Tottenham Hotspur finally have a top level centre forward on their books. Ange Postecoglou’s team went through the 2023/24 season without a player in this position following Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich, but Dominic Solanke is now a Spurs player, satisfying a very clear need for the North London club.
Solanke has joined Spurs from Bournemouth in a deal worth a reported £65m after a 2023/24 campaign which saw him score 19 goals in 38 Premier League appearances. That sort of cutting edge is what Tottenham need in the final third of the pitch with Postecoglou aiming to build on the foundations he put in place last term.
Despite this, though, comparisons to Kane must be resisted. Tottenham were never going to be able to truly replace the best all-round centre forward in Europe. There isn’t another striker on Kane’s level right now. Not even Erling Haaland can compare to the England captain striker in terms of his passing range and ability to create as well as score.
This isn’t to say that Solanke is merely a penalty box poacher. He’s a lot more than that. He is an excellent finisher, but the 26-year-old is willing and able to press from the front which makes him a good fit for Postecoglou’s style of play. Indeed, Solanke led the Premier League last season for pressures in the final third leading to a turnover.
Nonetheless, Solanke isn’t Kane and it would be unfair to measure the new Tottenham Hotspur centre forward against the one he is replacing. Instead, Postecoglou must use Solanke to make Spurs stronger as a unit with the hope being that the newbie will forge a relationship alongside Son Heung-min who continues to deliver for the North London outfit.
“I think he will be a great fit for us in terms of the player he is and the point of his career where he is at,” said Postecoglou when asked about the impact Solanke could make for his new team this season. “We identified him because he has the attributes we are looking for in terms of our position.
“He gives us some things we probably have been missing in the last 12 months, particularly when Richarlison was out last year. When Richy played he was very effective for us, it was quite evident when he was out we didn’t really have a player who can make the impact Dom can in the final third and just with his general play. So I think he will be a good fit for us.”
With Richarlison still at the club, Brennan Johnson growing as a young player and Timo Werner back for another season on loan, Tottenham now boast an attacking line that should be better equipped to carry them through the 2024/25 campaign. Postecoglou could do with a creative midfielder to add some invention to his team’s attacking play, but Spurs are in a better place now than they were 12 months ago.
There is pressure on Postecoglou to push Tottenham higher up the Premier League table this season. While Spurs started impressively under the Australian last term, they faded badly towards the end of the campaign, raising doubts over the sustainability of his high-energy, high-intensity style of play.
On the whole, though, Postecoglou has pointed Tottenham in the right direction again and the signing of Solanke highlights the Australian’s drive to make further improvements. If Solanke can replicate his success of last season, Spurs will have one of the best centre forwards in the Premier League, even if he’s not as good as Kane.
