Tottenham came from behind in their last game to win at home against Brentford in a local Premier League affair.
Among the three goalscorers was Spurs’ record signing, Dominic Solanke, who had already started receiving criticism after the trying start to life in North London.
One Spurs correspondent found it crucial to praise his game after the win.
Alasdair Gold optimistic about Dominic Solanke at Tottenham
In his latest appearance of Football London’s Spurs podcast, Alasdair Gold praised Solanke’s performance against Brentford and backed him to strongly build upon his last season’s performances.
“Really good to see Dom Solanke getting off the mark in a Tottenham shirt because there were a lot of questions about him in the pre-match press conference. The best thing Solanke can do to answer any critics is just score those goals, and he was in the right place at the right time.
“He’s going to take up those positions of anticipation, knowing that the ball might drop his way, and those who aren’t natural strikers don’t always get ready in those positions. I think he knits everything together up front really well, and it’s only just the beginning.
“He’s getting used to the players he’s playing alongside, their runs, and how they’ll put the ball into the six-yard box. I still predict—and this could come back to haunt me—that Solanke will score more goals this season than he did last.”
Solanke had his best season in the English topflight last time round for Bournemouth as he delivered 21 goals and four assists in 42 appearances across all competitions, prompting Spurs to spend £65 million on him and offer him a six-year, £90k-per-week contract.
Credit goes to Postecoglou
Last season, Ange Postecoglou publicly backed Richarlison after he opened up about his mental health struggles on the back of poor performances. Right away, Richalison delivered. This season Postecgolou came to the defence of both Solanke and Brennan Johnson, the latter having been subjected to vile social media abuse; both of them scored last week.
That these players performed well is not the point; that Postecoglou immediately came to their support, is. This is a manager who understands how to deal with fellow human beings, has the right man-management skills, so you can see why players are often willing to go through a brick wall for him.
On paper, Solanke fits Spurs’ requirements just fine. It’s the psychological aspect that needs to be taken care of. We know Postecoglou will offer him all the support the Englishman needs, so one shouldn’t be surprised if Solanke does in fact go on to have a productive season.
