Marcus Edwards isn’t ready to be a Premier League star next season, but the young midfielder could have a meaningful role to play at Tottenham.
Tottenham fans are scouring the internet to read every possible transfer rumour connecting a player with Spurs at the moment. That makes it very easy to forget about Marcus Edwards returning to North London.
The 19-year-old midfielder clearly left Tottenham as a bit of a problem child. Talent’s never been a question for the dynamic English starlet, but his attitude has been a consistent issue for managers tasked with getting the best out of him. A truncated loan at Norwich City likely represented rock bottom for Edwards.
Fortunately, he got a real opportunity to kick-start his career by going on loan to the Eredivisie last season. Excelsior didn’t manage to avoid the drop, but Edwards did more than his share for the Dutch club. The work he did there gives him an opportunity to return to Tottenham and compete for a spot in Mauricio Pochettino’s squad.
Edwards recently gave a very enlightening interview to The Independent where he admitted that he’s returning to England with a “better attitude.” Specifically, that means he’s more interested in doing the little things required to be a good professional. He’ll never be a strong defender, but now he’s willing to track back and work to help his side recapture the ball. Edwards is also much more open to coaching at this point in his career.
This summer will absolutely be a make or break campaign for Edwards as it relates to his Tottenham career. He only has one year left on his professional contract with the club. Pochettino is likely to give him an opportunity to prove his worth during the club’s preseason work in the summer. It will be up to Edwards to prove to the Argentine gaffer that his attitude is truly improved.
If Edwards can start to harness his talent, he could prove to be a really valuable player in Pochettino’s squad next season. No, he isn’t prepared to take over for Christian Eriksen in the heart of Spurs’ midfield, but there’s no reason to think he can’t provide valuable squad depth. It’s not out of the question that he could become a “super substitute” of sorts for Tottenham if things fall his way.
The point here for Tottenham fans is that, while transfer rumours are alluring, no one should forget about young players like Edwards who could burst onto the scene. He might be the most gifted player headed to Spurs this summer.