Inside Tottenham star Archie Gray’s incredible family with dad, uncle, grandad, brother and cousins all Leeds royalty

ARCHIE GRAY may have made the painful decision to leave Leeds in the summer.

But he is well aware his family will forever be intertwined with Elland Road.

And Whites fans may not have to wait too much longer for the next member of the Gray dynasty in the first team – and even more set to follow suit.

That is because while Archie, 18, completed a £30million transfer to Tottenham, he still has a brother and two cousins making their way in the Leeds academy.

Last season, the midfielder-turned-right-back instantly won fans over when he broke into the senior side and was crowned Championship Young Player of the Year before heartache in the play-off final.

But there was never any doubt the Elland Road faithful would take to him given his surname.

Because Archie was the fourth Gray across three generations to pull on the famous white jersey.

His dad Andy came through the academy and made 28 first-team appearances – including 22 in the Premier League – between 1995 and 1997.

But when it became clear he was not going to dislodge Tony Yeboah, Rod Wallace, Brian Deane and then Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in attack, he left the club in 1998 to join Nottingham Forest.

The two-cap Scotland international’s career was largely spent in the EFL – including a return to Leeds for the 2012-13 campaign where he scored his only goal and ten games to his tally.

FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS

But that was a fraction of the totals his dad and Archie’s grandad Frank achieved.

Left-back Frank broke into the first team in 1972 and totalled 35 goals in 396 games in two spells either side of two years at Forest.

He helped Leeds win the First Division in 1973-74 alongside his brother Eddie and was a runner-up in the FA Cup, Charity Shield, European Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Ironically, he won the European Cup when reunited with Brian Clough at Forest before actually playing under manager and brother Eddie following his return to Yorkshire.

But it was Eddie – Archie’s great-uncle – who is the biggest Leeds legend of the family.

The one-club man racked up a staggering 577 appearances and 68 goals for his beloved team between 1965 and 1984.

A two-time First Division winner, he also won the FA Cup in 1972 as well as the League Cup and Charity Shield – plus two Fairs Cups.

The Scottish winger, who earned 12 caps, was voted as the club’s third-greatest player of all time in a 2000 vote, behind only Billy Bremner and John Charles.

Not only that but the second of his two famous strikes against Burnley in 1970 is widely regarded as the best goal in Leeds’ history.

The Hall of Famer and MBE even had two stints as manager at Elland Road, too.

While his nephew Andy played for Leeds, Eddie’s own sons did not as Nick starred in the academy before a career elsewhere while Stuart appeared for Celtic.

However, there are more Gray kids who are marching on together through the Leeds academy right now.

Archie’s younger brother Harry, born in 2008, is an exciting, highly-rated forward who has been hailed for his heaps of potential.

By 14, he had already broken into the Leeds Under-18s side and is part of the England youth set-up, too.

Video footage from earlier this year showed the teenager’s montage of wondergoals, sparking plenty of excitement among fans.

Obviously he is a guy with lots of talent… he is full of potential

Daniel Farke on Harry Gray

And the supporters got a glimpse of Harry when Daniel Farke gave him a run-out with the seniors in a pre-season friendly – but the manager quickly cooled excitement of an imminent breakthrough.

Farke said: “Obviously he is a guy with lots of talent but I don’t like to praise the young lads too much and to put them too much into the spotlight.

“We can’t expect to see him pretty, pretty soon right now at Elland Road.

“He is full of potential. Here and there he will get a chance to smell a bit how it is with the first team and to adapt to senior football but we will stay patient.

“We won’t put too much load on his small shoulders.”

Before leaving Leeds, Archie even revealed his desire to play alongside his brother – meaning the final chapters on his own Leeds story may not be written just yet.

He told the Guardian:  “I wouldn’t tell him this myself, but it’s my dream to play with Harry one day.

“I just don’t know how we’d get along in training as we’re so competitive in everything we do and always have been. We’d have to be on the same team but as brothers we’re really close.”

Harry is not the only Gray left at the Thorp Arch training ground, though.

Because Archie and Harry’s cousins Charlie, born in 2012, and Jacob, born the following year, are also involved in the Leeds academy and desperate to try and emulate their own grandfather Eddie.

Unlike the previous generations, Archie and Harry have opted to play for England at international level – rather than Scotland.

Three Lions U21 ace Archie told the Daily Mail in April: “Ever since I was young I used to watch my dad [Andy] play and I heard about my uncle playing and my grandad Frank, I’ve always had to live up to it.

“My dad’s been really good with me for advice, but I’ve been very lucky that everything has come together for me.

“Ever since I was 15, things have come at me so quickly, but I’ve just got to be grateful for what I’ve got and keep improving.”

He added: “Hopefully I can [get England recognition], but I’ve just got to take it step by step and keep focusing on my club football, which can hopefully attract the attention of whoever it is, whether it’s the [England] U21s or it’s the first team.

“I’d be really happy just to play for my country. My hopes are to play for England, definitely. It’s where I’m from and where I’ve grown up. 

“I’m three-quarters English, so that’s where I’m at. My dad is totally happy for whatever makes me happy, even though Eddie supports Scotland. But I’m the same as him, I’m happy as long as he’s happy.”

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk