Leeds United has finally agreed terms with mancherster city Whites
The 15-year-old will cost the champions a seven-figure sum, thought to be the highest fee ever for a British player, so the Whites will be compensated for their academy talent, even if it may not reflect his true value in the years to come.
Plus, no major blame can be attached to Leeds anyway, as Gorman was too young to sign a professional contract, so they were vulnerable to losing the teenager.
Nevertheless, it’s still annoying that the club loses one of their brightest stars before he has a chance to break into the first-team.
And, worryingly for Leeds, it has been suggested that City could be back at Thorp Arch as they try to sign Harry Gray, the younger brother of Archie, who is also attracting plenty of interest.
On one hand, it’s a great credit to the academy that they are producing players that the top clubs in the country are taking notice of.
It proves they are doing a lot of things right when it comes to developing players, and it bodes well for the future.
But, Leeds aren’t a club that wants to use their academy to produce youngsters for other clubs. They aren’t a club that needs to sell their starlets to keep things ticking over financially.
No, for Leeds, it’s all about getting academy lads into the first-team.
Kalvin Phillips is the most obvious success story in recent years, and there are no real hard feelings when players leave like he did.
The midfielder pulled on the white shirt, he played with passion, contributed to a successful team, and moved on for a huge profit – not a paltry seven-figure sum in comparison.
In truth, Archie Gray is likely to follow suit at some point, with the England youth international already being spoken about in terms of £40m bids from the likes of Liverpool.
But, it’s crucial for Leeds that they sell on their own terms, when the money is truly staggering.
Many at Elland Road believe Harry Gray is another incredible talent, and his family connections mean the fans won’t be too worried about the 15-year-old following Gorman to Manchester.
You can’t guarantee anything in football though, and losing the younger Gray brother would be a hammer blow.
The 49ers completed their full takeover of Leeds in the summer, which saw them outline some big ambitions. Returning to the Premier League would just be the first step. In the future, there are hopes of expanding the stadium, and making the Whites a force again.
The fans will judge by their actions though, and this is an early test for the owners to prove they’re serious.
As mentioned initially, you have sympathy for the club in this situation as they can’t offer Gray a contract due to his age.
However, they can sell him a vision. They can outline plans for his future, and show that he will have a path to the first-team. They can prove they’re a club who have hopes of competing with the best in the country, and that’s what they need to do to convince the best young talents to stick around.
Losing Gorman was a blow, but it can happen in isolation.
If it becomes a theme though, Leeds fans will rightly ask questions, and keeping Harry Gray, to hopefully play alongside his brother down the line, would be a show of strength from the club.
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