Tottenham Hotspur smashed their transfer record to sign Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth this summer.
Ange Postecoglou earned the trust of Daniel Levy in his debut season at the club, and the Spurs chairman has backed him in this window so far.
Tottenham spent a lot of money on 18-year-old Archie Gray, and he is viewed by many in the game as a truly brilliant signing by Spurs.
But, the player everyone is talking about is Solanke, and Jamie Carragher has now delivered his verdict on the move.
Jamie Carragher shares what surprised him about the Dominic Solanke to Tottenham deal
Tottenham Hotspur agreed a club-record £65 million deal to sign Solanke this summer.
Spurs’ luck with their last few big-money signings hasn’t been great. Tanguy Ndombele proved to be a disastrous signing, while Richarlison hasn’t done enough to justify his price tag either.
Now, Postecoglou and Levy both decided to place their bets on Solanke after the Englishman’s fantastic performances in the 2023/24 season.
He scored 19 goals in the Premier League for Bournemouth – only Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Alexander Isak managed more.
It will be interesting to see how Solanke will fare in Tottenham’s colours this season, but Carragher has expressed his surprise about one thing – his price tag.
He said on Sky Sports (August 16 2024, 6:39 pm): “I must admit, we were looking at Dominic Solanke at the top of there. It was something that surprised me in terms of the fee. Just the fee – £65 million.
“Yeah, I did, yeah (think that it was too much).”
Tottenham could’ve signed another top striker for just £30m
Tottenham were linked with a number of strikers in this summer’s transfer window.
It was clear that Spurs needed a new number nine. They were brave not to replace Harry Kane when he left in 2023, but Postecoglou knew he couldn’t ignore that position again.
Solanke is the chosen one, but many people including Simon Jordan have claimed that Tottenham should’ve signed Ivan Toney instead.
Reports have claimed that Toney is available for just £30 million, which is less than half of what Spurs have agreed to pay for Solanke.
It remains to be seen if Tottenham’s decision to go with him will pay off this season.