Leeds United have produced some impressive young talents over the years and Archie Gray appears to be the latest star to come off the production line.
German head coach Daniel Farke was brought in to manage the team last summer and immediately placed his trust in the talented teenager to be a regular in the side.
Gray has already started 29 league matches and featured in 31 of the club's Championship games so far this season, despite not turning 18 until next month.
The 17-year-old gem has emerged as the first-choice right-back, having started the campaign as a central midfielder, but does not face competition from recent signing Connor Roberts.
Premier League giants Liverpool have already been linked with an interest in the impressive youngster, and Leeds will have to be careful to make sure they can either keep hold of him or extract maximum value from any potential sale.
That was not the case when they decided to cash in on former academy graduate Lewis Cook, whose value soared after moving on from Elland Road in 2016, and is currently worth more than first-team star Glen Kamara.
The fee Leeds were paid for Cook
Premier League side Bournemouth swooped in to sign the exciting young central midfielder from the Yorkshire-based outfit ahead of the 2016/17 campaign.
The Guardian reported that the Cherries splashed out an initial fee of £6m to secure his services, although they added that it could rise to £10m with add-ons. However, it remains unknown as to what those add-ons are and if Leeds have earned any extra money on top of the initial £6m they raked in.
Then-manager Garry Monk revealed that the club and himself tried hard to persuade the promising talent to remain at Elland Road, through a new contract and the footballing side of things.
However, they were not able to do enough to convince the star to stay with the club or sign an extension, which turned out to be a blunder as they undersold him, based on his subsequent soaring market value.
Cook made 43 appearances for Leeds in the Championship during the 2015/16 campaign and contributed with one goal and two assists from midfield.
He also made a big impact out of possession with 3.0 tackles and interceptions per game for the team, which shows that the young gem was constantly working hard to win the ball back for Leeds by cutting out opposition attacks.
That came after Cook had played 37 times in the second tier throughout the 2014/15 campaign, which was his debut season in first-team football.
He made 85 senior appearances for Leeds in total across those two seasons, after coming through the academy set-up, and had already been capped by England at U16, U17, U18, and U19 level by the summer of 2016.
His form for club and country at a young age was enough to convince Bournemouth to spend an initial £6m to snap him up to bolster Eddie Howe's squad in 2016, and it has turned out to be an astute addition for the Cherries.
Lewis Cook's current market value
At the time of writing (24/02/2024), Cook is valued at €10m (£8.5m) by Transfermarkt at the age of 27, but that is not the peak of his market value during his time on the south coast.
Between the summer of 2018 and December 2019 – an 18-month period – Transfermarkt valued the central midfielder at a whopping €20m (£17.1m).
This means that his value had soared by a staggering £11.1m from the £6m that Bournemouth initially paid to sign him, and £7.1m more than the total package of £10m including add-ons.
His soaring market value after leaving Elland Road suggests that Monk and Leeds had a blunder when they sold him in 2016 for just £6m up front, as they did not maximise his value.
However, it was not an easy rise for Cook as his first season was disrupted by an ankle injury that forced him to miss 41 competitive matches.
He battled his way back to fitness and featured in 29 Premier League games, starting 25 of them, during the 2017/18 campaign. In that time, the English maestro caught the eye with 3.5 tackles and interceptions combined and 1.7 dribbles completed per game.
Cook has gone on to rack up 203 appearances for Bournemouth in all competitions, including a two-year spell in the Championship, and is currently starring for them in the top-flight.
The 27-year-old dynamo, who was hailed as "amazing" by manager Andoni Iraola earlier this season, has started 19 Premier League matches this term and has been a defensive monster for them with 4.1 tackles and interceptions per game – more than any of his teammates.
Glen Kamara's current market value
Meanwhile, Leeds midfielder Kamara, who was snapped up from Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers last summer, is currently worth less than Cook.
At the time of writing (24/02/2024), the Finland international is valued at €6m (£5.1m) and that is €500k more than his valuation at the time of his move from Ibrox ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
The 28-year-old gem, who is one year older than the Bournemouth maestro, has, however, been an impressive performer in midfield for the Whites.
Passes attempted (66.82)
Top 10%
Pass completion rate (93.2%)
Top 2%
Progressive passes (7.29)
Top 6%
Shot-creating actions (2.99)
Top 37%
As you can see in the table above, the former Gers star has been an outstanding passer in the Championship this term with both his ability to retain possession and progress the play from a deep-lying midfield position.
Kamara does not, however, offer the same defensive attributes as Cook in the middle of the park as he has only made 1.9 tackles and interceptions per game for the Whites.
His exceptional passing and ability to control the tempo of a game in midfield does make him a valuable player for Farke and Leeds, though.
The club appear to have made a blunder when they sold Cook for £6m, due to his soaring market value and current performances in the Premier League, but they do also have an excellent option in Kamara right now, even if he is not worth as much as their former academy graduate.
