Crystal Palace battle Tottenham Hotspur for £15m-rated Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards
According to the Daily Mail, Tottenham Hotspur are involved in a transfer battle with Crystal Palace for Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards, with both London clubs looking to add to their bench strength in the summer.
Tottenham have mostly played with a back-three this season under manager Antonio Conte, preferring to use a usual line-up of Cristian Romero, Eric Dier, and Ben Davies in the rearguard.
However, defensive reinforcements are needed in the upcoming summer transfer window due to Conte’s side proving to be inconsistent in producing results, given the nature of their topsy-turvy season. Toby Alderweireld leaving last summer hasn’t helped our cause as well.
Over the weekend, the Lilywhites managed to let Brighton & Hove Albion score a last-minute winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to claim all three points in north London, despite going on a winning run up until the fixture. Conceding cheap goals have often been the cause of our downfall this season.
London battle for Edwards
However, Spurs are set to face competition from Palace boss Patrick Vieira in the summer, who is planning a rebuild of his squad after impressing this season with his recruitment. The two London clubs will battle it out for Edwards, who is rated to be around £15m.
The England under-19 defender has been a regular for his team in the Championship but gained recognition after impressing against Manchester City in the FA Cup. Although the Liywhites are keen on signing Edwards, Palace are in the hope that their manager’s record in giving young players a chance gives them an advantage.
Conte is known to be a manager who is famous for employing a three-man defence at the back to set up his team to counter-attack and play wide on the flanks. In such a system, the make-up of his primary centre-backs is seemingly important to his success.
At the moment, Romero, Dier, and Davies have proven to be capable of doing a job for Tottenham, but questions arise whether as to the three defenders are the right personnel needed for winning a trophy. The Welshman, for instance, is a left-back by trade.
More Tottenham Hotspur News
- Owen Hargreaves believes Tottenham Hotspur are in the driving seat for the Premier League fourth spot
- Ian Wright blasts Tottenham Hotspur for their tactics after a tepid defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion
- Upcoming Tottenham Hotspur vs Leicester City Premier League fixture has been rescheduled
Conte has in the past, boasted of quality defenders like Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, John Terry, and Milan Skriniar in his past teams who have brought him success with Juventus, Chelsea, and Inter Milan. However, whether the current crop of options is enough to satisfy the Italian’s hunger for success in satisfactory is up for debate.
In such a situation, Conte cannot be faulted for eyeing other defenders to improve his current defensive line, although with Edwards, he will be getting an asset for the future rather than a player ready-made to win trophies for Tottenham. That being said, we cannot lose out on young talent to rivals in the league, so it will be in our best interest to snap up the Peterborough United man as soon as possible.
