talkSPORT pundit thinks Dominic Solanke will score a lot of goals for Tottenham and force himself into the England squad
Dominic Solanke turned out to be the most expensive signing of the summer across the Premier League, with Tottenham Hotspur paying £65m to Bournemouth for the striker’s signature.
It is a hefty sum splashed on the English centre-forward by the Lilywhites that has sent ripples across the Premier League. Dominic Solanke played a key role in Bournemouth finishing 12th in the Premier League under Andoni Iraola last season, netting 19 goals in 38 appearances.
It was not just the goals that prompted Spurs to break their transfer record for him; the way the 26-year-old linked-up play, moved smartly in and around the box and ran the channels were also quite impressive. Unfortunately, Solanke has not had much of an opportunity to make an impact, having played just one game since his switch to N17 before suffering an ankle injury.
Solanke wasn’t the only English striker who was on the move earlier this summer. Ivan Toney sealed a switch to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli from Brentford on transfer deadline day, which certainly shocked the majority of the Premier League fans.
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TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor feels Ivan Toney’s move to the cash-rich Saudi Pro League could hugely work in favour of Solanke in terms of furthering his England career. Toney was preferred ahead of Solanke as England’s third-choice striker behind Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins for Euro 2024, despite the ex-Bournemouth man bagging almost five times more goals than the former Brentford star in the Premier League last season.
“If you are someone like Solanke, you will be like okay, I am up the pecking order here,” Gabriel Agbonlahor said on talkSPORT.
“He is delighted, isn’t he, Toney is gone. He is like, let me get myself fit, I am going to score goals for Spurs. He should be looking at that England squad and be like that’s me.”
It is a new dawn for England after Gareth Southgate resigned following the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain in July. Southgate has been replaced by Lee Carsley as an interim manager, and as the Three Lions are set to enter a new era, highly talented players like Solanke may benefit under the new management.
Solanke picked up an ankle injury after the first game at Leicester City, which ruled him out of the clashes against both Everton and Newcastle United, but he is expected to be fit for the juicy North London Derby after the international break.
Had the English centre-forward been fit, he may have got the nod from Lee Carsley to join the England camp for the forthcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Ireland and Finland respectively. Watkins has pulled out of the England squad due to an injury concern, so there would have been room for a striker’s entry into the squad.
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Solanke has all the required ingredients to deliver at the highest level for Spurs. He will look to attain full fitness as quickly as possible and break his Tottenham duck after the international break, and with Big Ange’s side set to host bitterest rivals Arsenal in the North London Derby, there isn’t a better game for Solanke to become a cult hero at his new home.
