Better than Solanke: Spurs preparing £85m bid for Premier League star

Two years in the past, Tottenham Hotspur broke a switch report by signing a alternative for Harry Kane.

The participant chosen was Dominic Solanke, who was acquired from Bournemouth for an enormous payment of £65m. However since that transfer, the jury continues to be out on the previous Chelsea and Liverpool participant.

Is Solanke the striker who can take Spurs’ group ahead? Most likely not. The Lilywhites are in want of thrilling new ahead expertise, with Roberto De Zerbi on the helm.

Coincidentally, De Zerbi ensured that Solanke was now not a report purchaser. That honor now goes to £100m man Sandro Tonali.

A complete of £185 million has been spent on the Italian and Matheus Fernandes, however that is not the tip. They seem like planning a second assault on Solanke’s former employers this summer time, following their arrest of Marcos Senesi a month in the past.

Spurs eye Premier League ahead

It is secure to say that De Zerbi’s facet have made an excellent begin to the summer time, and if they will add gamers up entrance they are going to attain the highest in model.

A number of gamers have been linked in assault, however probably the most thrilling of them is undoubtedly winger Rafael Leao.

Leo, who scored a blistering World Cup aim in Portuguese colours this summer time, has grow to be one among Europe’s most harmful broad gamers in recent times, scoring in double figures in every of the previous 5 seasons.

Different wingers comparable to Codi Gakpo and Sabinho proceed to be linked, however the AC Milan star looks like the best choice right here, particularly with Milan hoping to make an escape from Italy.

It may very well be Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Crupi who will play alongside Leo within the assault subsequent season. Tottenham’s curiosity within the Cherries striker was first revealed final week and since then we’ve got been supplied with an replace courtesy of talkSPORT’s Alex Criminal.

“Junior Crupi has had an excellent marketing campaign and he has many potential suitors, Arsenal amongst them,” he mentioned in a YouTube video over the weekend.

Criminal added: “Tottenham are getting ready an £85m bid to check Bournemouth’s resolve, however he’s not on the market. That’s the message popping out of the Vitality Stadium.”

Comparability of Junior Crupi and Dominic Solanke

With Solanke additionally coming from Bournemouth, there are legit considerations that Spurs will merely repeat their mediocre signing right here. However that will be lazy. Crupi is rather more thrilling.

It will be an understatement to say that Solanke was blown away sporting the Tottenham shirt. The 28-year-old scored 16 targets throughout his debut marketing campaign in north London, however 2025/26 was a memorable season through which he struggled not solely with health but in addition with type.

He appeared in solely 20 matches and scored 6 targets. The ahead missed 30 video games, primarily as a result of an ankle drawback that has plagued him because the starting of the season.

It is perhaps harsh to guage him utterly based mostly on that, however in actuality, his efficiency was far too one-dimensional.

However Crupi will deliver extra pleasure and extra dynamism to the Spurs squad, which has undoubtedly been missing because the departure of gamers like Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.

why? Effectively, he is among the best younger strikers in Europe in the intervening time. As Daniel Sturridge mentioned, the 19-year-old is already “among the best finishers within the Premier League”.

Crupi scored 13 targets final season, probably the most by an adolescent in his debut season within the Premier League. Regardless of his younger age, he’s already making historical past.

So what’s the distinction between him and Solanke?

A flexible menace who can play as a centre-forward, second striker or on the wing, he’s rather more dynamic than Solanke, essential to the De Zerbi system and extra progressive when it comes to possession.

Solanke comes out on high in relation to profitable duels, which is not too stunning given his measurement, however in different conditions the smaller Krupi is superior. He data extra shot-end carries, will get concerned in additional large possibilities, and is a a lot better anticipated menace within the build-up part of play.

Anticipated menace (xT) is a metric that quantifies how a lot a participant’s actions (comparable to passes or carries) improve the group’s possibilities of scoring.

He’s a flexible striker who, though nonetheless in his teenagers, might grow to be one among Europe’s elite forwards within the not-too-distant future.

He’s additionally coveted by Arsenal this summer time and it might be fairly a coup if he can recover from the road and seal this deal.