In the recently-concluded summer transfer window, Tottenham focused mostly on signing exciting young talent for the future, much to the dismay of their direct rivals, but they also had in mind some senior reinforcements for the here and now.
The centre-forward position was one the Lilywhites were keen to strengthen with a long-term fix, keeping in mind that an ageing Son Heung-min is in the final year of his contract and Richarlison’s future remains up in the air.
And Spurs did just that as they landed Dominic Solanke on a record-breaking fee, but in the process they also put a target on his back.
A baptism of fire
Solanke came through the ranks at Chelsea and moved to Liverpool very early on in his senior career. That move simply did not work out, and he had to drop down a few levels and make his way back up.
Last season was the first time Solanke scored nearly 20 goals in the Premier League. Indeed, he was one of the best forwards in the league and it was inevitable that he moved in the summer. It needs to be pointed out, however, that while Solanke is already short on time given he’s 27, Spurs’ current environment offers him even less stability.
The way in which Spurs ended their season last term, effectively missing out on Champions League football by failing to overtake a waning Aston Villa side because their own intensity, demanded by the dogmatic Ange Postecoglou, left them collectively gasping for breath towards the business end of the season.
While last season was undoubtedly a breath of fresh air and an improvement upon the previous season, Spurs were set to enter this season ready to be subjected to more rigorous scrutiny no matter what. Any player they brought in, therefore, especially the senior ones, would be expected to deliver almost immediately; when you’re a record signing in your prime years, you are offered even fewer minutes before your wait for that first goal becomes a nightmare.
It also doesn’t help that Spurs’ last record signing also did not quite work out, so Solanke was arriving in North London with the odds heavily stacked against him.
And things didn’t get any better. Both his injury on his debut and Spurs’ stop-and-go start to the Premier League has ushered in the aforementioned criticism nice and early, and Postecoglou’s recent comments regarding his second-season records are only going to pile further pressure on both him and his shiny new striker.
Still, early days
So, are Tottenham getting the best out of Solanke? On the pitch, there’s nothing wrong with the way he is being deployed; Postecoglou rarely asks his centre-forwards to play a key role in the build-up, though their movement in the final third often dictates exactly which part of the opposition defence Spurs try to pierce through.
It’s the psychological aspect of the situation that makes things challenging for the one-cap England international. One mustn’t forget that Roberto Soldado was one of LaLiga’s best strikers when he moved to White Hart Lane in 2013, and yet that very-good-on-paper move amounted to nothing.
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Solanke absolutely has the quality to be a success at Spurs, and the quicker that first goal comes for him, the better it will be for Spurs in general. Amidst all the noise, what he needs most is incessant support from Postecoglou in the first half of the season, while he acknowledges the reality that he is a player already short of time.
