Should Tottenham stick with Dominic Solanke under Thomas Frank or sign a better fit? – Opinion

As we move along into Thomas Frank’s era at Hotspur Way, there are many decisions to be taken, and among them is the focal point of the attack at N17, and given how the North Londoners already have Dominic Solanke leading the line at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, decisions need to be made given how the former Bournemouth striker is yet to fire into his potential since donning the Lilywhites badge.

Spurs only signed Solanke in the last summer window following his brilliant antics of nineteen (19) goals and three (3) assists for the Cherries in the season before, and this pushed Daniel Levy to fork out £55m with a further £10m in probable bonuses to bring him to N17. But it has quite not worked out on all cylinders, given how Solanke only scored nine (9) goals in the English top tier for Tottenham last season.

Bryan King speaks on Solanke’s place at Hotspur Way…

And now with Frank in charge, decisions need to be taken, and former Tottenham head scout Bryan King thinks that the Dane head coach will be speaking to Daniel Levy about Dominic Solanke’s role in the current roster at N17.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, he said:

“Talks between Frank and Tottenham have been going on for a while.

“Therefore, I’d imagine there are quite a few players Frank will want to keep, and a few he will want to move on. I would imagine Frank has already relayed this information to Levy.

“For me, the sooner Richarlison gets out of Tottenham, the better. I think Solanke has a question mark over him as well. He might have done it at Bournemouth, but he certainly hasn’t done it for me at Tottenham.”

What does Solanke bring to Hotspur Way?

Solanke provides a lot, especially to a side that is transitioning into a more pressed and disciplined system. He has those elite pressing numbers complemented by his high work rate, which makes him ideal to play in mid-press and press high-block systems. Moreover, he can drop deep and bridge midfield into the offensive zones, especially in 4-3-3 or 3-5-2. He has those off-the-ball movements as well, given how he is brilliant when it comes to diagonal runs and allows supporting midfielders (like Maddison) to run into inside channels.

And if we see how he played under Iraola, he has improved massively in terms of composure in tight spaces, and he also got more clinical over time and clever in tight areas under the Spaniard at Bournemouth.

If we are speaking only about Solanke, he is a system-compliant player, and he knows how to interpret the subtleties when playing in organised attacking sequences.

But where can Solanke fall short in Frank’s Tottenham?

Now let me get one thing straight: the fact that he is a system-compliant forward does not mean that he is irreplaceable. And that’s where Tottenham should come clean about the ceiling of the number nine that they entrust to lead the line next season. See, the thing is, Solanke is limited when it comes to creating chaos. He is neat with a lot of things he does, but he is not explosive. And Frank likes forwards who can unpredictably open up games, as we have seen how he used the likes of Wissa, Mbeumo and Toney in transitional phases at Brentford.

Moreover, for a team that will be pushing a lot on organised wide overloads, especially given the capacity of the crosses from Porro and Udogie, Solanke did not show his abilities in the air last season (which, again, is something that Thomas Frank uses a lot of in his system).

And time and again, we saw how he faltered in front of goal, making many North London supporters question his clinicality in front of goal.

How does an ideal number 9 look like under Thomas Frank?

When I was thinking about whether Solanke has the capacity to play as the first-choice number nine at Tottenham under Thomas Frank, I had to think about what the Danish head coach wants ideally out of his strikers, and I ended up with a few bullets. Starting from high pressing intensity and the ability to effectively hold up play, it goes into how he should have that intelligence when it comes to movements in the penalty box. Then I noticed how Frank used the aerial presence of his strikers at Gtech Community Stadium. He also likes his strikers to be capable of isolating centre-backs and being able to create chaos (something I already stated above).

And when it comes to Solanke, while the former Liverpool striker has that capacity when it comes to his pressing as well as hold-up play, he does go on to meet the requirements for most attributes that I stated above.

But then he falls short in aspects that raise the ceiling of a possession-dominant team with his movement in the box and aerial ability complemented by his ability to isolate his man and the unpredictability (all of the traits that are useful against low blocks in Europe or in the Premier League when facing bottom of the table opponents), and I feel that alternatives like Gyokeres, Toney, Zirkzee, or Sesko have better upside in the things I mentioned in this paragraph.

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Author Opinion: Keep Solanke for now, but his place should be challenged

If you ask me, Solanke is worthy of his spot up front in this Tottenham side, but that being said, he must not be the limit of where this attack can reach under Thomas Frank. Especially if the North Londoners want to have a side that regularly qualifies in the top four, then Tottenham will need a striker who not only suits the tactical shape of Thomas Frank but also has that extra form of presence and authority in the opponents’ box. And while Solanke gives you a sense of organisation, you will need something more than just a system organiser if you want to win titles.

I would keep him in the squad but then also go on to sign someone with a greater ceiling to challenge his place in the side, possibly a Gyokeres or a Toney-esque signing.