Leeds United midfielder Archie Gray has commented on what it was like playing against Chelsea’s £300million midfield in the FA Cup last month.
The emergence of Archie Gray has become a talking-point not only at Elland Road this season, but across the country after he broke into the England U21s and has made life look easy at that level too.
His performances have caught the eye in the media, not least when he more than held his own against Chelsea’s mega-rich squad in the FA Cup earlier in 2024.
Archie Gray shares what it was like playing Chelsea’s £300m midfield
Patrick Bamford’s My Mate’s A Footballer podcast saw co-host Joe Wilkinson travel to Thorp Arch to take free-kicks at the training ground, but also took time to speak to Archie Gray after several positive comments in previous episodes on the teenager.
When Gray was sat down with Wilkinson, the comedian asked what it was like for Gray to have come up against Chelsea, his first-ever Premier League opposition.
Gray said this:
“The first 20 minutes I was just, like I said, going back from right-back, I was just a bit like ‘whoa’.”
Wilkinson then asked who Gray was facing in midfield:
“Enzo Fernandez, and (Moises) Caicedo, they had a midfield worth of like £300million with (Mykhailo) Mudryk as well, but in the first 20 minutes I didn’t know what I was doing because I was thinking like a right-back and then after that I was alright.”
The Bamford interjected to praise Gray for the rest of this performance, saying what followed after that 20 minutes:
“You started taking the p***, basically.”
Watford v Leeds predictions?
Watford win
Draw
Leeds win
Gray was incredible that night against Chelsea
It’s not doing our chances any good of keeping hold of Gray when he’s performing this well no matter the opposition we face.
Chelsea had a very strong team out against us and we matched them for virtually the entire game while making changes, which shows you just how well we played.
Gray was vital to that, bossing the midfield for large parts, only undone once when Fernandez’s smart turn and pass unlocked the defence for the winner.