KALVIN PHILLIPS WOULD BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE AFTER MAKING HIS ELLAND ROAD BREAKTHROUGH, WITH ARCHIE GRAY ALSO GOING ON TO BE A £30M PURCHASE BY TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR AFTER HE EXPLODED INTO LIFE IN THE SENIOR PICTURE AT THE WHITES. WITH DANIEL FARKE ALSO RECENTLY STATING THAT THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH IS ONE OF THE “CORNERSTONES” OF THE CLUB’S ONGOING PHILOSOPHY, IT WOULDN’T BE A GREAT SHOCK TO SEE A NEW PHILLIPS OR GRAY EMERGE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.
AMAZINGLY, ANOTHER MEMBER OF THE GRAY FAMILY IN HARRY GRAY IS ALREADY MAKING CONSIDERABLE STRIDES TO BREAK INTO THE MEN’S SET-UP.
HARRY GRAY’S RISE AT LEEDS
WITH THE YOUNG PAIR ALSO HAVING LEEDS ROYALTY DEEPLY INGRAINED INTO THEIR FAMILY TREE IN THE FORM OF GREAT UNCLE EDDIE GRAY, IT APPEARS AS IF ELLAND ROAD IS JUST WOVEN INTO THEIR DNA.
BEFORE ANYONE GETS TOO CARRIED AWAY, THE 16-YEAR-OLD STRIKER HAS ONLY MADE ONE FLEETING CAMEO IN FARKE’S FIRST TEAM TO DATE, BUT HIS FUTURE DOES LOOK VERY ROSY IN WEST YORKSHIRE, WITH HIS EARLY GOALSCORING FORM IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE 2 THIS SEASON ONLY ADDING TO HIS IMMENSE HYPE. FROM JUST FOUR GAMES THIS CAMPAIGN IN ALL COMPETITIONS, GRAY HAS HELPED HIMSELF TO A BLISTERING FOUR STRIKES, WITH HIS WEIGHTY GOAL TALLY FOR BOTH THE U18S AND U21S NOW STANDING AT A VERY IMPRESSIVE 15 GOALS FROM 22 OUTINGS.
BRANDED THE “REAL DEAL” BY ANALYST BEN MATTINSON, IT DOES ONLY FEEL LIKE A MATTER OF TIME NOW BEFORE THE TEENAGE SENSATION IS LEADING THE LINE FOR FARKE’S MEN, WITH DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN POTENTIALLY PUSHED ALL THE WAY FOR A STARTING SPOT VERY SOON BY THE ENGLAND U17 INTERNATIONAL. HOWEVER, HE ISN’T THE ONLY HOTLY-TIPPED YOUNGSTER AT THIS MOMENT IN TIME IN THE U21 PICTURE.
LEEDS COULD EVEN BE BREWING THEIR NEXT PHILLIPS WHEN LOOKING AT THIS VERY PROMISING MIDFIELD TALENT WHO JUST SIGNED HIS FIRST-EVER PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT AT HIS BOYHOOD EMPLOYERS.
LEEDS’ NEXT PHILLIPS
WHILE HIS CAREER PATH HAS HIT MANY A BUMP SINCE EXITING LEEDS IN 2022, WITH JUST 31 MANCHESTER CITY APPEARANCES COMING HIS WAY IN THREE YEARS, IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING THAT HE IS THE STANDARD THAT MANY OF THE NEW RISING CROP AT THORP ARCH STILL TRY TO HIT.
INDEED, UNDER MARCELO BIELSA’S TRANSFORMATIVE GUIDANCE, PHILLIPS WOULD TURN INTO AN EXTREMELY HOT MIDFIELD COMMODITY, WITH A SENIOR THREE LIONS CALL-UP EVEN FALLING INTO THE 29-YEAR-OLD’S LAP, BEFORE MOVING ON TO THE ETIHAD FOR A SUBSTANTIAL £40M. WHILE OLLIE PICKLES IS WAY OFF HITTING THOSE HEIGHTS AT THE MOMENT, HE WILL HOPE — SOMETIME DOWN THE LINE — THAT HE CAN EXPERIENCE THESE SAME AMAZING HIGHS, HAVING JUST PENNED HIS FIRST-EVER PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT AT ELLAND ROAD THAT RUNS UNTIL 2028.
THE 17-YEAR-OLD HOTSHOT WARRANTED THAT DEAL COMING INTO PLAY TOO, WITH PICKLES EVEN DONNING THE CAPTAIN’S ARMBAND FOR THE U21S LAST TIME OUT TO SHOW OFF SIMILAR LEADERSHIP SKILLS TO THOSE OF PHILLIPS IN THE MAIN TEAM.
THE SIMILARITIES DON’T JUST END THERE, HOWEVER, WITH PICKLES ALSO SHOWING OFF A SIMILAR EYE FOR A GOAL AND AN ASSIST TO THAT OF THE FORMER BIELSA FAVOURITE, WITH A STANDOUT FIVE-GOAL CONTRIBUTIONS TALLIED UP FROM THE CENTRAL MIDFIELD POSITION FROM JUST TEN OUTINGS.
ARGUABLY, HIS ADDED ADAPTABILITY TO SLOT INTO A RIGHT-WING OR LEFT-WING SPOT IF NEEDED ALSO STANDS HIM IN GOOD STEAD TO REPLICATE GRAY’S SHARP RISE, WITH THE SPURS NUMBER 14’S MALLEABLE NATURE TURNING HIM INTO A CONSTANT REGULAR UNDER FARKE. STILL, WITH PREVIOUS INTEREST IN HIS SERVICES COMING FROM THE LIKES OF GRAY’S NEW EMPLOYERS, IT COULD BE THAT PICKLES GOES ON TO BE ANOTHER MAJOR SALE FOR LEEDS IN THE MIDFIELD DEPARTMENT, LIKE PHILLIPS.
BEFORE ANYTHING MORE CONCRETE POPS UP OVER PICKLES LEAVING, HOWEVER, THE TEENAGER WILL HAVE TO PROVE HIMSELF IN THE SENIOR SIDE, WITH CHANCES POTENTIALLY HANDED TO HIM IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
