Tottenham Hotspur: Can new man Solanke lead Spurs back to the Champions League?

    The arrival of Dominic Solanke this summer at Tottenham Hotspur has seen the North London side break their transfer record for the former Bournemouth striker, a signal of intent for the upcoming season that will provide manager Ange Postecoglou with the pure striker he desperately wanted.

Solanke is expected to bring goals to a Spurs side that last season showed untethered attacking intent but failed on too many occasions to convert their chances, scoring the fewest in the top seven as they narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification to Aston Villa.

The Lilywhites will once again face stiff opposition in the fight for the European places as well as in their bid to end a trophy drought of nearly 17 years, but there are several reasons to believe their new signing can deliver despite an unorthodox journey to the top.

Solanke unveiled as Tottenham's marquee signing of the summer (Source: SuperSport)

Two years ago, Solanke was an unwilling member of the ‘too good for the championship, not good enough for the Premier League’ club, having fired Bournemouth to automatic promotion to the Premier League with 29 goals after several seasons of failing to make an impact in the top flight. 

Fast forward to 2024, and the striker’s heroics in leading the Cherries well clear of an expected relegation scrap made him a key target for Spurs and Postecoglou, so much so that the Australian was able to convince the notoriously frugal ENIC to part with up to £65m to acquire Solanke’s services.

Speaking to Spurs TV, Postecoglou said: “"We have got him at a really good time in his career. He has had to work his way back up which I always think is a good thing.

"Sometimes when careers go smoothly you wonder how people will handle setbacks but he had setbacks earlier in his career. He has fought his way back and has become a really good Premier League striker now.”

Solanke’s 19 Premier League goals last season is an impressive tally bettered only by Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer and Newcastle’s Alexander Isak. Now presented with the opportunity to play in Spurs’ attacking brand of football, there will be plenty of chances for Tottenham’s new talisman to better this total in the 2024/25 season. 

Solanke’s direct style of play has the potential to be a perfect fit amongst Spurs’ array of pacy wingers and midfield playmakers. Under the guidance of former coach Andoni Iraola, the 26-year-old spent much of last season in a central role high up the pitch, allowing him to be a constant penalty box threat to defenders.

A continuation of this approach that saw Solanke register 17 of his goals from inside the box will provide Spurs with a focal point that they lacked for most of 2023/24, as Heung-Min Son, Richarlison and Timo Werner all had inconsistent spells in the No. 9 position.

Solanke told Spurs TV: “The attacking options are great and I think that’s what a top club needs, so I’m really looking forward to playing with those players, competing with them and hopefully we can achieve great things.

“Obviously Heung-Min Son is a fantastic player, he’s been doing what he’s been doing in the Premier League for many years now. At a big club like Tottenham, you expect to be around great players and I’m looking forward to mingling with them.”

                           Solanke enjoys his first training session at Hotspur Way alongside Son Heung-Min (Source: Tottenham Hotspur)

It is perhaps club captain Son who will benefit most from Solanke’s arrival, as the fan favourite will now be free from the rigidity of the centre-forward role that at times stifled his ability to penetrate defences last season. Now 32, the South Korean will not want to waste any time in fostering a connection with his new strike partner as he continues to seek his first trophy at the club in what will be his tenth season in North London. 

Solanke proved at Bournemouth that he was adept with the ball at his feet and was capable of bringing his team-mates into the game, enjoying a fruitful partnership with Antoine Semenyo last season. He has already stated his excitement at being reunited with former England Under-21s team-mate James Maddison, who will be hoping the arrival of an old friend can reignite his own Spurs career after a mixed first season.

Amidst this optimism, the shadow of Harry Kane still looms large to cast doubt over whether Solanke is capable of filling the shoes of a man who scored 280 goals for the club and is England’s all-time record goalscorer. By contrast, Solanke’s 15 minutes of international fame came quite literally in a substitute appearance in a friendly against Brazil in 2017, with the cameo remaining his sole international cap.

The shared profile of a physically imposing English No. 9 makes comparisons between the two unavoidable, perhaps unflatteringly so in the case of Solanke. There is the risk that this pressure to emulate his predecessor and perform for a team competing for Europe rather than survival could have a suffocating effect on Solanke’s ability to score goals.

It is now seven years since Chelsea allowed their academy graduate’s contract to expire without ever giving him a chance in the first team, and five years since Liverpool offloaded Solanke to Bournemouth after a return of one goal in 27 appearances.  Following a slow start to life on the South Coast, Solanke has evolved into a completely unrecognisable player from his barren Anfield days. However, a striker that turns 27 in September having only one prolific season in the top flight on his resume is not a common sight at the top level of the Premier League.

A favourable debut fixture presents the perfect opportunity to hit the ground running, as Tottenham head to the King Power Stadium to take on newly-promoted Leicester on Monday night. Solanke has enjoyed success against the Foxes before, scoring twice in a 4-1 win in 2020 to secure a crucial 3 points in Bournemouth’s ultimately futile fight for survival.

Consistency will be key to how Solanke’s start to life at Hotspur Way will be judged, as the up-and-down form of Spurs’ attackers last season saw the side yo-yo between their best ever and worst ever runs of form in the Premier League era. This rollercoaster of a campaign was epitomised by forward Richarlison - the man who Solanke will likely replace - whose 9 goals in a blistering 8-game spell looks slightly less impressive considering the Brazil international only scored twice outside of this purple patch in a largely ineffectual season.

Under the tutelage of Postecoglou, Solanke will be given time to find his feet in the starting line-up irrespective of his early season form, with the Spurs manager willing to give the right players time to reach their full potential. Given the price tag, Spurs fans may find it challenging to exhibit similar patience towards their new No. 9, but should have faith that their record acquisition can make the difference this season in the battle for the top four.