Archie Gray broke Tottenham fitness record on his first week – Bamford reveals
Patrick Bamford has revealed that Archie Gray surprised people when he arrived at Tottenham and even broke a record in his early days at the club.
Archie Gray looks an astute signing
Some might have wondered whether Spurs were overpaying for Gray in the summer when they shelled out £40m for the 18-year-old back in the summer.
However, just a few months into his time at the North London club, it is already clear that the teenager is on his way to becoming a special player, having impressed across the backline as well as in midfield.
His former Leeds teammate, Patrick Bamford, has revealed that there is one area of Gray’s game that is particularly impressive: his fitness.
Patrick Bamford’s on Gray’s record
Bamford revealed that among the players he has played with, the Spurs newcomer is in a league of his own when it comes to endurance and fitness.
The Leeds striker explained that Gray set a new record for the VO2 max test at Tottenham when he signed for the club in the summer.
The 31-year-old said on My Mate’s A Footballer podcast: “The epitome of a fit midfielder is Archie Gray. That guy is a freak. An absolute machine.
“When he went to Tottenham, I texted him and asked him how it was going. And he said that the one thing they might struggle with is kind of coping with the demands in training and fitness levels.
“And then he did the VO2 max test. You basically, you put some kind of mask on that measures and you run on a treadmill until a threshold, until you can’t keep that pace any longer.
“And whatever the record was beforehand, he absolutely smashed out of the park. And afterwards, they were just like, yeah, I don’t think fitness is going to be an issue.”
Running power is essential to play in Ange Postecoglou’s system
One common thread among the signings that Tottenham have made under Postecoglou is the fact that all of them are tireless runners, boasting a fantastic engine.
The likes of Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner, Dominic Solanke, and Archie Gray are all players who can regularly put in a great shift both on and off the ball.
James Maddison is perhaps the only exception among Postecoglou’s signings, but the attacking midfielder more than makes up for his lack of stamina with some of his other outstanding attributes.
The post Archie Gray broke Tottenham fitness record on his first week – Bamford reveals appeared first on Spurs Web.