‘Conte will not accept that’: Journalist says 23-year-old Spurs target may not be a Conte player

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Speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold has addressed rumours linking Tottenham Hotspur with a move for Marcus Edwards.

Edwards, of course, was a part of the Spurs academy for a long time during his youth, but he left Tottenham to go and play in Portugal as he felt he would get more chances over on the continent.

Edwards has since been proven right, establishing himself as a star for Sporting, playing regular Champions League football over in Portugal.

Inevitably, Edwards’ good form has led to rumours about a Spurs return, but Gold is led to believe that there isn’t much to these reports, claiming that Edwards doesn’t really strike his as an Antonio Conte player.

Not a Conte player

Gold spoke about Edwards potentially returning to Spurs.

“At this point in time I would be surprised. It would make some sense because of homegrown numbers and he’d be cheaper because Spurs have a sell-on clause with him. He would be cheaper than his value would normally be, but I don’t know if he’s a Conte player,” Gold said.

“Listening to his manager at Sporting speaking about what he’s like and that he has to give his all in training, he’s improved hugely and is more professional, but even his manager, Ruben Amorim, is saying he needs to treat training like they’re matches, and if you can’t do that at Sporting, Conte will not accept that. I don’t know if that feels like the right move.”

“I wouldn’t rule it out, but it feels unlikely compared to other potential deals out there.”

Could still happen

Gold says that one stumbling block on this deal is that Edwards isn’t necessarily a player that would suit Antonio Conte’s regime, but that hasn’t stopped Spurs before.

Indeed, Djed Spence was famously signed this summer and Conte immediately stated that he was a signing from the club rather than a signing that he personally pursued, so perhaps Spurs will do the same with Edwards here.

Would it be wise to make a signing that doesn’t suit your manager? No, but do Spurs always make the right decisions in the transfer market? That’s a rhetorical question that is quite easy to answer.