Dominic Solanke was the worst player on the pitch for Tottenham Hotspur in their 2-0 win over rivals Crystal Palace, and even though the entire team was amazing and going up against a Palace side that had one less player for the vast majority of the game, the starting striker could not make a dent against one of the worst teams in the Premier League coming into the weekend.
It has been the story of the last several months for Solanke, and it is not reactionary for Spurs fans to say that they want a new striker this winter. They had wanted a new striker in the summer, and that was before Roberto De Zerbi and Richarlison, Spurs leading goal scorer last season, had a bitter falling out.
Solanke has not gotten the job done since his 65 million pound arrival at N17 in 2024 from Bournemouth after a 19 goal season that is increasingly looking like a fluke. Big Dom never came close to that total before than, and he has been even further away from being a competent Premier League goal scorer since arriving at Tottenham.
What really drives the point home to Johan Lange, Vinai Venkatesham, De Zerbi, and all the other key decision makers at Tottenham Hotspur is the fact that Dominic Solanke could look so poor as the starting No. 9 against a bad opponent in a game where literally everyone else was eating.
Besides Solanke, there was not a single bad performer on Tottenham. Omar Marmoush was the worst of the other attackers, and he had three dribbles completed and three key passes. Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus were great on the wings, and the midfield pivot of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes was absolutely world class. On the flanks behind the wings, Andy Robertson and Archie Gray were both great, while center backs Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke were so monstrous that they were even bigger threats than Solanke to score and create.
Solanke is getting bested by defenders in terms of being decisive in the final third with goals and assists. And he can no longer blame the supporting cast as he could have last season. It is Solanke who is not getting the job done in front of goal, in getting into good positions, or even in helping the 10's and wingers score goals, too. Johan Lange has to have him at the top of the list of players to sell for replacements in the winter.
This article was originally published on www.hotspurhq.com as The Dominic Solanke paradox has put Johan Lange and Tottenham on notice .
