Everton Football Club have recently become the home to one of England under-20s' most exciting talents after they confirmed the signing of young midfielder Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa. He cost the club £9m, and will likely become a first-team option for Sean Dyche in midfield.
However, Iroegbunam is not the only young talent from the England under-20 side who could make waves in the Premier League this season. Midfielder Adam Wharton is now at Euro 2024 with the first team, after switching from Blackburn Rovers to Crystal Palace in January and excelling in the middle of the park at Selhurst Park.
That is a team that also features Lewis Miley of Newcastle, a player who broke into the Magpies side last season aged just 17 and locked down a place in the starting eleven for much of the season. His Newcastle teammate Lewis Hall is also involved in the squad, as well as Manchester City winger Micah Hamilton and Tottenham striker Dane Scarlett.
However, with the summer transfer window upon us, the Toffees have been linked to another member of that squad, who captained the side until he became too old to feature. He could well make the switch to Goodison during the transfer window.
Everton target League One defender
The player in question here is Peterborough United’s English defender Ronnie Edwards. The 21-year-old is highly rated by fans of the Posh and neutrals alike, and he could well depart the club this summer amidst interest from Premier League clubs.
At least, that is according to a report from journalist Graeme Bailey. Bailey explains that the race for the exciting young defender is 'heating up', and that 'interest from the Premier League has gathered' in recent days, as clubs look to prise the youngster away from the club.
However, the Toffees will not be the only top-flight club hoping to add Edwards to their ranks. Bailey suggests that 'enquiries have landed' from more than just Everton, with Newcastle wanting to reunite him with Miley and Hall and add him to their ranks. South Coast sides Brighton and Southampton also hoping to bring him into their club, with the Saints also making enquiries.
In terms of a price for Edwards, Sky Sports explains that the Posh would accept a bid in the region of £10m. The 21-year-old’s contract expires in 12 months, and Peterborough may well accept a cut-price deal to avoid him walking away from the club for free.
Why Edwards would be a good signing
Despite his age and inexperience in the grand scheme of things, Edwards played 55 times for Peterborough last season, missing just one game out of 46 in League One and 90 minutes in their play-off semi-final defeat to eventual winners Oxford United. The England under-20 captain also helped to keep 13 clean sheets in League One.
Football analyst H is one person who is a big advocate of the Peterborough man. He regularly waxes lyrical about him on social media, explaining that he will “play for England one day”, as well as calling him the “crème de la crème” of young English centre-backs.
In terms of his profile, Edwards is a progressive centre-back who is wonderful on the ball. He is an excellent carrier and is statistically one of the best passers of the ball in League One. According to Sofascore, the 21-year-old averages the most accuracy passes per game in the entire division, with 83.4 at an accuracy of 92%. His 6.9 long balls per game on average are also more than any other League One player.
Should Everton get a deal for Edwards across the line, the 21-year-old could become an ideal replacement for Jarrad Branthwaite. Like the Peterborough defender, Branthwaite is highly rated and already has one England cap to his name. His future at Goodison Park is not certain, with Manchester United sniffing around to add him to their squad, If he does leave, Everton could replace one of the best English centre-back prospects with another at the heart of their defence.
In terms of their quality as out-and-out defenders, the pair are both excellent. Like Branthwaite, Edwards is more than adept at defending wide areas and is also an excellent box defender like the England international. This is reflected in their stats from last season, which are neck and neck despite the quality gap between the leagues they played in during 2023/24.
Stat (per 90)
Edwards
Branthwaite
Ground duels won
1.9
2.5
Aerial duels won
2.2
2.7
Tackles and Interceptions
2.2
3.3
Clearances
4.1
4.5
Ball recoveries
5.6
5.2
If Everton manage to get a deal for Edwards sealed this summer, he would add quality and depth to their defensive options, meaning the potential sale of Branthwiate would be less impactful. Whether or not he is an immediate starter remains to be seen, however, the 21-year-old could be a dream replacement for Branthwaite.
Coming in at just £10m, the Posh defender could be England’s next big thing, and be at the heart of the Everton defence for years to come, an ideal replacement for the former Carlisle defender.
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