Spurs should hold on to academy talent Marcus Edwards at all costs
According to Football London, Tottenham Hotspur youngster Marcus Edwards is on the verge of completing a move to Italy, with the report suggesting that Serie A outfit Udinese are closing in on a permanent deal for the 20-year-old.
Football London understands that the England U-20 international wants to embark on a new chapter in his footballing career after struggling to make it to the first-team in North London and the talented youngster is already in Italy to finalise a move.
Edwards was training with Championship outfit Brentford earlier in the summer but a move to Griffin Park failed to materialize. (h/t Football London)
However, as the story goes, a bigger opportunity currently beckons for the Camden-born starlet, with a move to Udinese in the Italian top-flight apparently on the horizon.
The dazzling winger joined Spurs’ academy at the age of eight and made rapid progress through the ranks before signing his first professional contract in 2016.
Shortly after, Edwards grabbed the headlines in the British tabloids with his senior professional debut for the Lilywhites as a 17-year-old- a scintillating 15-minute cameo against Gillingham in the EFL Cup.
The youngster failed to capitalise on his breakthrough, though, as he injured his ankle just a month after his senior debut and spending a long time on the sidelines, Edwards found himself down the pecking order and completely out of the first-team picture under Mauricio Pochettino.
The 20-year-old struggled to make an impact on his loan spell at Norwich City in the second half of the 2017-18 season but a loan stint at Excelsior Rotterdam in the Dutch Eredivisie in the previous campaign helped him rebuild his reputation.
Edwards couldn’t prevent Excelsior from going down to the second tier but he impressed with some eye-catching performances, accumulating 2 goals and 4 assists in 25 league appearances.
As a matter of fact, the youngster’s tally of 3.3 dribbles per game was the highest by any player in the Eredivisie last season, whilst his average of 1.1 key passes also speaks volumes of his ability to make an impact at the highest level.
To put things into perspective, it would be a real shame if Spurs have to part ways with Marcus Edwards, who is certainly amongst their top academy talents. The 20-year-old has long been tipped to make it to the senior team in North London, only for an injury to derail his career and hamper his progress.
The diminutive 5ft 6-inch winger is not only an excellent dribbler with a fine technical game but he also has the potential to carve out a reputation for himself in English football in the years to come.
Transforming youngsters into established stars has very much been the recipe of Pochettino’s success as a manager at Spurs and it would be fair to say that the Argentine would miss a trick if he allows the 20-year-old to depart the club at this stage of his career.
Edwards is certainly one for the future and Spurs need to be patient with their academy starlets, as they have been with the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Harry Winks, Kyle Walker-Peters and Oliver Skipp.
The establishment of a clear pathway from the youth ranks to the first-team has been one of the hallmarks of Pochettino’s reign at the club and losing a highly-rated prospect like Edwards can be regarded as a step backwards.
Indeed, Spurs have come out of their regular miserly habits to spend big in the transfer window this summer but that shouldn’t prompt them to neglect the growth and development of their academy stars.
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Edwards is a player with immense potential and, with that in mind, they should try to convince him that he still has a future in North London.