Man City target and 18-year-old could save Leeds United millions in transfer fees | OneFootball

FLW outline two Leeds United youngsters who could break into the first-team and save the club vast sums of money in the future.

Leeds United are famed for their ability to produce and develop young talent, with a clear pathway to the first-team a part of the fabric of the club for decades now.

Given the club's vast financial resources, there was always likely to be something of an aggressive approach to Leeds building their squad in the hope of making their latest EFL stint a brief one this season, but academy products such as Crysencio Summerville and Pascal Struijk were fundamental pieces of Daniel Farke's side in 2023/24.

On top of that pair, there were a number of young players on Leeds' books who had come through their academy set-up, who would have been hoping for more chances this season in the Championship, and that has proven to be the case.

Famously, Leeds have tended to afford their young players opportunities, from Archie Gray and his well-documeted rise in the last few seasons, to the likes of James Milner, Kalvin Phillips, Fabian Delph, Jonny Howson, Lewis Cook, and Jonathan Woodgate in the past as well.

Farke needs to be sure that the younger lads can contribute again next year, and the early signs were positive this season, with Mateo Joseph making a breakthrough into the senior side in a greater capacity to last year, and contributing regularly to performances.

The Leeds academy is famed for producing talent, and with that in mind, we have taken a look at two players that could save the club millions, should they make the grade over the next few seasons in West Yorkshire much like Gray has after his £40 million switch to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.

Charlie Crew

Doncaster Rovers have landed Charlie Crew on loan until the end of the season, and while he hasn't played too much senior football, the youngster looks to be an excellent signing for Grant McCann's side. It's unlikely that they will be able to emulate Gray each season, but he is another player with an incredibly bright future.

Crew is only 18 years old and has played just one game for Leeds at senior level. He is the latest talented midfielder to come through the ranks in recent years. Crew was given a professional contract last season, with the 18-year-old agreeing terms to stay for another two years, which highlights his potential.

Crew started his career at Cardiff City, where he played in the club's academy from the age of seven. In 2022, he transferred to Leeds for an undisclosed fee, joining the club's U-18s initially, before being promoted to the U-23 team in January 2023.

It's been a rapid rise since then, with Crew involved in the first-team, but he isn’t as far along as someone like Gray, hence his loan to develop further. Despite that, he is regarded as a top talent within the academy, and he won his first senior cap for the Wales national team, alongside Leeds teammates Ethan Ampadu and Dan James against Gibraltar, before ever making a senior appearance for Leeds.

He has made the bench on a number of occasions, especially when injuries stretched them thin. Though, he has played just two games of senior football, with one coming for Leeds and one for Wales, but he's been in and around the matchday squad on a number of occasions this season and last year as well.

He will hope that the temporary switch to Doncaster gives him a chance to impress before coming back to Elland Road, where he could be worth a fortune once he kicks on and gets up to the speed and physicality of senior football and the men's game, even in League Two where he could boss things for McCann.

Harry Gray

The family name speaks to the talents of both Archie (pictured above) and Harry Gray at Leeds. They are in good company as the grandnephews of Leeds legend Eddie Gray, with another favourite with the Whites faithful in Frank Gray as their grandfather, and they are also Andy Gray's son; all of whom played for Leeds at one stage or another.

Archie's 16-year-old brother, Harry Gray, is the spitting image of his sibling, and has been linked with a move away previously, with Man City one interested party potentially. He is also said to be attracting plenty of interest from the Premier League, much like his older brother.

Archie has revealed that it is his dream to play with Harry and to take Leeds all the way back to European nights at Elland Road. Speaking in an interview with The Guardian back in December 2023, he outlined that idea. It may be more difficult to come to fruition in the near future, but Harry has every chance of following in the footsteps of many other Grays in the next few seasons.

Harry may well be a few years away from the first-team yet, but if he's anything like his brother, then he has an extremely bright future as a footballer. He would also become the fifth Gray to appear in a Leeds shirt, and the second pair of brothers should Archie's wishes ever be fulfilled.

Injury has prevented him from more involvement in either the U-21 team or in and around Farke's plans in the senior side. However, he will hope to put that behind him and is likely to be involved in pre-season again this summer, irrespective of which league Leeds find themselves in.

His name and genetics should take him far in the game, albeit Leeds may be hoping to hang onto Harry after losing Archie after only one season of football at Elland Road. Much like Crew, given his place in the pecking order presently, he may hope that a temporary stint away on loan at some stage gives him a chance to impress before coming back to Elland Road, where he could be a regular in the future.