Gray shrugs off critics as Spurs press on after Nottingham Forest mistake

Tottenham teenager Archie Gray says he doesn’t listen to critics after a costly error in the 3-0 loss at Nottingham Forest, four days before Spurs return to the Premier League spotlight against Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Gray’s miscontrol of a short pass from goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario allowed Ibrahim Sangare to pounce and set up Callum Hudson-Odoi for Forest’s opener, with a second from Hudson-Odoi following shortly after. While some pointed the finger at Vicario, Spurs manager Thomas Frank made it clear the responsibility rested with Gray. “Yeah, I agree with him,” Gray said of the assessment. “There were no allowances for my tender years. I shouldn’t have taken a touch. I should’ve just played it first time.” He added that Vicario would not be blamed for the goals and that players accept criticism as part of the job: “Vic’s fine. Vic’s a grown man. We do this for a living. People criticise us all the time so we’re used to it. I don’t listen to those people. Their opinions don’t matter to me. It’s obviously my mistake and I’ll learn from that.”

At 19, Gray has been measured beyond his years in every sense. Since Tottenham’s £40 million move from Leeds in the summer of 2024, he has become a fixture of the first team, both in central defence early last season and now in central midfield as manager Thomas Frank experiments with formation and balance. Gray has logged 2,027 Premier League minutes since the start of last season — more than any other teenager — and sits 10th in minutes among players across Europe’s big five leagues, a list topped by Lamine Yamal of Barcelona. “People criticise us all the time, so we’re used to it. I don’t listen to those people. Their opinions don’t matter to me,” he said, reiterating the resolve that has become his hallmark as a young pro.

The central theme of Gray’s week away from the pitch has been focus and responsibility. He spoke to Daily Mail Sport during a visit to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, where Spurs players have spent time in the community handing out gifts. It is a reminder that even as the spotlight intensifies on him, Gray remains grounded and committed to his development and to the club’s broader mission. On days when the noise rises, he relies on a steady upbringing rooted in a footballing family. He is quick to credit the generations before him.

His father, Andy Gray, enjoyed a long career across multiple clubs in the top flight, including Leeds and Nottingham Forest, but the footballing lineage is a bigger story in Archie’s eyes. Grandfather Frank Gray — who played for Leeds and Forest and lifted European Cup glory with Forest in 1980 — is a constant source of inspiration, a figure Archie keeps close through memories and old memorabilia that are periodically sent to the training ground. “I know my grandad was an unbelievable player,” Archie says. “Not many win the Champions League and that’s my goal in football, to try and do what he’s done.” He treasures the family connection and the sense that the trophy-laden history is within reach if he continues to heed the lessons from those who lived it.

The family’s footprint doesn’t end there. Archie’s brother Harry signed his first professional contract at Leeds at 17, and their great-uncle Eddie Gray — a Leeds legend from the Don Revie era — remains a touchstone for Archie when he visits familiar venues and recalls the stadiums where his family etched memorable moments. Memorabilia travels to the training ground with messages meant to motivate and guide him through the inevitable ups and downs of a rapid rise in English football. The sense of belonging to something larger than himself is a steadying influence, especially during a period when Spurs are trying to steady a patchy run of form.

On the field, Gray has embraced a forward-leaning role, with Frank urging him to press and attack whenever possible. “He wants me to play forward as much as possible, that’s the main thing,” Gray explained. “We’ve got a certain structure, and I’ve got a role in the system. We have two pivots and sometimes I’ll have the licence to get into the box. The main message before games is to be positive. Play forward, run forward, be as positive as you can and that’s my natural game. I want to get on the ball and find passes. Running with the ball is probably my main strength.”

Gray studies the world’s best midfielders to improve his own game. Jude Bellingham is a frequent reference point for him, along with Pedri at Barcelona and the Paris Saint-Germain midfield for a sense of how high-calibre operators move the ball and control tempo. His education was sharpened by a recent high-profile assignment against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, where he was tasked with marking Vitinha. He says the Portuguese midfielder is “the best team in Europe” and that Vitinha’s calm and tireless running can drain opponents if not matched for pace and endurance. “Vitinha is so calm in situations and people don’t realise how much he runs in the game. He tires you out little by little.”

Despite his individual development, Gray remains balanced about the team’s current obstacles. Spurs have endured only one win in seven Premier League games, a stretch that has tested the squad’s resilience. Yet Gray points to last season’s Europa League triumph as evidence that Tottenham can turn tides with patience and collective belief. “There were so many difficult games,” he said. “But we stuck to it in the Europa League. And we knew towards the end, when it was the quarters, the semis, we had a chance to make this season unforgettable for the fans and the club. It might have not been the best year in the Premier League and other cups but to win a trophy like that outweighs what happens in the bad performances. To give the fans a trophy is the most special thing and when you win a trophy as a team you will always be good friends because you share in that moment and have such a positive memory. For everyone here, winning trophies with Tottenham is our dream. Hopefully we can keep that going.”

Looking ahead, Gray and Spurs prepare for a test against Liverpool, a rematch of the kind of fixture that defines seasons for teams chasing titles and European qualification. The match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is framed as another step in a season of learning, both for Gray and the squad at large, as they push to reclaim form and momentum after a challenging spell. Gray’s perspective on the week’s events reflects the mindset of a young player determined to grow under pressure: acknowledge mistakes, dissect them privately with mentors and family, and apply the lessons on the training ground and in the heat of competition.

If the pathway to improvement is measured by the calm with which Gray handles feedback, the teenager’s early career already reads as a blueprint for how to navigate the tough thresholds that come with high-level football. The minutes logged in the last 12 months speak for themselves, as does the ability to contribute across multiple positions and systems. While the noise around the edge of the field can be distracting, Gray remains focused on what he can control: his position, his responsibilities, and the drive to help Tottenham win trophies in the years ahead.