This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Crystal Palace are set to rival Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of highly rated Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards, as per the Daily Mail.

According to the Daily Mail report, Patrick Viera is looking for yet another young addition to his Crystal Palace side, and see Edwards as a big part of their future who could play alongside Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen at the heart of their defence.

Edwards, who has made 30 appearances for Peterborough United in the Championship this campaign and is an England youth international, has also been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur in recent weeks.

With that being said, we asked three of our writers here at FLW for their verdict on a potential Edwards move to Crystal Palace, questioning whether it was a good signing for the Eagles and whether or not it was a good career move for Edwards himself. Here's what they had to say.

Ben Wignall

Edwards is quite clearly a talented player, but it may be too soon for him to make the step up to the Premier League.

This is only Edwards' first full season in professional football having made just a handful of appearances for Posh last season, and he's played in a struggling team so it will have been a learning curve for him this season.

However he's clearly impressing scouts and it's his ball-playing abilities from the back which make him a valuable commodity - the £15 million price-tag though that is rumbling does appear to be on the steep side however.

Peterborough appear destined to be heading back to League One next season and it would perhaps put Edwards in good stead if he were to stay at the club for one more year, but if a Premier League club were to make a move and then loan him back then Palace could be a good option.

Patrick Vieira isn't afraid to utilise younger players, however the fact he has Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen as a pairing that could play together for a number of years would potentially limit Edwards' chances of playing in the next few seasons, and for £15 million it would be something I'd personally avoid for now.

Billy Mulley

Ronnie Edwards is one of the most exciting defensive prospects in the Football League at the moment and it is no surprise to see interest surfacing.

Not only is he an intelligent thinker and is becoming increasingly dominant with his defensive duels, but he is someone who is playing with a level of maturity that is way beyond his years.

 

 

Edwards is also excellent technically speaking, possessing the range of passing and ball-carrying abilities needed to thrive as a modern day defender.

Crystal Palace is fast emerging as an excellent destination for youthful players to progress exponentially, with the rise of Marc Guehi, Conor Gallagher and Tyrick Mitchell proving just that.

A move to Palace would be excellent, with the big advantage that the South London club possess over Tottenham is the fact that they are likely to offer a clearer path to first-team Premier League football.

Joshua Cole

Whereas Palace will be keen to add to their squad this summer, they should only be considering a move for Ronnie Edwards if they view the defender as a long-term project.

Currently able to call upon the services of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, it is fair to say that the Eagles will struggle to give Edwards the game-time that he needs to improve as a defender next season.

Therefore, unless they are willing to loan the teenager, who has played 30 games in the Championship this season, to another team when they sign him, they must avoid being dragged into a battle for his signature.

For Edwards' sake, it could be argued that he may find it beneficial to join another team in the second-tier later this year if Peterborough are relegated as featuring week-in, week-out at this level will do wonders for his development.