"Premier League potential" - West Ham eyeing move for Peterborough United player: The verdict | OneFootball

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...

Peterborough United's Ronnie Edwards is once again catching the attention of Premier League clubs.

That is according to our exclusive report in which we recently revealed that West Ham United, along with Tottenham Hotspur, are continuing to cast eyes on the 20-year-old.

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Edwards is coming off the back of an unsuccessful play-off bid with Peterborough in League One, and is currently at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup with England.

With the West Ham links in mind, though, we asked three of our FLW writers about a potential move to East London for Edwards this summer.

Would Ronnie Edwards be a good signing for West Ham?

Simmey Hannifin-Donaldson

Whilst Edwards undoubtedly has Premier League potential, a move to West Ham this summer would be too much too soon.

That is, unless the deal included some sort of agreement to find the 20-year-old a loan deal in the Championship next season.

Having missed out on League One promotion with Peterborough, and having played in the second-tier previously, getting back to playing regularly at that level should be Edwards' priority for now.

If he can do that, it will only be a matter of time before a Premier League move materialises, and at that stage, he'll be a far better player, and have a far greater chance at regular minutes in the top-flight.

Chris Gallagher

No, Edwards needs to steer clear of West Ham for now.

The youngster has already played almost 100 games in his career, so there would be no benefit of joining a club like West Ham to just sit on the bench. At his age, he needs to keep playing, and that's going to be how he improves as a player.

Of course, Peterborough's failure to win promotion to the Championship means he has to consider a move this summer, but I would think a move to the second tier should be his next step.

From West Ham's perspective, you can understand why they want to bring in the talented young defender, and the chance to join the Londoners is going to appeal. But, Edwards needs to focus on his own career here, and prioritising game time is the way to go, with offers from the Hammers, or other Premier League clubs, sure to come further down the line.

Alfie Burns

The step up from the Championship to the Premier League is a big one, and the thought of Edwards going from League One to the top-flight this summer doesn't feel right.

Edwards is a good player and, at 20, has time on his side to get himself to an elite level in the future; his standing as a youngster in the EFL and in the international youth set-up underlines that.

However, taking too big of a step at this stage could set him back years.

If he were to move to West Ham and sit on the bench, or in their Premier League 2 squad, it's hardly the best thing for his here and now development.

One of the only ways you can see it working is if West Ham loan Edwards into the Championship next season having signed him. Even then, it's got to be right for the player above anything else.