The odds are stacked against Marcus Edwards making an impact on Tottenham’s first team next season. Spurs still shouldn’t sell him.
Mauricio Pochettino has a reputation of being a ruthless manager once he stop believing in a player. It seems he’s reached that unfortunate conclusion about Marcus Edwards. The higher-ups at Tottenham should still refrain from selling the talented young Englishman.
In fairness to the club, it may not be entirely up to them. English reports claim that Edwards is set to push for a move away from Tottenham after learning he wasn’t in Pochettino’s first team plans for the 2018/19 season. It’s a startling fall from grace for a player the Argentine gaffer called a “mini-Messi” a little over 12 months ago.
A lot has happened since then. Edwards couldn’t make a mark in Tottenham’s preseason due to injury. He played a little Academy football before securing a Championship loan to Norwich. Unfortunately, that was an abject disaster. He didn’t crack 10 minutes of football played for the Canaries. The coaching staff openly admired his offensive talent but were quick to point out he didn’t work hard enough without the ball to make an impact for their club.
The hope was that Edwards could come back to Tottenham and re-establish himself with a stellar preseason. It seems he isn’t going to get that opportunity. Instead, the club are looking to sell. Expect clubs from all levels of football to express interest in the enigmatic attacker.
In the end, Spurs will likely get a pretty significant transfer fee for Edwards. They might even be able to use him as a makeweight to secure a more established player. None of that changes the fact that it’s too early to part ways with such a prodigious talent.
Tottenham should be pushing Edwards to sign a new contract. Then they could give him another chance to make a mark out on loan somewhere. It’s important to remember we’re still talking about a 19-year-old. His best decision-making days are certainly ahead of him.
In a sense, Spurs should be trying to treat Edwards like Chelsea would. Tottenham need to find their own version of Vitesse to ship their talented starlets out on loan. It’s going to become more and more of an issue for the club in the years to come.
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Marcus Edwards isn’t ready to be a Tottenham regular right now, but a lot can happen in 12 months. That’s why it’s a shame Spurs are giving up on his talent too quickly.