In a season defined by misery and underperformance the vast majority of Tottenham Hotspur players, regardless if they avoid relegation or not, will come out of it with a major stain on their resume. However, according to one established football writer, there is a player within the Tottenham squad who can hold his head high.
Oliver Holt, writer for the Daily Mail, put an unlikely name for the top honours of Football Writers Association player of the season, alongside established players playing their best seasons, like Bruno Fernandes, Declan Rice or Bernardo Silva.
Tottenham have been without many of their star players for much of the 2025/26 campaign. Both James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are yet to kick a ball, while the likes of Cristian Romero, Dominic Solanke, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Mohammed Kudus have missed large periods through injury.
Even last year’s Player of the Season, Lucas Bergvall, has been in and out of the squad this year. So who is set to win the award in 2026?
High praise heaped on Tottenham’s Archie Gray
“If I could vote for a runner-up in the FWA poll, which will close next week, it would go to Archie Gray at Spurs, a young lad marooned in an awful team at a club in disarray,” said Holt. “He is just about the only player at Tottenham whose reputation has been enhanced this season.”
Indeed, with Spurs players either suffering poor seasons or having been injured altogether, if anyone has a right to be counted amongst the high performers of this year its Archie Gray.
Injuries to star players in Mohammed Kudus, Xavi Simons, Maddison or Kulusveski, Gray is probably the frontrunner for Spurs player of the campaign anyway and could be crucial in the remaining effort to avoid relegation.
Holt has been most impressed by Gray’s versatility. “Sometimes, it has seemed as if Gray has been asked to play in every outfield position in the Tottenham side and he has done it with class and style, dedication to a team ethic and an ability beyond his years. What a player he is becoming.”
The young midfielders top performances have earned him an untouchable status at Tottenham, regardless of their top-flight status, with the North London club viewing Gray as crucial for their long-term plans.