Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou lauds Archie Gray's pre-season debut with hint at 'couple' more signings

Ange Postecoglou said he was impressed by a “really good” debut from Tottenham’s new signing Archie Gray in Wednesday night’s 5-1 win at Hearts.

In what was Spurs’ first match of pre-season, solely featuring those who did not compete at Euro 2024 or the Copa America, 19-year-old striker Will Lankshear and 16-year-old winger Mikey Moore scored their first goals for the club in a dominant win at Tynecastle Park.

Gray, 18, joined Spurs from Leeds on July 2 for a £30million fee after a deal to instead sign for Premier League rivals Brentford broke down.

A central midfielder or right-back by trade, he played the first half of Wednesday’s friendly at centre-back, partnering another midfielder, Oliver Skipp, in a makeshift partnership before a new XI came out to play the second half.

“Archie did well”, Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou said afterwards. “He and Skippy and Jamie [Donley] probably weren’t expecting to be starting in our back four, but that’s okay. It’s about guys like Archie getting accustomed to how we play and how we train.

“He’s an intelligent kid, and I knew he’d cope with it okay today. It’s just about letting him and Lucas [Bergvall] settle into things. I thought Archie was really good today. He did the things we know he can do really well. He’s adapting to the intensity and tempo of everything we do. Yeah, he did well.”

Postecoglou praised 18-year-old summer signings Gray and Bergvall for bringing “good energy” to the squad as he suggested that a number of extra additions are still being planned for the summer window.

He said: “They're not here to ease their way in. They want to play and I think that's great.

“They've brought a good energy to the group and no doubt there will be a couple more additions but I'm comfortable with where we're at.”

Spurs face QPR, K-League All Stars, Vissel Kobe, and a double-header against Bayern Munich in their remaining pre-season fixtures before the beginning of the Premier League campaign.