Report: Championship club insiders thought player who left Tottenham for free was better than James Maddison

By Milo Clay

Norwich City insiders thought former Tottenham Hotspur winger Marcus Edwards was better than James Maddison as a youngster, according to the Athletic.

Tottenham allowed Edwards to join Portuguese outfit Vitoria on a free transfer back in 2019, with the Telegraph reporting that Spurs agreed 50 percent sell-on fee with the club. 

The 23-year-old has now moved on to Sporting Lisbon and has been putting in some eye-catching displays for Ruben Amorim’s men. 

But it wasn’t plain sailing for the youngster during his time at Spurs, which is ultimately why the club allowed him to leave for free. 

Yet, during a short spell on loan at Norwich for the second-half of the 2017-18 campaign, people at the club thought he was more gifted than Leicester City star James Maddison. 

Norwich insiders though Edwards was better than Maddison 

The Athletic reports that Edwards’ loan spell in Norfolk turned out to be a disaster for the Spurs academy product. 

Edwards performed at a sensational level in training though and Norwich insiders rated him as even more gifted than Maddison. 

Although people at Carrow Road were blown away by Edwards’ talents, Daniel Farke eventually terminated his loan due to concerns over his application and time-keeping. 

Maddison was still playing under Farke at Norwich at the time, before sealing a move to the Foxes later that year. 

The 25-year-old has gone on to become one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League during his time at the King Power Stadium. 

Spurs have actually been linked with a move for Maddison over the summer, with Dean Jones claiming the north London club still like the player. 

But it seems Spurs actually had a player who was just as talented coming through their academy at Hotspur Way. 

Edwards is finally living up to his potential in Portugal now and even put in an impressive display against his former side last month. But there were clearly concerns over his application three years ago.