'Look at his body language' - Ex-Tottenham scout reveals concerns about Archie Gray
Archie Gray does not have the physicality or the drive to become the captain of Tottenham Hotspur.
That is the opinion of former senior Tottenham scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Roberto De Zerbi has shown immense backing for the 20-year-old in recent days, handing him the captain's armband in friendlies even with the likes of Ben Davies present.
Gray had looked as if he could be set to leave Tottenham this summer after the arrivals of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali, but those concerns have died down.
Instead, it appears that the midfielder will play a significant role for the Lilywhites as they look to progress up the Premier League table this season.
Questions remain over the England youth international's long-term role with Tottenham, but he does not appear to be going anywhere yet.
Ex-Tottenham man unconvinced by Archie Gray
Speaking in May, De Zerbi tipped Gray to be a future Tottenham captain and key man.
The 20-year-old joined from Leeds in 2024 and has already made 81 appearances, playing a variety of positions.
With stability appearing to have returned under De Zerbi, he will hope to feature more in midfield. But there are concerns.
"I worry about Gray. He's a good player and he can do his job. When he's put in the team, he does the job," King told Football Insider.
"But I just can't see him being strong enough to dominate those players or show the strength needed to be a captain of a football club like Tottenham. I just look at him as a player.
"He gets on with the job. He never takes control of anything. He just gets on with the job. His body language is not the one of a future captain for me."
He added: "He doesn't give me the strength of a Steve Perryman. You know, if you're looking for the supreme captain of a football club, it was Steve Perryman, wasn't it? He embodied everything that Tottenham was all about, and he came up through the system."
What did Roberto De Zerbi say about Gray?
Speaking in May, De Zerbi had extremely high praise for Gray despite being reluctant to hand him minutes towards the end of the season.
"He is very young, [but] big potential as a player. I think he can become the future," the Italian said.
"I am sure he can become the future of this club and the captain of this club. He has to understand better what will be his position on the pitch.
"He can play in a lot of positions, but maybe I would like him to be more specific in one position. We are working on that, in individual meetings with individual clips."