Tottenham starlet Marcus Edwards has a very bright future, but how much can he help Spurs this year?
Marcus Edwards has been on the name of every Tottenham’s fans lips during this preseason but it’s unclear just how much he can help the club this season. He certainly has a brilliant future ahead of him at White Hart Lane, but can he really help Spurs during the 2016-17 campaign?
I’m a huge believer in the 17-year-old midfielder’s talent. It doesn’t take much time watching him to understand what the hype is all about. He’s got incredible skill with the ball at his feet and the way he can carry the ball around the pitch can’t help but remind you of Lionel Messi. I’m certainly not comparing him to the best player in the world, but there are striking similarities in how they control the ball on the dribble.
If he keeps his head on straight and works hard for Mauricio Pochettino he has the ability to become one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League. It’s going to take time for his game to develop to that point though. Right now, it’s crucial for Spurs officials and fans to remember that he’s still a 17-year-old kid.
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Unfortunately for Edwards in the short-term, he still has the body of a 17-year-old kid. It’s clear that he isn’t physically mature enough to be a regular starter at the Premier League level yet. That obviously limits his ability to contribute meaningful minutes for the senior squad this year.
It does not, however, prevent him from having a positive effect on the club. His best case scenario for this season would be to develop into a dynamic super sub off Mauricio Pochettino’s bench. The Argentine manager is already preaching caution as it relates to the young dynamo, but it’s clear that he sees real ability in his starlet. That’s precisely why he wants to make sure he doesn’t over-expose him to senior football this season.
Despite Pochettino’s words of caution, we know that he isn’t afraid to throw young players right into the fire. If Edwards performs well enough on the pitch during preseason, he’ll get every opportunity to earn senior team minutes. Edwards need only ask Dele Alli what sort of meteoric rise is possible for a young midfielder at Tottenham.
Ultimately, I think Edwards’ ability to impact Spurs next season will largely depend on what the club is able to accomplish during the rest of the summer transfer window. Right now, there’s certainly opportunity for Edwards to crack the attacking midfield rotation. Alli, Erik Lamela and Christian Eriksen are set as Pochettino’s starting trio, but there are big-time questions after that.
Edwards would need to compete with the likes of Nacer Chadli, Son Heung-Min, Tom Carroll and Josh Onomah for a reserve role. Chadli could certainly be playing for another club next season, and none of the other three have fully settled into their permanent roles at Tottenham.
He has the talent to win a battle against that group. I wouldn’t say it would be expected of him, but there’s an opening there. At the very least, he can be a factor in some matches with only those men as his competition for spots on the Tottenham bench.
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His spot in that battle would be pretty tenuous though. It’s fragile enough that the acquisition of one more sure thing in the attacking midfield could cause him to really struggle for consistent playing time. If Spurs are successful in their hunt for Georges-Kevin N’koudou and another starting-level attacker, it will greatly diminish Edward’s opportunities for meaningful playing time.
Right now, Edwards just needs to keep his head down and build on his impressive cameo versus Juventus. If he can continue to play better and better as the summer goes on, he might be able to talk Tottenham out of spending big on another midfielder. If he can keep the club out of the transfer market, he could be a hugely influential substitute on Pochettino’s bench this season.