As he showed in last season’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City, there’s plenty to like about Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke when he’s fit and firing.
The Englishman’s delightful double that night offered a mere glimpse into what he can offer at his best, albeit with the 28-year-old only ending 2025/26 with three Premier League goals in total due to injury.
Two years on from his arrival from Bournemouth on a £65m deal, Solanke is running out of time to repay that investment, scoring just 12 league goals for the Lilywhites to date.
There’s little evidence to suggest he can be truly prolific at that level either, netting just 41 goals in 176 career games in the top-flight, 19 of which came in his final year at the Vitality.
Is it time to seek out an upgrade?
How Solanke has performed in pre-season so far
The current talk at Spurs is that fellow striker Richarlison may be on his way this summer, the Brazilian entering the final year of his contract at N17.
The former Everton man did lead the way in terms of goals last season at the club, however, while he’s also enjoyed a promising pre-season so far, netting against both Auckland FC and Chelsea in recent weeks.
As for Solanke, well, it’s been a far more muted summer for the one-time Chelsea and Liverpool man, missing the meetings with Auckland and Sydney FC as Roberto De Zerbi carefully manages his workload.
The experienced striker did play 45 minutes against MK Dons in the pre-season opener, registering just 20 touches and missing one ‘big chance’ against the League One side, albeit while enjoying a 93% pass accuracy rate.
Against the Blues, meanwhile, in his first minutes on tour, Solanke was ‘anonymous’ in the view of journalist Alasdair Gold, handed a 4/10 match rating for his first-half performance.
|
Solanke Career Record |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Club |
Games |
Goals |
|
B’mouth |
216 |
77 |
|
Spurs |
65 |
22 |
|
Liverpool |
27 |
1 |
|
Vitesse |
26 |
7 |
|
Chelsea |
1 |
0 |
|
Total |
335 |
107 |
|
England |
5 |
0 |
His limited game time must be taken into account when assessing that display, yet with the new season looming, it doesn’t exactly bode well for De Zerbi’s centre-forward options.
Indeed, with Richarlison potentially set to leave and Solanke hardly the most reliable asset, a statement new signing is needed.
How Spurs can move on from Solanke this summer
De Zerbi hasn’t been afraid to address Tottenham’s need for forwards, with reports indicating that Manchester City’s Savinho is likely to be snapped up sooner rather than later.
There have also been links to Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo, the Dutchman able to operate off the left or as a makeshift striker if needed, having done both roles for club and country in recent years.
Talk of bringing Gakpo into the fold hasn’t sparked too much excitement, although the same can’t be said of Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, a player likely to prove a real ‘bomba’ signing for the Lilywhites.
As relayed by Football Muse, Spurs have made ‘initial moves’ to sign the 27-year-old, having been preparing an approach of around £55m.
Personal terms aren’t expected to be a problem, although the Turkish side are set to demand no less than £65m, having only signed the Nigerian on a permanent deal last year.
No official, written offer has been made by ENIC as yet, but club-to-club talks continue, suggesting that this might be a realistic opportunity for De Zerbi and co this summer.
Now, Osimhen, like Solanke, has endured his own fitness woes over the years, yet when he does feature, he’s so consistently prolific, having sparkled across his time in France, Belgium, Italy and now Turkey.
The former Napoli talisman only started 19 Super Lig games in 2025/26, but still plundered 15 goals, having previously hit 26 in 27 starts after signing on loan ahead of the 2024/25 season.
In that same time frame, Solanke has scored just three goals in 13 starts in 2025/26, while he bagged just nine goals in 25 starts in his debut campaign in north London.
That is a truly stark difference, with Osimhen’s form in Naples also reason to be excited, as he reached double figures for league goals in all four seasons at the club, while notably netting 41 goals in his final two Serie A campaigns combined.
In Solanke’s final two years with the Cherries, he scored just 25 Premier League goals, with much of his best work prior to that coming in the Championship.
Yes, Osimhen is yet to try his hand in England, but you can’t argue with his record of 173 goals in 298 career games at senior level.
In Solanke’s case, the Englishman has scored just 107 in 335 games, excluding youth football, with 44 of those coming in the Championship.
Osimhen, simply put, is just a different level of striker, a real elite number nine who ranks among the best in the world.
It’s been three years now since Spurs had a player of that ilk leading the line.