Paul Merson has hailed Tottenham’s £65 million signing of Dominic Solanke as the best of the summer.
Since the start of the transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur were on the lookout for a new striker. They wanted to bring in an out-and-out number nine who could add goals and whose presence could uplift the attack as a whole. While Spurs were linked with quite a few world-class forwards, they decided to go ahead with a proven Premier League product in Dominic Solanke.
The former Liverpool star had excelled at Bournemouth and he had scored 19 goals in the English top flight last season. On the back of his performances, the North London club paid a club-record fee of £65 million to prise him away from the Cherries. Solanke’s arrival solves quite a few of Tottenham’s problems and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson believes Spurs have made the best signing of the summer in Solanke.
Merson said on Sky Sports: “I’ve pretty much answered that in Solanke. At Spurs, Richarlison is a good player on his day, but you need more than that on your day. Solanke could be that difference because teams were starting to push up on Spurs and suffocate them, but Solanke’s pace and his threat in behind, that can help stretch the game for Postecoglou’s side.”
Solanke’s arrival will allow Postecoglou to use Son Heung-min in his preferred position out wide on the left. Since he is only 26, the former Liverpool striker could help them for years to come. His pace and his eye for goal will give them an x-factor in the final third of the pitch. More importantly, his arrival will make things easier for James Maddison.
Maddison surely had an incredible start to life at Spurs but he couldn’t reach similar levels after returning from injury. Merson feels Solanke’s presence up top and his ability to run in behind will free up space for the former Leicester City number ten making him more effective going forward.
While the Sky Sports pundit considers Richarlison to be a good option in attack, the 56-year-old feels Spurs needed more cutting edge in the final third and Solanke will provide them with that.
