Spurs move for "predatory" £60m goal machine who'd make Maddison unplayable

Submitted by daniel on
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It's set to be a massively important Premier League campaign for Tottenham Hotspur and Ange Postecoglou this season.

The Australian did a reasonably good job in his first year at the club, but with that experience under his belt, he has to lead the North Londoners back into the Champions League.

However, he'll need Daniel Levy and Co to properly back him in the transfer market to do that.

The good news is that recent reports suggest that's precisely what they plan to do, as the latest name touted for a move to N17 is someone who lit the league alight last year and would surely help get even more out of James Maddison.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news

According to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham are now exploring a move for Bournemouth's star striker, Dominic Solanke.

The Italian has revealed that the English forward is now among the Lilywhites' targets for the rest of this window, although given his massive importance to the Cherries, securing his services could prove challenging.

The respected journalist claims no formal bid has been made and does not mention a potential fee for the player, but according to reports from earlier this summer, the former Liverpool man could cost up to £60m.

It would be an undeniably expensive deal for Spurs, but given Solanke's form last season and their need for more goals, he might prove to be worth it, and he could help make Maddison unplayable.

Why Solanke would be an incredible teammate for Maddison

Okay, so while there are likely several reasons why bringing Solanke to Spurs would be a great idea, from his homegrown status to preventing other teams from signing him, it ultimately boils down to one simple factor: his output.

It's his ability to score goals and even produce the odd assist here and there that makes him such an appealing striker and a potentially brilliant teammate for Maddison.

For example, in 42 appearances for the Cherries last season, the "predatory" marksman, as dubbed by former professional Kris Boyd, scored a whopping 21 goals and provided four assists.

This means he averaged a goal involvement every 1.68 games for the South Coast side. He also would've been the top scorer in Postecoglou's squad and the second most productive player overall, behind only Son Heung-min.

It's this impressive ability to put chances away so efficiently that would see him make Maddison unplayable. For example, while his tally of 21 goals is impressive in and of itself, it's even more so by the fact that he overachieved his expected goals across all competitions by 1.4, per FBref.

This might not seem like a massive differential, and to be fair, it isn't earth-shattering, but it does demonstrate just how clinical the former Chelsea prospect has become at Bournemouth. So, while the Lilywhites' £40m man's nine assists in 30 appearances was a good return last season, he'd likely rack up far more with a striker as clinical as the Reading-born poacher ahead of him.

Ultimately, while the fee could prove costly, Spurs could become a far more effective attacking force with Solanke leading the line next season. Therefore, Levy and Co must do what they can to bring him to N17 this summer, as under Postecoglou and alongside Maddison, he could be genuinely incredible.