Spurs fan CAT LENNON on why Marcus Edwards’ loan move to Norwich City is good for all concerned

With the announcement that attacking midfielder Marcus Edwards has signed for Norwich City on loan, it has certainly pleased us Spurs fans.

There has been much discussion over the 19-year-old in recent years. He was labelled as a “Mini Messi” by Mauricio Pochettino, but hasn’t really set the world alight at Spurs yet.

Edwards is one of those players where you can really see the potential in him. He has creative flair and can score goals, which he has proved when playing at youth level for both Spurs and England.

He is the type of player who will definitely benefit from game time. A loan move to Carrow Road could be just what he is after: a steady amount of games, which will give him the chance to grow and learn from the challenges of being in the first team in a high-pressure league.

There have, however, been questions surrounding Edwards for quite some time.

When you look at the likes of Harry Winks, and how well he has improved since leaving the youth set-up, you have to wonder why Edwards hasn’t yet broken into the first team himself, especially if he was once named in the same sentence as Messi.

From what I have seen, Edwards needs to toughen up a bit. He has great ability, but tends to focus more on the attacking side, rather than mucking in when defence is necessary. His temperament has also been questioned by fans and by Pochettino himself, who said in his book, Brave New World, that he had some “authority and behavioural problems”.

Whether that is a hint that Edwards hasn’t liked playing the Pochettino way, who knows? But with the right manager behind him and with guidance, you have to think this is the best opportunity to go out and prove himself.

If Edwards can focus on the task in hand, and really put his mind to it, I think he could flourish at Norwich, and give them the added creativity that they have missed since losing Alex Pritchard.