Spurs have unearthed a ‘future £100m star’ who could become their own Saka

Tottenham Hotspur have decided to appoint Thomas Frank as their new head coach ahead of the summer transfer window after opting to remove Ange Postecoglou from his position.

The Australian coach won the Europa League at the end of the 2024/25 campaign by beating Manchester United in the final, but it was not enough to save his job.

Daniel Levy, who has since stepped down as chairman, parted ways with Postecoglou and recruited Frank from Brentford, where he had won promotion to the Premier League and established the Bees in the division.

Four wins, two draws and one defeat from the opening seven matches of the top-flight campaign suggest Spurs have made the right decision in changing managers this summer.

Upon its unveiling, the club’s official website noted that one of the reasons Frank landed the job was because he had a proven track record of developing players.

Tottenham will now hope they can do wonders with the plethora of talented young players at their disposal in north London, as they did with Bryan Mbeumo, Kevin Schade and Yoane Wissa at Brentford.

Ranking Tottenham’s most valuable U21 players

While Frank could develop players of any age, the powers that be at Spurs may hope that he can develop the club’s U21 players to help them rise in value.

Tottenham have a rich history of developing and selling players. Gareth Bale and Luka Modric, both sold to Real Madrid, are notable examples, while Harry Kane came through the youth ranks before joining Bayern Munich in 2023 as the club’s all-time top scorer.

The Lilywhites may not have their next Kane in the works at the club at the moment, but they do have several impressive young stars who could have bright futures under an exceptional coach like Frank.

Spurs have four players aged 21 or under in their squad who are currently valued at £17 million or more by Transfermarkt, showing that there are several impressive young talents waiting to explode in north London.

As you can see in the table above, Lucas Bergvall is the team’s most valuable U21 player, and he has become an early favorite under Frank.

The Sweden international has started four of his six Premier League appearances this season, scoring a goal and providing an assist, showing the manager values ​​him.

Spurs will be hoping Bergvall will benefit from this exposure to regular starts in the top flight to become a Frank star in the middle of the park.

Archie Gray is currently valued at £33million, the same value as the Swedish starlet, but he has only made two appearances and started just once in the Premier League so far this season.

Although Bergvall is apparently Frank’s preferred U21 player at the club at the moment, the England U21 international has the potential to become a Bukayo Saka-like talent for Tottenham if he gets more playing time in his favored position.

How Archie Gray can become Tottenham’s Bukayo Saka

At the start of Saka’s Arsenal career, Mikel Arteta played the England star at left back 21 times, in central midfield five times and in left midfield 29 times, according to Transfermarkt.

It shows that the young left-hander had to play multiple roles before landing a regular place in his favored position on the right flank, where he scored 47 goals and provided 40 assists in 137 starts.

Gray has suffered from his versatility throughout his senior career so far. 30 of his 49 starts for Leeds have come at right back. 34 of his appearances for Spurs came at right back, center back or left back. During that time, he only started 13 matches as a central midfielder, his favored role at that time, according to Transfermarkt.

13 starts as a central midfielder, the position he grew up playing in at academy level, plus two years as a first-team player for Leeds and Spurs, shows he hasn’t had many opportunities to develop in his position long-term.

Gray finally got the chance to play in central midfield for the England U21s against Moldova last week and caught the eye with an impressive all-round display in the middle of the park.

As you can see in the table above, the 19-year-old star put in a sublime performance in and out of possession, as he was effective as a passer and dribbler, while being almost perfect defensively.

This shows he has the potential to deliver quality performances as a midfielder, despite having played in many other positions before his best at senior level to date.

Gray, who U23 recruiter Antonio Mango said was “born to play football”, could fulfill his potential at Tottenham if Frank plays him in his best role for an extended run of matches.

Analyst Ben Mattinson once claimed that the England U21 international was a “future £100m CM”, and that’s not a crazy prediction considering he is currently valued at £33m, having barely played in his natural position.

Gray has 30 matches of Premier League experience under his belt and won the Europa League with Spurs, but the next step is for him to land a regular place in the XI in the middle of the park.

Frank could then unearth his own Saka-type player, as the former Leeds starlet could follow in the Arsenal superstar’s footsteps by moving from playing out of position at full-back to being a star in his natural position.