SBV won yesterday with Edwards playing until 71 mins. Here's a translation of how he's getting on at SBV:
Introverted boy
Now he is at Excelsior, in the middle of the premier league. He is very introverted, they notice at the club. He is not a talker, does not make contact quickly, that's how it sounds.
It is one of the reasons why Tottenham thought it important that he be leased outside England, says managing director Ferry de Haan. "Not only in the field of football, but also in the social field, that would hopefully be a good development for Marcus." Apart from being a football player, they also want to take him further "as a person", he says.
In the lee of Excelsior, one of the smallest and quietest clubs in the Dutch league, he can get the personal attention he needs. De Haan: "We talk a lot with him, try to make him feel at ease."
The fact that young, technical players in the Dutch league have the time and space to develop themselves also participated in the Spurs' choice to store Edwards here in the Netherlands. Excelsior had been on a list for a long time and was tipped last summer by the Football Mix agency of the Humphrey Nijman agent that rent was an option. They also brokered the lease contract.
A hint of Messi is sometimes visible when you see Edwards playing. He was already in the 'Eleven of the Week', a section of Voetbal International . Sometimes he is inimitable, but often also invisible. Against Groningen (2-4 losses), he provides most of the threat and opportunity in the initial phase, but he does not score.
Insufficient yield
His return is still insufficient, with one assist in nine games. "In the last phase he usually loses the overview", says teammate Mounir El Hamdaoui. He has to become brighter, to claim more, according to El Hamdaoui. "Very often he is a bit drowsy, which is apathetic."
Edwards plays a bit like a junior, El Hamdaoui agrees. "If he has the ball he will dribble and he will see where it is stranding, there is no real idea behind it."
El Hamdaoui: "He has to become more mature. Occasionally you have to vary, which is firmer to the ball, hit once and choose the depth. It only starts with him when he has the ball. "
Friday after the match, Edwards does not want to speak to the press, although the team manager and the club spokesman in the locker room have talked to him to do it anyway. But he has "no sense", is the announcement. This would be partly due to experiences with the media in his homeland.
Always on time
It is a "challenge" to get through to him says Excelsior coach Adrie Poldervaart. They do not notice anything of discipline problems like at Norwich City. "He has to be there at half past nine, he is always on time."
According to El Hamdaoui, Edwards suffers from homesickness. "As a young boy in a different culture, in another country, it is difficult to adapt quickly. We try to involve him in the group in everything. "The homesickness also explains why he is so quiet, El Hamdaoui thinks. His father regularly comes to Rotterdam to support him.
Poldervaart: "He is only nineteen years old, you should not forget that."