Tottenham Hotspur's impressive season under Ange Postecoglou took a big hit in a chaotic Premier League defeat against Chelsea on Monday night, with the loss of pole position compounded by injuries and red cards.
Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie's dismissals will affect the Spurs squad in the short-term but the ankle knock to James Maddison – arguably the most influential player in the Premier League this season – and the hamstring problem Micky van de Ven has picked up could prove to be far more detrimental.
Despite the loss to Chelsea, Postecoglou repudiated the notion that something as trivial as a two-man disadvantage would stifle the attack-centric core. "It's who we are, mate." Simple statement. Emphatic declaration. Spurs lost, but won over many supporters who bore witness to the new mentality.
While the emphasis will be on targetting defensive reinforcements to combat the likely and lengthy absence of Van de Ven, who has been so impressive since joining from Wolfsburg for £43m in the summer, Postecoglou's Tottenham side is steeped in offensive swagger, and will look to bolster the frontline.
Heung-min Son is thriving as the club's centre-forward following the summer sale of Harry Kane – with eight goals already this season – while £13m signing Alejo Veliz is expected to grow into his skin as the understudy over the coming years.
Out wide, while there is quality, Spurs will be eager to improve on the existing options, and Sporting CP's Marcus Edwards could be the perfect option.
Tottenham transfer news – Marcus Edwards
According to Portuguese outlet Correio de Manha, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is interested in bringing Edwards back to the club after his transfer to Vitoria in 2019, when he was 20 years old.
Once compared to Lionel Messi by former boss Mauricio Pochettino, Edwards is believed to hold a €60m (£52m) release clause in his contract, but the Lilywhites could secure his signature on a cut-price fee, owing to a contract clause that would facilitate a £34m deal.
With free-spending London rivals Chelsea also intrigued by the proposition of signing the talented forward, Postecoglou will need to work quickly if his side is to welcome a compelling new option.
Marcus Edwards' style of play
Predominantly utilised on the right flank, Edwards is both electric-paced and quick-witted, with TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves remarking that "he leaves people for dead. Technically he’s fantastic. The young man has so much ability with the ball at his feet, makes it look easy."
Strengths
Weaknesses
Crossing
Aerial duels
Key passes
Concentration
Passing
Dribbling
*Sourced via WhoScored
Deadly and diminutive, Edwards has been simply exceptional in Liga Portugal and earned a £7m transfer to Sporting in January 2022, having plundered 20 goals and 14 assists across 96 outings for Vitoria.
As per FBref, Edwards ranks among the top 9% of attacking midfielders and wingers across divisions similar to the Liga Portugal for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for progressive passes, the top 13% for progressive carries, the top 20% for successful take-ons and the top 10% for touches in the attacking box per 90.
Effectively, such metrics do not only underscore his prolific creativity but highlight his effectiveness in progression and driving up the touchline and into the danger area.
Capable of affecting play from deep too, Edwards boasts an underrated talent in his distribution, and would improve Spurs' existing attacking options through a blend of such qualities.
Kane, who is widely regarded as one of the best strikers in the world and a supreme ball-player, has actually failed to match Edwards' 5.23 shot-creating actions per game over the past year, averaging 3.09 per match himself.
Marcus Edwards' statistics this season
Excelling during the 2023/24 campaign thus far, Edwards, now aged 24, has posted three goals and assists apiece over 14 appearances across all competitions after such resounding success last term.
Last year, the Englishman enjoyed a sensational season and scored 12 goals and supplied 14 assists from 51 matches – with Kane only providing five assists by contrast – scoring at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Champions League group phase, perhaps fuelled by a desire to make his former club rue their loss.
As per Sofascore, the £23k-per-week gem has indeed been in fine fettle this term, scoring two goals and supplying two more across just seven starting appearances, creating a whopping eight big chances, producing an average of 3.0 key passes and 3.1 ball recoveries per game and completing 79% of his passes from his offensive role.
In comparison, Kane has created 'only' seven big chances in the Bundesliga this season, but then, in fairness, the England international has also racked up five assists and is performing at a rather disrespectful level.
It does evidence Edwards' skill in supplementation, however, and Postecoglou would be wise to forge ahead with a deal in 2024, especially given that he could potentially secure his services for a bargain fee.
How Marcus Edwards compares to Dejan Kulusevski
Edwards is indeed competent across a number of positions, but he would likely be used as competition for Dejan Kulusevski on the right wing, with Postecoglou perhaps lacking alternative options to the dynamic Swede.
Kulusevski has been impressive this season and has started all 11 of Tottenham's top-flight fixtures, scoring three goals – a return that has already surpassed last year's total of two strikes from 37 games, which led to pundit Glen Murray remarking that he had been "blowing hot and cold."
Having completed a permanent transfer to Tottenham in the summer after 18 months on loan, the £110k-per-week wideman ranks among the top 22% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries and the top 30% for successful take-ons per 90.
While he has only scored at a rate of 0.14 per game over the past 12 months, Kulusevski is scoring at a rate of 0.28 per outing during 2023/24 so far, and his energy and exuberance has been pivotal – picked to start every match under Postecoglou, surely that speaks for itself?
But, of course, perhaps there is a lack of competition and one would assume that were Edwards plying his trade down the N17 the Lilywhites' team selection on the right wing might've been a bit more divergent.
Kulusevski is completing 80% of his passes in the Premier League, averaging 2.1 key passes and 4.2 ball recoveries per game and proving to be a marauding menace for Spurs' opponents.
There are certainly similarities between Edwards and his Tottenham counterpart, and given Postecoglou's preference to preserve his team's fluidity by a sustained skeleton, it might be a good move to bring Edwards back home, slotting into the system like the lost piece of a puzzle.
