Bournemouth have sold their top goalscorer Dominic Solanke, a week before the start of the new Premier League campaign, after Tottenham’s club-record transfer offer satisfied expensive terms for Ange Postecoglou’s top summer target. The 26-year-old was unveiled before a pre-season defeat by Bayern, where longtime striker and all-time marksman Harry Kane ventured in 2023.
Ange gets his man, a week before season opener
Premier League 2024-25 officially kicks off next Friday
Tottenham travel to newly-promoted Leicester in Aug. 19 curtain-raiser
Solanke overtakes Tanguy Ndombele as Spurs’ club-record acquisition
AS they look to bridge the gap to last season’s top-four, Tottenham will do so with a new frontman leading in Chelsea academy graduate Dominic Solanke after breaking their club-record transfer record for the 26-year-old’s services on a six-year contract.
Solanke becomes their fourth signing of the summer, after a trio of teenagers: Leeds midfielder Archie Gray, Djurgarden’s highly-rated Sweden international Lucas Bergvall and Gangwon’s Min-hyeok Yang, who will officially join on January 1.
At a time where proven goalscorers are scarce, Tottenham knew they would need to stump up a considerable fee before luring any prospective target – especially one in England’s top-flight – during August with the domestic season now underway.
Personal terms were never an issue and he’s said to have been privately pushing for the deal in recent days, with Bournemouth’s big-six £65m release clause revealed over the summer reportedly putting off the Blues from making an approach.
Although it’s north London rather than west for the boyhood Arsenal fan, things have now come full circle for a striker needing patience and regular minutes during the arduous transition from dominating youth football to the rigours of senior football.
Since a £19m move from Liverpool where he was a sporadic squad player in January 2019, the Basingstoke-born forward has flourished with experience and continuity among teammates trusting in his abilities across Championship and top-flight play.
The joint fourth-highest scorer last term alongside Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Manchester City’s player of the year Phil Foden on 19 goals, he notched more Premier League goals than Mohamed Salah (18) and new teammate Heung-Min Son (17).
During their pre-season tour of Japan, Postecoglou didn’t mention any names but was clear about what they wanted from a prospective centre-forward in the market:
“What’s important is the type of striker we get. You know we play a certain way, we demand certain things from a physical perspective from the technical aspects of it that it’s going to be a striker that fits that mould.”
As I covered on Aug. 1, Richarlison and club captain Son have both played in a No. 9 role but neither is best suited there. Richarlison has a point to prove after rebuffing Saudi approaches this summer, while RB Leipzig loanee Timo Werner looks to impress more regularly across the final third after his initial stint was extended.
Picture source: Getty Images
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