COVENTRY, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 18: Archie Gray of Tottenham Hotspur during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Coventry City and Tottenham Hotspur at The Coventry Building Society Arena on September 18, 2024 in Coventry, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)

Archie Gray made his full debut for Spurs during Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup match against Coventry.

Archie Gray has heaped praise on one of Leeds United’s Championship rivals while sharing his thoughts on Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United.

The Leeds Academy graduate made his first start for Spurs in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup third-round match at Coventry City, playing at right-back just two months after his £40m move from Leeds. For Gray, the full debut came against familiar opposition, as he started both of last season’s Championship games against Coventry. The Sky Blues earned a 1-1 draw at Elland Road in December and handed Leeds a 2-1 defeat at the CBS Arena in April.

Five months later, Gray was back at the same stadium, and it seemed his side was headed for a third-round exit after Brandon Thomas-Asante’s goal in the 63rd minute gave Coventry a 1-0 lead.

Spurs, however, managed to scrape through as late goals from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson secured a 2-1 victory. After the match, Gray offered high praise for Leeds United’s Championship rivals Coventry, while also expressing his continued connection to Leeds, recalling last season’s encounters with the Sky Blues.

“It’s a tough place to come to,” Gray told Sky Sports.

“I played here last year, and even at our ground, they always give us a tough game with plenty of transitions. That’s their style of play, and they performed well in this game with the fans backing them. They really brought it to us, and credit to them, but we knew we had what it took to push until the end. They executed their game plan very well.”

Despite Coventry sitting 14th in the Championship with just five points from five games, bookmakers still consider Mark Robins’ team as one of the top contenders for promotion.