Tottenham Hotspur | Jack Clarke vs Archie Gray | Low Leverage Minutes | Scouting Depth Charts
In the midst of the European Championships and the Copa America, there's a lot of interesting deals happening in Professional Sports. One such deal happened this week when Tottenham Hotspur Football Club Signed 18 Year Old Archie Gray from Leeds United for around $40M on a 6 Year Contract. It's an interesting acquisition keeping in mind that Gray played the majority of last season as a Right Back for Leeds United, but the expectation at Spurs is that he'll double up as a Depth Piece behind Pedro Porro and a Midfield in Flux.
While I have a lot of thoughts on the Gray Acquisition, I would like to go back and analyze the time when Spurs acquired 18 Year Old Jack Clarke from Leeds United for around $10M in 2019. At the time, Clarke was considered one of the gems of the Leeds Academy. He started consistently for Leeds that season. Clarke only made a handful of appearances for Spurs but for the most part, he was sent Out on Loan to QPR, Stoke City, and Sunderland. Eventually Sunderland signed Clarke for an Undisclosed Fee. Clarke has thrived at Sunderland as a Left Attacking Midfielder.
Expected Assisted Goals 97th Percentile
npxG+xAG 98th Percentile
Shot-Creating Actions 99th Percentile
Progressive Carries 99th Percentile
Successful Take-Ons 99th Percentile
Touches in the Penalty Area 99th Percentile
Progressive Passes Received 99th Percentile
It's actually surprising that a Premier League Club or One in Europe hasn't actively pursued Clarke this Summer. I bring this up because there is always excitement around the recruitment of young players. But we often forget that those young players actually have to play. They require a legitimate pathway to the First Team. Even if they aren't in the Starting XI, they are key members of the overall squad. Meaning, they are getting minutes off the bench and the beneficiaries of Active Integration in the Other Competitions.
While I think Ange Postecoglou remains an inspired hire by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, I don't think he did a great job of integrating what was a deep squad and a talented academy. Will Lankshear, Jamie Donley, Alfie Dorrington, Yago Santiago, and Mikey Moore all should have received Low Leverage Minutes last season.
It's important to recognize that this isn't an Ange Postecoglou Problem. It's a Football Problem. Football Clubs and Managers need to realize that not all minutes are created equal. Within a Long Football Season, there exists 100s of Low Leverage Minutes that require High Intensity Team Building and Player Development. Those Low Leverage Minutes represent opportunities to Actively Integrate and Develop Young Players, To Develop the Team and the Overall Squad, Increase Asset Value, and to Establish New Ideas.
Finally, I suspect Spurs will integrate Archie Gray in the same way they integrated Brennan Johnson. His situation is unlikely to be similar to Jack Clarke's. That said, the Case of Jack Clarke is cautionary tale in Depreciating Asset Value.
Notes
Manchester City agree deal to sign 2006 born talented midfielder Han Willhoft-King for the U19. Willhoft-King left Tottenham few weeks ago and he’s joining #MCFC on two year contract. Medical tests set to take place shortly.
One More Thing
In light of Han Willhoft-King's move to Manchester City, it's worth looking back at the situation surrounding Noni Madueke's Departure and Marcus Edwards Departure. Ultimately, how other teams Manage their Club-Wide Depth Charts represents a unique opportunity to poach elite talent.