Leeds ace has been better than Gray after leaving

It was well documented this summer the amount of upheaval Leeds United went through as a squad, as first-team faces such as Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville left for more luxurious pastures after the club narrowly missed out on promotion from the Championship.

Whilst both Rutter and Summerville moving on obviously stung, the exit of Archie Gray in that same frantic transfer window hurt that little bit more, owing to the fact the exciting 18-year-old had risen all the way up to the first team ranks after coming through the academy structure in West Yorkshire.

The homegrown gem won himself a deserved move to Tottenham Hotspur after an excellent breakout campaign in the second tier, but it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Gray in North London to date, as he continues to grow accustomed to the major step-up.

Gray’s time at Spurs

Gray ended up costing Ange Postecoglou’s men a bumper £30m to get in through the door, with Daniel Farke‘s Whites then receiving Joe Rodon for £10m as their end of the bargain.

Rodon has arguably struggled since his returning to Elland Road – giving away a penalty last time out – whilst Gray has had to make do with limited opportunities in the Premier League himself, despite costing that hefty amount to win.

So far, the teenager has only made three top-flight appearances, averaging a mere 13 minutes on the pitch in the process.

He has shone away from the tough demands of England’s top league, however, with Gray excelling against Qarabag in a recent Europa League tie.

Playing in the right back spot he grew to love at Elland Road, Gray notched up two key passes as a creative spark playing out from the back, alongside other encouraging numbers against Spurs’ opponents from Azerbaijan.

Whilst there will be some sorrow still that Gray did depart, everyone at Leeds would have been anticipating a higher-up suitor to snap him up down the line, especially after promotion had agonisingly passed the Whites by.

Whereas, with this example, Leeds let another academy product walk away for free who is making more of an impact for his new club than Gray has managed.

Max Dean’s numbers since leaving Leeds

Max Dean exited the Whites without ever really making a name for himself in the senior fold, despite being known as a goal machine at youth level.

The 20-year-old centre-forward fired home 16 goals from 38 games playing for the U21s, but never made a senior appearance for his boyhood employers, before heading down the EFL to Milton Keynes Dons last year for an undisclosed fee.

Dean has managed to bag an impressive 25 games from 54 games ever since leaving the comforts of Leeds behind, with his form last season for MK Dons even seeing his side reach the League Two playoff mix.

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Now, the youngster is beginning to make a name for himself in Belgium, with an electric start to life in the Pro League, netting five strikes from just 11 games to instantly fit into his new surroundings at Gent well.

Dean even has the opportunity to show to everyone what they’re missing out on in England, as his new employers take on the might of Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea in the Conference League.

Leeds will fall victim to more of these blows down the line, where they end up regretting letting an academy product leave too soon, but Farke’s men sole focus now rides on winning promotion, whilst Dean aims to improve even more playing in Belgium.