Spurs set to sign £34m starlet who ‘leaves players for dead’ as they look to sign the Kulusevski family heir
TOTTENHAM TOTTENHAM FOOTBALL 2-0 CHELSEA
Tottenham’s spectacular start to the new season under Ange postecoglou came to a crashing halt in Monday night’s Premier League clash with Chelsea, as a host of injury and red card-related setbacks saw them lose their lead in the race for top spot.
The departure of defender Cristian Romero and striker Destiny Udogia will have a short-term impact on the team, but the ankle injury sustained by James Maddison, who has been one of the best players in the league this season, and the hamstring injury suffered by Micky Van de Ven could have far-reaching consequences.
Postecoglou said after Spurs lost to Chelsea that “it’s who we are. Simple statement.”
Postecoglou went on to say that a “two-man disadvantage” is “nothing to do with our new mentality”.
Spurs lost, but the new mentality won over many fans.
While the focus will be on finding defensive reinforcements to cope with Van de Ven’s probable and long-term absence, who has been outstanding since signing from Wolfsburg in the summer for £43m, manager Paul Postecoglou’s Tottenham team are full of attacking energy and will look to strengthen their frontline.
heung-min son is flourishing as the club’s new centre-forward after Harry Kane’s departure in the summer, with eight goals so far this season.
Alejo Veliz, who joined from Real Sociedad for £13m last summer, is expected to develop into an effective understudy for Son in the years to come.
On the other side of the pitch, Spurs will want to add quality to their wide players, with Sporting CP’s Marcus Edwards likely to be their next target.
According to reports in Portugal, Daniel Levy, Tottenham’s chairman, is keen to re-sign the 20-year-old Edwards from Vitoria after he left the club in 2019.
Pochettino once compared Edwards to Lionel Messi, who is said to have a release clause of €60m ( £52m) in his contract.
The Lilywhites, on the other hand, could get him on a cheaper deal thanks to a clause that would allow them to sign him for £34m.
With London rivals Chelsea also interested in the talented forward and Postecoglou looking to bring in a compelling new signing, he will need to act quickly.
What is Marcus Edwards’ style of football?
Playing on the right wing, Edwards is an electric-paced, quick-witted forward. According to TNT Sports pundit, Hargreaves, he “leaves people for dead” and “technically he’s fantastic”. The young man is so good with the ball in his hands that he makes it look easy.
He’s deadly and diminutive and has been simply outstanding in Liga Portugal. Edwards signed for Sporting from Vitoria in January 2022 for £7m, after scoring 20 goals and providing 14 assists in 96 starts.
According to FBref, he is one of the best attacking central players and wingers in divisions similar to those in Liga Portugal when it comes to shot-creation, progressive passes, progressive carries, take-ons, and touches in attacking boxes per 90. These metrics not only highlight Edwards’ prolific creativity, but also his effectiveness in driving up and into danger.
He also has the ability to affect play from deep and has an underrated talent for distribution, which would complement Spurs’ current attacking options.
Kane, one of the world’s best strikers and a world-class ball-playing player, has actually fallen short of Edwards’ 5.23 shots-per-game average over the past 12 months, having averaged 3.09 shots-per-match.
Here are Marcus Edwards’ stats this season
The 24-year-old has excelled in his first full season at the club, scoring three goals and providing two assists in 14 games across all competitions, building on last term’s success.
Last season, the 24-year-old scored 12 goals in 51 games and provided 14 assists – whereas this season, he has only provided five assists.
Perhaps motivated by his desire to see his former club lose, he scored against them at Wembley in the group phase of the Champions League
According to Sofascore, “Kane has scored two goals and provided two more in just seven starts this season, creating eight big chances, with an average of just over 3 key passes per game and just over 3 ball recoveries per match. He has completed 79% of the passes he has attempted in his offensive role.”
Kane has created ‘just’ seven big chances in all competitions this season – but then, to be fair, he’s also got five assists and is playing at a pretty disrespectful level.
However, it does speak to Edwards’ ability to supplement, and it’s no surprise to see the A.L.S. looking to lock him up in 2024, particularly as they could be able to get a good price for him.
How does Marcus Edwards stack up against Dejan Kullusevski?
Although Edwards is capable of playing in a variety of positions, it’s likely that he’ll be used as a replacement for Dejan Kullusvili on the right-wing, with the Australian boss likely to have little choice but to go with the dynamic Swedish.
Kullusvili has been superb this season, starting all 11 of Spurs’ top-flight games and scoring three goals – more than double last year’s total of two goals from 37 games – with the BBC’s Glen Murray noting that “he’s been hot and cold”.
Having moved to Tottenham on a permanent basis in the summer, after spending 18 months out on loan, Edwards is one of the best players in Europe’s top five leagues in terms of progressive carries per 90 and is among the top-22% of his peers in the last year for successful take
Kulusevski, on the other hand, has scored just 0.14 goals per game in the last 12 months, but he’s scored just 0.28 goals per game so far this year (2023/24), and he’s been a key part of the team – he was selected to start every game under postecoglou – so surely that’s saying something?
Of course, there’s no shortage of competition, and it’s only natural to think that if Edwards was playing on the N17, that Lilywhites’ right wing selection might have been a little different.
As a result, Pulusevski has completed 80 per cent of his Premier League passes, has an average of 2.1 crucial passes per game and has recovered 4.2 balls, and has been a constant threat for Spurs’ opposition.
It’s safe to say there’s a lot in common between Pulusevski and his Tottenham opposite number, and with the Socceroos looking to preserve their fluidity with a long-term skeleton, it may be a good idea to bring Edwards home and see how he can fit into the system, like the missing piece in a jigsaw.
