Once hailed as the 'mini Messi' by Pochettino, 20 year old Marcus Edwards is making the breakthrough everyone hoped would happen.
Marcus Edwards has had a troubling past. After failing to make it at Tottenham, followed by a solitary appearance at a - at the time - struggling Norwich side - things looked bleak. However, here's why I think the young talent will shine this season...
(1) Talent. Pure Talent.
Whether you have heard of him or not, Marcus Edwards is a talent to be recognised. Coming through Tottenham's youth academy, his talent was tangible as he lead Spurs' U19's to a trophy in the UEFA cup, bagging 9 goals in just 8 appearances. However, he was also able to capitalise on the international stage. Appearing for England's U16's, 17's, 18's, 19's and 20's - which in itself is an impressive achievment - he has a socring record to match. He shone at the U19's level, involving himself in 5 goals during 7 appearances, and continuing that vein to the U20's stage, involving himself in a goal every other game.
Now, for the purposes of transparency - I wish this site to be research and analysis based rather than emotionally 'pumping' players - there are undeniable problems. However, I will discuss these in the following points. In terms of talent alone, Edwards has it in spades.
(2) Maturity
In a press conference back in 2016, when asked about Edwards' potential, Tottenham manager Pochettino had this to say:
The qualities - it's only looks, his body and the way he plays - remember a little bit from the beginning of Messi.
For those interested, the full article can be found here:
That is some high praise from a manager widely regarded as one of the Prem, if not the world's, best. Given what we know of Pochettino's managerial skills now, it would be a fair assessment to say that he a) knows what he's talking about and b) wouldn't say this off-handedly. This means that there is clearly a star potential - so what have been the problems?
Simply, a large problem for Edwards has been his maturity. After going on loan to Norwich in 2018 to gain first team football experience, he made a solitary appearance - a six minute one at that - in the four months he was there; the end result being Norwich paying to have Tottenham take him back. The reason? Lack of professional discipline according to the Norwich staff. According to the Canaries front office, Edwards 'failed to arrive on time for a single training session,' 'was late for team meetings,' poor attitude,' and 'failure to engage with the rest of Norwich's squad' were all reasons Edwards made a negative impact during his loan spell. To top it all, in his book 'Brave New World,' Pochettino wrote of 'authority and behavioural problems,' elluding to issues with Edwards refusing to track back to help the team.
Naturally, this created somewhat of a 'bad boy' image, and one that Tottenham wanted no part of. After returning on loan from the Dutch league, where he had a great season playing for a side that was eventually relegated, he failed to make an impact at Spurs, and after some failed transfers eventually found himself moving to Portugal to play first team football.
So, why should you want to spend your money on a problem child like Edwards? Because I believe, without knowing him and based on facts, that his 'problem past' is explainable and he has matured.
At the Tottenham academy, Edwards had everything going for him - the talent, the limelight, the coaching staff - and at 17 years old, being compared to Messi is going to get to your head. Teenagers are already learning how to become adults in a changing and scary world for them, throw in the added pressure Edwards faced and it is no real shock he acted like an etitled child.
The most interesting moment in his emotional development came during his stay in the Netherlands.
“Just looking after myself was the hardest thing,” Edwards looks back. “Just being there all by myself. It was different for me. But I definitely learned what it takes. What you have to do every day, on and off the pitch, to be a professional footballer, how you have to live. I learned that. I think I did grow up.”
“I know I was a bit difficult when I was going through the academy,” Edwards admits. He accepts that he had his “ups and downs” with the Spurs staff. He knows that the disputes over the first professional contract he eventually signed in 2016 damaged his standing at the club. He knows that he never used to track back, when he was 16 or 17, and why the coaches used to be so hard on him about it.
I am a huge advocate for the psychological development of youth players having an impact on their future. Realistically, I could write article after article focusing on Edwards' mentality alone. But I won't. I believe what we are looking at now is a maturer young man, who is self-aware enough to recognise his mistakes and is keen to show how he has grown.
These extracts are taken from his first ever interview, conducted in June 2019. You can find it here: https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/marcus-edwards-exclusive-interview-tottenham-news-norwich-excelsior-loan-lionel-messi-mauricio-a8957216.html
(3) The Opportunity
To make the growth on the index, he needs the opportunity. He now has that, and is already capitalising after making his first start last week. And yes, even though it is not a star studded move, the Portugese league offers a player like Edwards far more than a top club could. He has the opportunity to play regular, first team football to showcase his talent, but also an opportunity to show that he has matured and can be a professional - turn up on time, integrate with the team and culture etc. And, to top it all, Liga NOS is renowned for churning out talent that the Top 5 leagues look for. Just this summer, there were 9 players from the league who went to a top 5 league for a price of £10 million or more, and over double that for a price over £2 million. Big clubs watch the league closely, and a name like Edwards' will attract plenty of attention.
Finally...
Edwards learnt the hard way, as a lot of teenagers do, and is ready to prove himself in a tough league scouted by Premier League clubs. We have already seen an 18p rise over the last week - thanks to his first start - and we can expect plenty more when he starts to deliver. King of the Index? I won't go that far. But a kid once labelled as the 'mini Messi' has developed into a man looking to prove himself to the world. Don't miss out. Im on for 600 shares.
