Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi hinted that he was high on Dominic Solanke as a player when he first came in and spoke to the press as Spurs manager, and he even made the England international his first starting striker before the player went down with an injury down the home stretch of the season - not that he was impressing in the slightest during the relegation battle.
While Tottenham fans have soured on the then record 65 million pound signing from Bournemouth in 2024, De Zerbi appears to have a different view of a player who has struggled to score goals or even show any sort of all around brililance for Tottenham since arriving from the Cherries.
De Zerbi doubled down on his faith in Solanke with his strongest statement yet when talking to reporter Alasdair Gold of Football.London, "I like him as a player, I like him as a guy. There are not many strikers better than Dom Solanke in the Premier League. I want to keep him, because I like him as a player, he's complete as a striker. He can attack the space, he can cover the ball, he's able with the ball to link, he's able to score 15-20 goals in Premier League."
Dominic Solanke might not be going after all
Tottenham Hotspur supporters had an inkling that Roberto De Zerbi, even as he comes in hot pursuit of Liverpool star Cody Gakpo as a potential center forward option, is a fan of Dominic Solanke's, but nobody expected him to say that "there are not many strikers better" than him in the league when likely all of the Big Six have a better starting forward - and even less proven players like new Fulham signing Gonzalo Garcia showed more quality in the box and in front of goal than Solanke last season.
Anyone can see the traits De Zerbi is talking about, though. Tottenham did sign Solanke for a reason, and he scored 19 goals for Bournemouth in the 2023/24 season. And while he has never come close to replicating that scoring success in the Premier League, Solanke was also amazing in the Championship and used to be one of England's most touted prospects at Liverpool and Chelsea with his frame, all around technical quality on the ball, and athleticism.
Tottenham fans are tired about hearing about upside and potential in a player nearing 30 who was a record striker signing. De Zerbi sounds confident he can get Solanke to play at a high level and even score 15-20 goals in the right system, but Spurs fans will believe it when they see it. And everyone knows none of this matters anyway if Solanke can't stay healthy and on the pitch.
Add us as a preferred source on Google