Tottenham Hotspur representatives were present at the Estadio da Luz to watch Benfica beat Sporting CP 2-1 in the Lisbon derby, keeping a close eye on Marcus Edwards and Pedro Goncalves, as per 90min.
Many European clubs were in Lisbon to scout the young players on both teams; Spurs were particularly interested in Edwards and Goncalves.
After entering Tottenham’s development academy at the age of eight, Edwards progressed through the ranks and made his senior debut in a 5-0 EFL Cup victory over Gillingham in 2016.
Although Spurs still maintain a 25% sell-on clause in Edwards’ contract, 90min claims that some of the clauses in his first contract were waived as part of Spurs’ negotiations to sign Pedro Porro back in January,
90min further disclosed that Tottenham was pleased with the way the adaptable Goncalves looked while on scouting visits to watch Porro.
Goncalves had a short stint in England playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers but only made one senior appearance for them.
Spurs scouts impressed
Following loan spells at Norwich City and Excelsior, Edwards left Tottenham for Vitoria Guimaraes in 2019, making an instant impression upon his debut in Portugal. Sporting signed him for £7m following a stellar two and a half seasons at the Portuguese club.
The England under-21 international – valued at around £26m by Transfermarkt – has been one of the most important players for Lisbon since his move. One of his most memorable performances was when he scored in the 1:1 draw against his former club.
Having earned two caps for the Portuguese national team, Goncalves can play both deep in midfield and the pivot. He can also play either flank, but he has primarily played an inverted role off the left wing so far in the 2023–24 season. Goncalves has made 17 appearances so far this season, tallying five goals and four assists, and he’s valued at around £28m by Transfermarkt.
Both Edwards and Goncalves possess the necessary skills and experience to thrive under Ange Postecoglou. Although they’re not the finished products yet, Postecoglou is capable of improving the duo into world-class talents as he has done with the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, and Destiny Udogie.
