bat amidst morning dew and was one of three wickets to fall inside the opening 10 overs – 35 for 3 – after miscuing a cut at Slater’s left-arm seam to point, falling for only nine.Marie Kelly and Issy Wong were both trapped lbw for golden ducks, the latter as one of two wickets in three balls for left-arm spinner Smith in the 17th as the score fell to 68 for 5.Davies and Fackrell both played in reserved fashion in their attempt to turn the tide. And while they managed to gain respectability, with the help of Emily Arlott’s 29, it proved to be nowhere near enough against a Diamonds side whose only blemish in the first half of the game was a couple of late dropped catches.Langston and Smith returned 2 for 29 and 2 for 25 from their 10 overs, though they were unable to break an eighth-wicket partnership of 74 between Fackrell and Arlott inside the last 19 overs of the visiting innings.Captain Hollie Armitage, whose side has now reached all three finals in the regional era – they are still chasing a first trophy – then got the chase off to a flying start with five boundaries in her first nine balls. She made 25 off 16 before miscuing off-spinner Georgia Davis to mid-on, leaving the Diamonds at 33 for 1 in the sixth over.Arlott then removed Rachel Hopkins and Leah Dobson to open the door for the Sparks. But it was quickly shut by Campbell and classy Kalis. The pair shared four sixes in their near 22-over alliance, Campbell with three of them down the ground or pulled. She reached her fifty off 51 balls and almost doubled her previous tally of competition runs this season before falling with victory all but secured.Northern Diamonds’ Ami Campbell•MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images”It just feels great to have come off the back of a fairly poor season for me and to do something good,” Campbell said. “To get us over the line and into the final is superb.”I felt very nervous when I went in. I knew I had to stay there and was quite defensive at the start. That’s not my usual game, but it’s something I’m getting better at and am working on.”We want to beat the Vipers, especially after losing to them the other day. That was really disappointing. But we have been playing some good cricket and have a lot of momentum going into the final.”

Arsenal have held first talks over signing another potential young sensation for well below his huge release clause, it has been reported, with the Gunners keen to add him to their ranks.

Arsenal pushing to sign youth talents

Mikel Arteta’s side were stunned over the summer by the departure of free-scoring teenage wonderkid Chido Obi-Martin, who left for Manchester United.

The 16-year-old recorded 29 goals in 17 league matches for the Arsenal under-18s but couldn’t agree fresh terms with the Premier League giants, leading to the Red Devils swooping to prise him out of north London, with Obi-Martin set to feature for the Manchester United development teams this season after the move was confirmed over the weekend.

It has led to Arsenal re-evaluating their youth policy, and they handed out several debuts during their 5-1 Carabao Cup thrashing of Bolton Wanderers, with some of those players likely to feature again when they face Preston North End in the next round.

Arsenal’s debutants so far this season

Player

Age

Jack Porter

16

Josh Nichols

17

Maldini Kacurri

19

Ismeal Kabia

18

Myles Lewis-Skelly

17

And they are also keen to replenish their ranks, with the club having signed U15 talent Joshua Sesay from Millwall after he impressed scouts, while they are also thought to be in pole position to sign fullback Diego Leon, who has been described on X as a “physical, explosive, marauding” left-back. Now, they are eyeing up a defender on the opposite flank.

Arsenal hold talks over £58m star

That is according to Caught Offside, who report that Arsenal are among the clubs keeping a close eye on Joao Pedro Chermont, with the Gunners having already held talks with his representatives.

His current club Santos are “open to offers” for the defender despite his hefty £58m release clause, and that has caught the eye of both Chelsea and Arsenal, who are said to be “preparing to make opening bids for the Brazilian starlet.”

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With both sides now ready to “step up efforts to try to snap him up”, the 18-year-old seems destined to leave Brazil in the near future, with Real Madrid and Barcelona also keeping tabs on the teenager.

Though Arsenal appear well stocked in defence, their issues were highlighted against Southampton, where Thomas Partey was needed to fill in as all of Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jurrien Timber were sidelined through injuries, though Tomiyasu did make his first appearance of the season from the bench.

However, there is still room for another option at fullback, with all of their current options versatile enough to play across the backline meaning that gametime could be shared. The need is likely greater at Chelsea, with both Reece James and Malo Gusto prone to injuries, but a move to Arsenal could be one to watch.

Tottenham Hotspur's dismal form continued as they lost 2-1 to Leicester City and Ange Postecoglou has spoken about their fourth straight league loss.

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Spurs lose 2-1 to Leicester CityLose fourth straight league clashPostecoglou opens up on the lossFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Tottenham's season continues to go from bad to worse with every passing matchday as the Lilywhites lost their fourth straight Premier League match on Sunday against struggling Leicester. Spurs lost their first-half lead within five minutes of the second half with Jamie Vardy and Bilal El Khannouss scoring kist four minutes apart. Postecoglou has now opened up on Spurs' abysmal form and claimed that the loss 'hurts a lot'.

AdvertisementWHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

Speaking to Premier League Productions, Postecoglou said: "Yeah, it hurts. It hurts a lot. The players gave everything again. We are going to look at a lot of things, but in terms of effort I can't ask anymore of this group, things just didn't go our way today. We created some good opportunities and unfortunately things just didn't drop for us because not because the players weren't trying and that's the main thing.

"The players are giving everything they can. That is all we can ask for as a football club and me as a manager. They are trying their hardest and that is all anyone can ask for. You can analyse the goals, they were disappointing goals for us to concede, but I thought we had enough chances in the game to come out on top."

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On Tottenham's abysmal form, Postecoglou added: "When you're in this situation, they are trying as hard as they can and sometimes that doesn't give you he clarity in decision making. You can ask is for people to do as much as they can and from my perspective I see a group of players that are giving as much as they can. I know it will turn. We'll get some players back, we were short again today but in the next couple of weeks there's some really important players coming back that I know will help this group.

"We've not hit a ceiling. We've been going like this for two months. They put in an enormous performance on Thursday to make sure we're OK in Europe and they had to back it up today but there were probably at least two or three players that weren't at 100%.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

Postecoglou's future in is the spotlight amid a poor run of form, with Spurs up against IF Elfsborg next in the Europa League before a trip to Brentford in the Premier League.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is certain to be without a “very strong” player for their trip to Crystal Palace on Sunday, with star winger Son Heung-min also very likely to miss the Premier League encounter.

Tottenham beat AZ Alkmaar as Postecoglou returns to winning form

Spurs narrowly scraped past Dutch giants AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday evening, courtesy of Richarlison’s first goal of the season, and the win makes it two from their last two games after a rampant 4-1 victory at the expense of West Ham last weekend.

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ByEmilio Galantini Oct 22, 2024

It is a perfect response to their regrettable 3-2 fumble at Brighton just before the international break – a result which Postecoglou will want to forget as soon as possible considering Spurs’ two-goal lead – but the Lilywhites’ past two outings are doing wonders to put it behind them.

Next up, Crystal Palace await Postecoglou’s side at Selhurst Park, with Eagles boss Oliver Glasner under intense pressure and looking to secure his first win of the new campaign.

Crystal Palace vs Tottenham

October 27

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November 3

Tottenham vs Ipswich Town

November 10

Man City vs Tottenham

November 23

Tottenham vs Fulham

December 1

Richarlison and Wilson Odobert will both be available for the south London clash, with the latter coming off the bench against AZ and making his first appearance in weeks after recovering from a hamstring injury.

However, the same cannot be said for Son, who is a huge doubt for Palace. The South Korea international will not be able to train this afternoon, and is therefore unlikely to make a return on Sunday.

“Sonny is still not right or feeling 100 per cent,” said Postecoglou in his press conference today.

“He won’t train today and so unlikely for the weekend and we’ll see how he is beyond that.”

The 32-year-old will be a big miss considering his importance to Postecoglou in an attacking sense, having stood out as one of their key players since the Australian took over from Antonio Conte last season.

Tottenham without Djed Spence for Crystal Palace through injury

Alongside Son, Postecoglou won’t be able to call upon right-back Djed Spence. The Englishman suffered a groin injury in training last week, and it is believed Spence will be absent for Tottenham’s trip to Crystal Palace as a result, but he isn’t expected to be out for much longer.

Spence was recently awarded a new deal at Spurs, owing to the redemption arc he’s undergone since being sent out on multiple loan spells last season. Italian media praised Spence for his form out on a temporary spell at Genoa last season, and he’s now brought that home to N17.

The “very strong” defender, as he was called by Gabriel Martinelli, is now a member of Postecoglou’s first-team squad – and could play a role as Tottenham seek to end their 16-year wait for a major trophy.

“I said a couple of days ago and consistently say, most of a players future is in their own hands,” said Postecoglou on Spence.

“They’re as much in control as anyone else. I think sometimes footballers forget that. With Djed, it could have been easy for to go out on loan again. But when he came into preseason, he was determined to make a career for himself here at Tottenham rather than wait to be loaned out.

“He did everything right in training, his attitude was great. He’s a good footballer, I think the way we play suits him and he’s knuckled down to that. And he’s earned himself a spot on the roster in our squad.

“The rest is up to him again. Because it’s an easy decision for me to make when I see that. Like I said, sometimes footballers think their fate is in other peoples’ hands. For the most part, it’s in their own. If they’re doing well and doing everything right, the future tends to take care of itself, whether that’s where you currently are or you move on. And Djed’s certainly done that.”

Former Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran is reportedly planning a 600-mile commute to new team Al-Nassr as he is not going to live in Saudi Arabia.

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Duran swaps Villa for Al-NassrSet for '600-mile commute' Won't live in Saudi ArabiaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to The Sun, the 21-year-old is planning to commute from Bahrain as he wants to live there instead of in Saudi Arabia. The report adds the forward will be staying more than 300 miles away from Al-Nassr, which is on the outskirts of Riyadh, and a flight will take one hour and 20 minutes from Bahrain International Airport. So Duran will have to get used to a gruelling travel schedule.

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Duran made a shock move to Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr late last month in a whopping €77million (£64.5m/$80m) transfer fee. Many have questioned the Colombian's desire after heading to the cash-rich but lower-in-quality Saudi Pro League at such a young age. It remains to be seen how he will fare there.

DID YOU KNOW?

The report adds that Duran's decision to live in Bahrain has been partly influenced by confusion over whether he would be allowed to live with his girlfriend in Saudi Arabia. In the Gulf state and under Islamic law, cohabitation by unmarried couples is discouraged.

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Duran will be eagerly awaiting his Al-Nassr debut, with his new team set to face Al-Wasl in the AFC Champions League on Monday evening.

Former Kent and England seamer was diagnosed more than two decades ago

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Nov-2021Alan Igglesden, the former Kent and England seamer, has died at the age of 57 after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour more than two decades ago.In a statement on Monday, Kent said they were devastated to learn of Igglesden’s passing. “The thoughts of everyone at the club are with his wife Liz and his friends and family at this desperately sad time,” the statement said.Igglesden made seven appearances for England – three Tests and four ODIs – between 1989-94, taking eight wickets, including those of Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh on debut in the sixth Test of the 1989 Ashes series.Farnborough-born Igglesden made his debut for Kent against Somerset in July 1986 and he went on to make 283 appearances for the club, taking 592 wickets across first-class and List A games, including 19 five-wicket hauls for the county of his birth.The right-armer was awarded Kent cap No. 187 in 1989 during a season in which he took 90 wickets in 42 matches for the club, having made his England Test debut that year.He retired from the game in 1999, aged 34, when scans revealed a brain tumour after he had suffered an epileptic fit while playing minor counties cricket for Berkshire. He underwent pioneering treatment, which shrunk the tumour, but he faced a number of setbacks as the tumour showed signs of resuming its growth. In 2018 he suffered the first of two major strokes in the space of three years which left him receiving end-of-life care.Igglesden raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for the Brain Tumour Charity, the largest dedicated fundraiser of research into brain tumours globally, and an organisation of which he was a patron. Earlier this year, his family released a film to raise funds and awareness for the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, the charitable arm of the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA).The PCA said: “Iggy’s efforts on behalf of the Trust were characteristic of his unwaveringly positive attitude towards life during his final years. He remained steadfastly committed to those who he loved, retaining a sharp sense of humour and a remarkable zest for life, even appearing via FaceTime at a golf day held in his honour to raise funds for both the Trust and the Brain Tumour Charity as recently as October. He will be sorely missed by everyone associated with Kent, as well as the wider cricket community.”

Gary Neville has accused Mikel Arteta of fuelling Arsenal fans' views that Premier League referees are "corrupt" against the club.

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Arsenal fans call referees "corrupt" against clubArteta accused of inflaming such rhetoricNeville defends official Oliver after abuseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arteta admitted he was "absolutely fuming" after Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly was sent off by referee Michael Oliver at Wolves – a decision that was subsequently overturned. The official and his family were reportedly placed under 'police protection' off the back of threats from Gunners supporters and now Neville has highlighted how rhetoric from fans and Arteta has led to this situation. He also branded Oliver the "best referee" in England.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT GARY NEVILLE SAID

He said on Stick to Football: "[Arsenal fans] use language like corruption, which means they think he’s getting paid and bought off – which is obviously not the case. We [at Manchester United] lived in a club which created a siege mentality about the referees.

"Arsenal are doing a bit of that as well – there’s no doubt that what Arsenal do is inflame the situation after the game rather than calm it down, they’ve done that for 12 months – but we can’t say that’s wrong having played in the dressing room that we did.

"The difference is now with social media, when we were playing back in the day and doing similar things with referees, we weren’t inflaming what would be a cause of corruption on social media. Now you have a sway of Arsenal’s anger, which comes from the players and from Mikel Arteta, and prominent fans.

"You now have a social media wave now which goes towards [allegations of] corruption and cheating. In our day, we couldn’t have that much influence – everyone was at home without a phone, and didn’t have Twitter.

"I hate the idea of a referee being taken off a game. [Michael Oliver] is the best referee in the country, and the idea that he would go into that game on Sunday and be swayed towards Manchester City – he’s not going to do that, he’s a professional."

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Arsenal boss Arteta did urge fans to "eradicate" the "hatred" shown towards referees in the wake of this Oliver episode. But the Spaniard, and many others in football, may also have a responsibility to be more selective with their comments to prevent social media pile-ons.

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Oliver will referee Ipswich Town's game against Southampton on Saturday, while Arsenal face Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Hosein, 28, has played nine ODIs and six T20Is for West Indies since his international debut this year

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Oct-2021Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been approved by the ICC’s Event Technical Committee as a replacement for Fabian Allen in West Indies’ squad for the T20 World Cup. Allen had originally been included in the 15-man touring party West Indies had submitted last month, but has had to pull out now due to an ankle injury.Hosein, 28, has played nine ODIs and six T20Is for West Indies since making his international debut at the start of the year. His most recent T20 assignments were with Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, where he picked up 13 wickets from 11 matches at an average of 15.92 and had the second-best economy rate among bowlers who had bowled at least 20 overs in the tournament. Hosein was also a net bowler with Kolkata Knight Riders during the UAE leg of the IPL.Related

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“I know Fabian was really looking forward to playing in this World Cup, so it is very disappointing that he is forced to miss out,” Roger Harper, West Indies’ chief selector said. “His all-round capabilities will be missed by the team. I would like to wish him a full and speedy recovery and look forward to him being available for squad selection in the near future.”While Hosein was not a part of the original 15, he had joined the squad as a travelling reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of Covid-19 quarantine requirements. Hence, in turn, the replacement for Hosein in the reserves list will be the uncapped Gudakesh Motie, who will be required to complete the mandatory six days of quarantine and test negative for Covid-19 once he has landed in the UAE, after which he would be allowed to join the West Indies squad.The West Indies selectors have also requested fast bowlers Dominic Drakes and Odean Smith to stay back in the UAE after their association with Kolkata Knight Riders in the recently-concluded IPL there. They will be training with the West Indies squad as net bowlers this week.West Indies began their T20 World Cup preparations with a warm-up game against Pakistan on Monday, which they lost by seven wickets. They will be playing another practice match, against Afghanistan, on Wednesday evening before starting the tournament proper with the clash against England on October 23.

Tottenham Hotspur have a “really exciting” teenager who could be about to replace long-serving defender Ben Davies, with the former Swansea City star potentially playing out his final season in north London.

Ben Davies nearing Spurs exit after 11-year stay

Next summer will mark 11 years at Spurs for Davies, following his move to N17 from Swansea in 2014.

Tottenham have "made a bid" to sign attacking gem who's "flying" right now

He’s a very wanted man.

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Since making the switch to London from Wales, the versatile defender has made an impressive 333 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham, playing in some huge games for the club and showcasing real reliability.

However, the 31-year-old is now reaching the twilight phase of his career and has barely been called upon by Ange Postecoglou so far this season. Davies captained Spurs to a dramatic 2-1 win over Coventry City in the EFL Cup, whilst also starting both of their Europa League games, but he hasn’t played a single minute of Premier League football.

Tottenham vs West Ham

October 19

Crystal Palace vs Tottenham

October 27

Tottenham vs Aston Villa

November 3

Tottenham vs Ipswich Town

November 10

Man City vs Tottenham

November 23

Davies didn’t even make the matchday squad for Spurs’ most recent top-flight clashes against Brentford, Man United and Brighton, with the centre-back/left-back reduced to being a bit-part cup player.

It is believed that Davies earns more than both Destiny Udogie and Micky van de Ven at Tottenham, despite the latter pair’s status as mainstays in Postecoglou’s starting eleven, so chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange may well opt to let go of him when his contract runs out in 2025.

Luckily, Postecoglou appears to have a ready-made replacement for the veteran in summer signing Archie Gray. The 18-year-old can play in a variety of positions, including at full-back, so Gray may well stand out as a very good option to take Postecoglou’s side forward in the coming seasons.

Gray is widely regarded as one of England’s most promising up-and-coming talents, with Spurs utilising his quality on a number of occasions already following his stellar campaign at Leeds United in the Championship last season.

Tottenham tipped to replace Ben Davies with Archie Gray

Speaking to Tottenham News this week, pundit John Wenham has tipped Spurs to replace Davies with Gray. The former could be about to pass the torch down to Levy’s summer signing, with Wenham also branding the teenager “really exciting”.

“Gray is doing really well,” Wenham said.

“I think, at a minimum, he is going to become the next Davies in the squad, in terms of his reliability in multiple positions. Davies is out of contract this summer and I can see Gray taking his role in the squad. Him being so young and counting as homegrown too, that is really exciting.”

Leeds were heartbroken to lose their Thorp Arch academy graduate in the summer, highlighting just how highly rated he is by those working in the beautiful game.

“Understanding the attraction of Premier League and European football, the club, with a heavy heart, agreed the transfer, but the move has strengthened the board’s resolve to ultimately return Leeds to a position where it can meet the footballing ambitions of even its brightest stars,” wrote Leeds in a candid statement (via Ben Jacobs).

“Whilst we understand that supporters will be hugely disappointed to lose such a home-grown talent, and a family name so synonymous with Leeds United, the move improves the club’s chance to compete for automatic promotion next season by increasing our ability to build a competitive squad within the league’s financial control regulations. Everyone at Leeds United is heartbroken to see one of our own depart and would like to thank Archie for all his efforts and professionalism.”