Liverpool enter the third international break of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign second in the table, with 27 points and eight victories from 12 matches – they are one point behind imperious league leaders Manchester City.
Last season, the yarn spun a very different tale. At the same stage, Liverpool had just suffered an ignominious 2-1 loss at Anfield against Leeds United, shackling Jurgen Klopp's side to midtable mediocrity and illuminating the shocking discrepancies in a squad that had come within an inch of a historic quadruple mere months before.
The midfield was sapped of energy; enervation was rife. It was clear that the likes of Fabinho and captain Jordan Henderson no longer offered the stability, constancy and vigour in their work, and the Reds were feeling the detrimental effects as they toiled through the campaign.
A late-season purple patch did reignite the optimism on Merseyside, but it was too little too late and Liverpool's resurgence only yielded a fifth-place finish, meaning Champions League football slipped out of reach.
But a new season brings a new dawn and Klopp's transfer work over the summer has restored the verve, with the midfield pack thoroughly reshuffled and the pursuit of glory back on track.
The Reds' new phase is still incomplete, however, despite additions of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch's ilk, and it seems that the German manager is lining up a bid in 2024 for a prodigious talent to serve Liverpool for years to come.
Liverpool transfer latest
According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool are interested in signing Leeds United midfielder Archie Gray, with the report claiming that Klopp is lining up a bid for the teenager next summer.
Aged just 17 and mere months beyond his first-team debut, Leeds believe that they have a gem on their hands and will demand in excess of £40m, with Gray's start to life in the Championship taking the division by storm.
Games Played
15
Shots per game
0.4
Key passes per game
0.6
Pass Success Rate
81%
Tackles + interceptions per game
3
Balls recovered per game
5.2
Duels Won
54%
Dribble Success
52%
Stats via Sofascore.
Further, Premier League sides Crystal Palace and Everton are also listed as suitors, and while United boss Daniel Farke will be loathe to enter negotiations, the growing interest could force Leeds to cash in.
Archie Gray's season by numbers
Last year, Leeds fell back into the second tier after three seasons in the Premier League, with frequent managerial tinkering and a lack of cohesion and defensive resilience impeding hopes of returning to prominence in the top flight.
Gray only made his senior debut this term – perhaps not entrusted with a start given the importance of securing every possible point – but he did earn six appearances in the Premier League matchday squad, if not actually provided with minutes on the pitch.
Now, however, he is thriving at the heart of Farke's project and has earned 17 displays across all competitions this term, starting 13 of Leeds' 16 Championship fixtures.
As per Sofascore, Gray has impressed with his versatility, alternating between the centre of the park and right-back, and has completed 81% of his passes in the league, also winning 2.3 tackles and making 5.2 ball recoveries per game and succeeding in 54% of his duels.
Hailed as an "unreal talent" by TEAMtalk editor and lifelong Leeds fan James Marchment, Gray is making all the right moves and the fact that he is at the centre of a side pushing for promotion in an infamously tough division to escape from speaks volumes for his character and natural quality.
Archie Gray's style of play
Principally a central midfielder but recently deployed – to great success – at right-back, and according to The Athletic's Phil Hay, he "already ranks as one of Farke's main men."
As per FBref, Gray ranks among the top 20% of positional peers across divisions similar to the Championship for pass completion and the top 19% for tackles won per 90, highlighting his budding crispness in possession and robustness in challenging for the ball.
Should Liverpool secure Gray's signature, he could even bloom into a player of greater quality than Stefan Bajcetic, who starred for Klopp's struggling side last season, making 11 Premier League appearances, completing 79% of his passes and succeeding with 64% of his dribbles, as per Sofascore.
His breakthrough campaign was cut short in March after an abductor injury, and he has yet to return to consistent match action since.
While the young Spaniard is immensely talented, Gray's dominance in the Leeds squad this season bespeaks an illustrious future career, and given that Liverpool are interested in his services despite the lofty price tag, he might just slot in as the club's standout youngster, should he sign.
This age-belying rise has been exemplary and is a testament to the effectiveness of Leeds' academy ranks, and given the player's dynamism between central and right-sided roles, he has drawn comparisons to Klopp's Trent Alexander-Arnold.
How Archie Gray compares to Trent Alexander-Arnold
Gray's versatility might indeed be the reason behind Liverpool's interest, with the Anfield side possibly getting their hands on the perfect foil for the 25-year-old Scouser, who has recently undergone a tactical tweak, shifting away from his typical wide role into an inverted, hybrid central deployment in possession.
Long has Alexander-Arnold been regarded as one of European football's foremost creative forces, described as a "genius" by journalist Neil Jones, and he has chalked up 16 goals and 75 assists across 287 appearances for the Reds.
The £180k-per-week sensation ranks among the top 1% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, shot-creating actions and passes attempted, while also ranking among the top 3% for progressive passes per 90.
Also among the top 12% for interceptions per 90, the dynamo offers a robustness that Gray could seek to emulate, and Anfield might just be the perfect ground to realise such potential.
Whites winger Dan James, who has often partnered Gray down the right channel this season, was left waxing lyrical over the youth's skills, remarking that he is comfortably talented enough to become a leading figure in English football.
James said: “The ability he's got is something that he can take to be one of the best players in the Premier League if not the world.
“He’s still 16 I think he is, absolutely crazy. He's got obviously still to a lot to grow and grow into his own body. His ability is something I've not seen a young person before, he can go on and do top things."
While Leeds have started strongly in the Championship this season and are pushing for an instantaneous return to the big time, Gray might be tempted to make the move to Merseyside and continue his development among a Liverpool fold nurturing an exciting crop of prospects right now.
And given the likeness to Alexander-Arnold, he may well be wise to take the leap and absorb the fruits of the creative phenomenon's labours, treading the same path to the forefront of the game.
