Chelsea also express interest in Leeds United midfielder Archie Gray — report

Chelsea also express interest in Leeds United midfielder Archie Gray — report

The big new rumor yesterday was Chelsea’s reported interest in Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who could potentially reunite with head coach Enzo Maresca, for whom he played a key role in last season’s promotion campaign in the Championship.

But apparently Dewsbury-Hall isn’t the only outstanding second division performer on our midfield shortlist, with Archie Gray of Leeds United, who may also need some PSR relief, also high up on it. In fact, according to the Telegraph, we’ve “made [our] interest in [both] clear”, though “without making formal offers for either player”.

In a way, it’s easier to see why our sporting directors would be interested in an 18-year-old breakout star like Gray (52 appearances in his rookie season!) over a managerial-system-specific 25-year-old high performer like KDH, though that’s not to say that either one would be a necessary signing at this point. We’re well stocked in midfield — even if Conor Gallagher leaves — but Gray’s age would give us a longer runway to see how he would fit in with the rest of the very expensively assembled group (especially the two big pillars, Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo, who’s really turning things up a notch in 2024).

The interest in the (“well over”) £30m-valued Gray could also become more relevant if Dewsbury-Hall’s reportedly almost finalized transfer to Brighton & Hove Albion goes ahead. That seemed like a done deal but our interest has muddled things up a bit like the latest bombshells on Love Island.