Ange Postecoglou looks set to land his first signing of the summer at Tottenham Hotspur, with Archie Gray closing in on a switch to north London.
The Leeds United youngster has opted for a move to Tottenham over Brentford and will reportedly put pen to paper on a six-year contract.
TBR Football understands that Joe Rodon will head to Elland Road as part of the deal after spending last season on loan at Leeds.
Spurs have snapped up some excellent talents from the Whites over the years, with the likes of Danny Rose and Aaron Lennon leaving Yorkshire to become integral first-team members at Tottenham.
However, a more recent move from Leeds to north London that didn’t quite work out was Jack Clarke’s switch to Spurs back in the summer of 2019.
The Englishman had enjoyed a promising breakthrough season in the Championship before sealing an £8.5 million move to Tottenham.
Clarke was instantly loaned back to Leeds before heading to QPR for the remainder of the 2019/20 season due to a lack of game time at Elland Road.
Of course, Clarke then struggled for opportunities at Spurs before a successful loan spell at Sunderland resulted in a permanent switch to the Stadium of Light.
And with Gray set to follow the same early career path as Clarke, it’s interesting to look back at the former Tottenham winger’s comments on his time in the capital.
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What Clarke said about difficult Tottenham spell
Despite only making four appearances for Spurs, with none coming in the Premier League, Clarke has no hard feelings towards his former club.
Speaking to the Sunderland Echo back in September 2022, the winger admitted his spell at Spurs was difficult, but suggested he doesn’t regret the move.
“It was a difficult one really. Looking back on it it never really materialised in the way I wanted it to or into anything, but I wouldn’t say I’d do anything differently.
“I still took the opportunity, I tried my best when I was there and obviously it wasn’t meant to be. I’m glad I made the switch when I did and I’m enjoying being here now.”
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Gray has Ange Postecoglou advantage at Spurs
Gray will undoubtedly have seen Clarke’s career stall for a couple of years at Spurs but the winger has since found brilliant form at Sunderland.
Clarke has also received interest from a host of Premier League sides since his switch to Sunderland, which would indicate his career has hardly fallen off a cliff since a difficult spell in north London.
It’s also important to note that Clarke joined Spurs under Mauricio Pochettino but the Argentine departed just months after the move.
This led to Clarke getting limited opportunities under managers such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte, who are both hardly renowned for developing younger talent.
Postecoglou certainly differs in that regard and has placed plenty of faith in young players during his first year at Spurs. The likes of Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie are shining examples of that, while academy products Jamie Donley and Mikey Moore were also handed their Spurs debuts last term.
Gray will likely get more of a chance to impress under Postecoglou than he would have under the Aussie’s predecessors. That alone should give the 18-year-old more of a chance to succeed at Spurs than Clarke, who would have arguably got more of an opportunity had Pochettino remained at the club.
