Leeds United man Archie Gray has shared that he wishes to play in midfield long-term, but is “totally fine” operating at right-back currently.
One of Leeds’ major successes of this season has been the breakout of Archie Gray, coming into Daniel Farke’s side and being virtually indispensable since.
What has been more impressive is that he’s taken to a position change incredibly well, moving into right-back more recently this season.
Gray has been a core part of Leeds’ superb form in 2024, winning 12 out of 13 games in the league with just one draw on top of that.
His form at right-back has been just as good as it had been in midfield too, giving Farke a very positive headache when it comes to his squad selection.
| Archie Gray’s Championship stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances (minutes) | 36 (2949) |
| Assists | 2 |
| Pass success | 83.8% |
| Touches per 90 | 59.39 |
| Tackles won % | 66.3% |
| Chances created per 90 | 0.46 |
Gray shares his thoughts on moving to right-back under Farke
Gray featured on Patrick Bamford and Joe Wilkinson’s My Mate’s A Footballer podcast this week, sitting down with the pair and going through a few questions before the comedian took to the Thorp Arch pitches for free-kicks.
His switch from right-back was a key topic of conversation, to which Gray said this:
“Basically, the boss asked me ‘have you ever played a game at right-back?’
“I can’t remember when it was but he asked me before I did it and I was like ‘yeah I’ve played one game’ and that one game was under-15s or under-16s, and then at the weekend I went and sat in the meeting room, and I was like ‘oh I’m not playing’, I looked at the midfield and thought I’m not playing, then (Georginio) Rutter tapped me and started laughing.
“I looked at the sheet again and I was playing right-back, I was like ‘oh god’.
In terms of whether he’d like to stay in this position or move back into midfield, Gray continued:
“To be honest, I’d probably be alright with it, if I’m playing I’m totally fine with it, but it does feel a bit weird and when you go back into midfield it feels weird, like the other day (Chelsea, FA Cup).”
Gray has been marvellous at right-back
Right-back was not a position that many would have expected Gray to play in this season, but anyone with a keen eye in the summer will have seen his starring performance there for England U17, scoring a stunner against Switzerland.
He has the attributes to make the position his own, confident on the ball, robust defensively and boasting a superb engine to get up and down the flank.
Gray needs to be playing in midfield long-term though, given how good he could be there with regular outings.
