Archie Gray’s Champions League speed stat shows Thomas Frank was wasting him at Tottenham

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Archie Gray ranked as the fastest midfielder during the Champions League group stage, highlighting that Thomas Frank wasted his talent.

Last week, Tottenham sacked Thomas Frank, with the team dramatically underperforming, sitting 16th in the Premier League table.

ARCHIE GRAY or LUCAS BERGVALL: Which Tottenham midfielder has the biggest potential?

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During his time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Gray really stepped up for the manager and played in several different roles.

However, there is a sense that the teenager is yet to really have his breakthrough moment at Spurs, and the next permanent manager will be tasked with unlocking his full potential.

Archie Gray was the fastest midfielder in the Champions League

No midfielder in the Champions League this season has recorded a quicker top speed than Tottenham Hotspur’s Archie Gray, according to CIES.

The 19-year-old recorded a top speed of 34.83km/h, which is just marginally slower than Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.

Mbappe is now known for his speed, yet Gray was just 0.84km/h off the French attacker in terms of the quickest recorded speed.

The teenager is not renowned for his speed, but it is an asset which Igor Tudor and then whoever Spurs appoint in the summer must utilise.

It’s clear that whilst he has been used at centre-back and full-back, Gray’s best position is in midfield, and this is where his speed must be used.

Lucas Bergvall is another surprise inclusion on the list, with the young Swede ranking third among the Champions League’s fastest midfield players.

The 20-year-old recorded an impressive top speed of 33.64; meanwhile, Rodrigo Bentancur was ranked 12th on the list.

Micky van de Ven is the second-fastest defender

Another surprise was Micky van de Ven being only the second-fastest defender, which is odd given that he is lightning quick.

Manchester City’s Abdukodir Khusanov ranked ahead of him for speed on the list of defenders, again showing Van de Ven didn’t need to show his pace as much under Frank.

Frank had Spurs sitting much deeper than Ange Postecoglou did, meaning the Dutch defender did not need to make as many impressive recovery runs.