It’s clear that the aim at Tottenham Hotspur is to reinforce the attack this summer, with Ange Postecoglou looking to make his side a Champions League-level outfit.
It’s evident that, as well as Heung-min Son, Spurs need a match-winner, someone who can drag the team to success like Florian Wirtz did for Bayer Leverkusen last season.
The Bundesliga Player of the Season was outstanding under Xabi Alonso, and he’s now starting for the German national team at Euro 2024 too.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a Spurs target who could become their very own Wirtz.
Spurs want a new attacking player
According to journalist Alasdair Gold in a Q&A with Football.London, Spurs are interested in signing Marcus Edwards this summer.
The Sporting winger was formerly of the Lilywhites, and therefore, they can sign him for a cheaper price due to their ‘35% sell-on clause.’
In full, Gold commented: “Spurs have certainly considered a return for Marcus Edwards, with their former winger counting as club-trained and available at a cut price from Sporting due to their 35% sell-on clause.
“They’re monitoring that situation and whether it’s more beneficial to make the move or simply take a cut of any potential fee. From what I understand the player would be happy to return and has made no secret of his desire to come back to England to play in the Premier League.”
How Marcus Edwards compares to Wirtz
Since moving to Sporting in January 2022, Edwards has been a reliable performer, despite often having to impact the game off the bench.
This was particularly the case last season, with the number ten starting just 14 games in Liga Portugal, which is mainly due to Sporting’s system not utilising a system with true wingers.
Nonetheless, the former Spurs ace still scored four goals and provided four assists, with his quality often unquestioned when he’s on the field.
It seems that the forward has the talent and quality to succeed, but just like Wirtz, he needs the right environment and coach to truly flourish.
As shown in the table below, Wirtz is simply a far superior player than Edwards, but there are plenty of similarities to their game, with FBref also noting them as ‘similar players.’
|
Edwards vs Wirtz 23/24 EUL Stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90) |
Edwards |
Wirtz |
|
Goals |
0.15 |
0.51 |
|
Assists |
0.15 |
0.51 |
|
Progressive passes received |
7.42 |
8.33 |
|
Progressive carries |
5.30 |
6.15 |
|
Successful take-ons |
1.82 |
1.92 |
|
Shot-creating actions |
5.30 |
7.56 |
|
Via FBref |
||
Both players are excellent technicians who thrive when the ball is at their feet, regardless of whether they’re playing out wide or more centrally.
The two attackers are brilliant at connecting the midfield to the attack, often finding space to get on the half turn and cause havoc when running at the backline, as shown by the high volume of progressive passes received.
A pass is considered progressive if the distance between the starting point and the next touch is at least 10 meters closer to the opponent’s goal or any completed pass into the penalty area.
Furthermore, they often act as the instigator for attacking situations, whether that’s by dropping deeper to progress the ball themselves via passes or carrying the ball up the field with speed.
Yet, the best trait is, without doubt, their creativity, whether that’s through clever passes, movement, or their incredibly fast footwork that enables them to weave past opponents, as shown by their shot-creating actions and successful take-ons.
The ability to turn something into nothing is why Edwards in particular has been described as a “wonderful” footballer by football scout Jacek Kulig, and his dominance in 1v1 scenarios would benefit Spurs in every game state.
Given that Edwards is used to playing as an inside forward, he would thrive in that right-wing spot under Postecoglou, especially due to Pedro Porro being a huge threat out wide from full-back.
Overall, Edwards has plenty of quality at his disposal, and to even boast somewhat similar statistics to Wirtz proves that he has the potential to explode under the right circumstances.
Related
What Spurs’ starting lineup could look like after £201m spending spree
Spurs will want to give Postecoglou everything he needs to build a successful side this summer.
