Undefeated they may be heading into Matchday Seven but Spurs fans are still rueing the loss of talented Marcus Edwards.
The travelling fans were left dumbstruck at Sporting’s Jose Alvaladze Stadium on Tuesday as the 23-year-old, allowed to leave on a free six years ago, came back to haunt them. Edwards, whose attempt at a wonder goal went viral and had the Spurs players in a heap in his wake, has come of age after backing himself.
He has not hit three goals and provided three assists so far this season. Had he scored in the Champions League on Tuesday night it would have been one of the tournament’s best-ever goals.
Sporting keeper Antonio Adan believes the playmaker is benefiting from being understood at a club he regards as a family. Also from playing with a technical side under Ruben Amorim - a rising star of European football management - who allows him to express himself.
Adan said: “He has come into a group that is good for him. A young group, with people who are helping to be part of it more, to get him involved with us.
“He is really doing his part too. He speaks to us much with us and that means he’s happy, which shows on the pitch. What you see on the pitch is a reflection of the way people are off it. And I think he’s happy now. He also has the faith and trust of the manager to try those things and he’s enjoying it.
“We’re people, and that gets forgotten: it’s like we’re machines and we have to go out there and do what fans and journalists want us to do. We often forget that personal element. He has found a place where the manager knew he had fantastic talent.
“He knew him, he had been following him for a few years in Portugal, demonstrating that quality that we all knew he had, and he has now arrived at a place where between all of us, and him above all, we have helped bring that out.”
Edwards came through Tottenham ’s academy but managed just senior appearance - despite being likened to Lionel Messi by former boss Mauricio Pochettino - before leaving as a 17-year-old in 2016. He had loan spells at Norwich and Dutch club Excelsior before leaving for Portugal in September 2019 where he joined Vitoria Guimaraes.
There, Edwards made 96 appearances, racking up 20 goals and 14 assists. That earned him the move to 19-time Primeira Liga champions Sporting in January.
So far this season he has contributed to six goals during his first eight outings and now has Sporting fans excitedly on their feet every time he is on the ball.
“He’s a player who’s different,” added Adan. “He gives us that ability to go past people, to change a game, to take people on, to break through lines.
“He’s very good running with the ball and he’s in a fantastic moment in terms of confidence. He almost scored an historic goal, a brilliant goal. If that run had been done by some other player, we would be talking about it for a very long time. It was fantastic, we enjoyed it and we’re lucky to have a player like Marcus.”
