Tottenham can’t get Marcus Edwards to sign a new deal
Lost in the midst of Tottenham’s inability to get any transfer deals over the line this summer, is the club’s inability to get Marcus Edwards tied down to a new contract. As it stands, the talented English starlet has just one year left on his Spurs contract. That’s the reason he isn’t on tour in the US with Mauricio Pochettino’s club.
As you’ll recall, Daniel Levy and company had to work hard to get Edwards to agree to his first professional contract last season. Ultimately Spurs prevailed, but it wasn’t without a lot of tough negotiating. Rules only permitted the club to sign Edwards to a two-year contract at the tender age of 17.
It doesn’t take a math genius to understand that means he just has one year left on his current deal. That fact isn’t lost on the higher-ups at Spurs. The club want to sign him to a new, long-term deal, but haven’t been able to make any real progress as of yet. Unsurprisingly, Edwards is envious over what his peers are making at other Premier League clubs.
That leaves Tottenham in an unenviable position this summer. Despite Edwards’ promising displays for England’s U19 squad, Edwards was left out of the club’s traveling squad for the United States tour. His omission raised more than a few eyebrows.
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At first, many speculated that Edwards was simply being given additional rest. He did face an extended run with the young Lions, but it’s not as if he played a ton of minutes. Edwards was frequently used as a late substitution to give his side an extra attacking push. We’re not talking about six or eight matches at the full 90 minutes here.
Unless the club are hiding an injury, the only reasonable explanation for leaving him in England is because they don’t want him to attract more suitors by playing well on tour. His talent certainly isn’t any big secret, but Spurs are hoping that keeping him out of sight will keep him out of other club’s minds.
Don’t think for a moment that Pochettino was against bringing young talent with the senior squad. Several prospects with significantly less talent and experience than Edwards have been included. The likes of Jaden Brown and Tashan Oakley-Boothe are with the squad and neither are more qualified than Edwards.
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When you add all the facts up, it’s clear that something is amiss with Spurs’ relationship with their young starlet. Leaving him in England is the club’s way of pressuring him to sign a new deal. It’s a shrewd, but risky play by Levy and company. Time will tell whether or not Tottenham are able to make Edwards a part of their long-term future.