Tottenham Hotspur has finally identified a replacement for Harry Kane. The England international previously joined Bayern Munich last summer in a deal worth over $100 million. Kane was, and still is, widely considered one of the best center forwards in the sport. Losing such a big star left a massive hole to fill in the north London club.
Despite it taking a year, Spurs are now close to bringing in a new number nine. David Ornstein is reporting that Bournemouth has agreed to sell Dominic Solanke to Spurs for a club-record fee. Solanke currently has an $83 million release clause in his current contract with the Cherries.
Spurs, however, are attempting to lower the massive fee with the fellow Premier League side. Nevertheless, negotiations are likely only to decrease the price tag just a tad. Along with the clubs coming close to a final agreement, Solanke has already agreed to personal terms with Spurs. The striker will almost certainly receive a raise on his current $90,000-per-week salary at the north London outfit.
Once the deal is completed, Solanke will slot into the number nine position that Kane previously filled. Spurs strengthened several positions last year, but did not address the center forward role. In fact, the north London club spent nearly $300 million on new players throughout the 2023/24 campaign, but none of the signings were senior strikers.
After selling the superstar to Bayern last summer, Spurs essentially used a large chunk of the funds to grab winger Brennon Johnson from Nottingham Forest in a $60 million deal. They then also splashed out $27 million on central defender Radu Dragusin during the January transfer period.
Without Kane, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou deployed either Richarlison or Heung-min Son up front. The Brazilian, however, struggled to produce regular goals outside of an seven-game streak in the middle of the season. Son, on the other hand, is typically better suited as a left winger.
Nevertheless, Solanke now gives Postecoglou a real threat as a center forward. The manager recently admitted during the team’s preseason tour of Japan that the club was in the market for a new striker. But Postecoglou also made it clear that he was looking for the right player for the role within his team.
“What’s important is the type of striker we get,” Postecoglou recently told reporters. “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 be a striker that fits that mold.”
“It’s still the area of the park we’re really probably the thinnest when I talk about squad-wise at the moment, so obviously that’s a focus for us.”
Solanke certainly seems to check these boxes that the manager refers to. Spurs love to press under Postecoglou and need a forward that can hound opposing defenses, while also score goals. No other center forward in the English top flight recorded more tackles last season than Solanke.
More importantly, the striker has also proven to be able to score goals in the tough Premier League. Although a late bloomer, Solanke netted 19 total English top flight goals last season with Bournemouth. This feat was only topped by Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer, and Alexander Isak.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
