Archie Gray made a lot of people at Elland Road aware of his skill and adaptability during his breakout season at Leeds United.
But this season, the young Englishman has been used occasionally at right-back instead of his preferred position in center midfield, making it difficult for him to play in that capacity.
But according to recent reports, Leeds may be considering signing Marius Wolf, a natural right-back from Borussia Dortmund, which means Gray might be a major player in midfield come season-end.
Leeds United interest in Marius Wolf
Leeds had spent most of the season looking for a right-back. Due to the performance of Luke Ayling, a club employee, and Djed Spence’s unsuccessful loan, they were forced to move Gray out of central midfield and into the position. Although Sam Byram is now with the team and Connor Roberts was joined in January, Leeds has performed best with Gray at right-back.
Those four players won’t have contracts when the next season begins. Cody Drameh and Rasmus Kristensen, who is widely considered a Jesse Marsch flop, are the only signed right-backs at the club. It’s interesting to note that neither of them will play right-back.
That being said, they could have been given the chance to fill the position after all, as sources from Sky Germany indicate that they are considering Borussia Dortmund’s Marius Wolf.
Florian Plettenberg, a reporter for Sky Germany, stated on X, the former Twitter platform, that Leeds had made an inquiry into the 28-year-old and the potential to recruit him on a free transfer.
He did clarify, though, that Leeds would only be interested in signing the German if they were promoted to the Premier League and that other teams in Saudi Arabia, Spain, and Italy are also interested in signing him.
The return of Archie Gray to center midfield
Archie Gray will be able to return to central midfield and excel in his natural position if Leeds is able to earn promotion and pursue their interest in Marius Wolf.
Even though he had a strong breakout year in 2023–2024, his move to right-back this season has probably irritated him because he spent the majority of his life playing in that position.
His path in central midfield has not only been blocked by his position switch, but also arguably because of the form of Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev, both of whom have maintained a solid and stable partnership in the middle of the park. The pair have been Leeds boss Daniel Farke’s preferred pairing in 2024 in particular, making 66 appearances combined throughout the season. Gray had a stint there towards the end of the season and in the first-leg play-off semi-final against Norwich City, yet it is right-back where he’s expected to play at Wembley.
If Wolf is signed, however, it will give Gray the perfect opportunity to shine in midfield and return to a position he is much more familiar with, whether that be in a Leeds team playing in the Championship or the Premier League.
Archie Gray’s future away from Elland Road
While Gray’s future in the Leeds team has only just been discussed, there is a factor that has not been considered just yet.
There is the potential that Gray may not be a Leeds player come the start of next season.
If Leeds do get promoted, they will hope that the offer of Premier League football may just be enough for them to keep hold of their teenage star, but it might not be such an easy job.
As recently as April, there were reports linking Gray with a move away from Elland Road, with clubs such as Bayern Munich and Real Madrid scouting the youngster toward the end of the season, as well as Borussia Dortmund paying attention to the 18-year-old starlet.
What will make for even worse reading for Leeds fans is that if they fail to topple Southampton in this weekend’s play-off final, then it may be an impossible task to keep hold of him.
Given that even before he was a first team member at Leeds, there was interest from Liverpool and Manchester City in securing his services, it seems that Gray has plenty of suitors waiting to take him away from Leeds if the Whites fail to beat the Saints at Wembley.
Whether he does play for Leeds next year, and whether he plays in the Premier League or the Championship, Gray will be hoping to return to central midfield to fully deliver on what has been a first season filled with promise, and earmark himself as a player with the potential to become a star of the game.
Right now, we have to assume he will be with Leeds given his contract length at the club. Links to Wolf, then, who would likely arrive if the club were in the Premier League, will be huge for Gray.
