‘Nowhere else’… £40m player suggests he had no interest in signing for Liverpool in January

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Despite links to plenty of players before and during the January window, Liverpool didn’t add to their squad last month.

The Reds are currently struggling with one or two injuries to some key players, but by and large that looks like being a good decision from Jurgen Klopp.

One of those who would perhaps have been a good signing though was Leeds United youngster Archie Gray. Gray has been excellent for Leeds this season, even drawing comparisons with Trent Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool reportedly like what they’ve seen and were linked with a £40m move.

But according to the 17-year-old himself, he’s not even considering leaving his current club.

Speaking on The Official Leeds United Podcast, Gray weighed in on talk of him leaving his boyhood team.

“I’m a Leeds fan,” says the youngster. “There’s nowhere else I want to be, I wasn’t thinking about anywhere else. I just want to play here and enjoy my time here and try to help us get back to where we belong.”

Gray dismisses transfer talk

Gray might well be keen on staying at Leeds, perhaps even for his whole career. His family have a long history with the Peacocks and he’s obviously passionate about the club.

But how many times have we seen this in football. When money comes into the equation, these things tend to take a backseat.

Leeds supporters will unfortunately know that better than most. They’ve been stung by academy graduates having their heads turned before.

One of those happened just a couple of years ago, when Kalvin Phillips jumped ship to join Manchester City in 2022. Phillips himself had perhaps never envisaged leaving his local team.

It’s likely that neither did Alan Smith, who left for arch rivals Manchester United following Leeds’ first relegation in 2004.

Both of those deals were slightly different, but each ended up being a case of local lads leaving for bigger clubs.

Gray is only 17. Who’s to say how he will feel should an offer from on high come in a year or two or three down the line. These kind of comments only often end up coming back to haunt players.

If Leeds are unsuccessful in their bid for promotion this season, then perhaps they’ll feel a big bid is too good to turn down. It may be taken out of Gray’s hands.

For now though, we have to commend the young man’s attitude. Let’s see if Liverpool back off.