Marcus Edwards trains with Brentford after missing out on pre-season tour

Now that the pre-season squad has been released, the picture is clearing up for Tottenham’s players who were left behind.

Marcus Edwards, who was once the top rated prospect in the Tottenham Hotspur academy, looks to be nearing the exit. The 20-year-old just returned from Dutch side SBV Excelsior, and reports are that he did quite well. The stats back it up, even though the club ended up being relegated to the second division. Alasdair Gold has the story on Edwards, stating that the midfielder is training at Brentford in what looks to be a bid to earn his exit.

Edwards has loads of talent, but the question has been his work ethic and attitude. Matt Law of the Telegraph wrote about these issues back in 2018, going so far as to say he was never on time for training sessions during his loan spell at Norwich City. To Edwards’ credit, he seemed to turn that around at Excelsior, with his teammates praising him, including Jeffry Fortes:

“He is of a bizarre level, what he can do is really not normal, I have not experienced a better player in my career, and Mauricio Pochettino did not make that comparison with Messi for nothing.

”He is for many the hired player of Tottenham Hotspur, not Marcus Edwards, and of course it is also incredible that he is walking around here, let’s face it.”

While it looks like Edwards has righted the ship, it may be too late to salvage any career prospects in north London. Brentford, who finished 11th in the Championship last season, could definitely use a player in the attacking band like Edwards. 22-year-old Neal Maupay scored 25 goals for the club last season, while 23-year-old midfielders Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma combined for 20 goals and 20 assists. Getting Edwards into that rotation could bolster their attack and push for promotion next season.

There’s no word on whether this would be a loan or permanent move, but given that Edwards has just one year left on his current deal, logic says that it’ll be a sale. If Edwards has put his immaturity issues behind him, the talent is there and Spurs should be able to get a nice fee for him, but don’t expect anything mind-blowing.