Highlights
Spurs' lack a goal threat beyond Son Heung-min and still need to properly replace Harry Kane.
Ivan Toney is an option, and the player is open to joining Tottenham.
However, Dominic Solanke, valued at £65m, could be a better long-term investment for Spurs.
For Tottenham this season, the priority will once again be securing Champions League football. They'll need plenty of goals to achieve this. In 2023/24, their collective 74 Premier League goals were fewer than what Chelsea and Newcastle scored in the two places beneath them. With 17 goals, Son Heung-min was the club's top league scorer. The South Korean star aside, Richarlison, a player who is rumoured to be leaving the club, was top scorer with 11.
In reality, the club have yet to replace Harry Kane and their search for goals has linked them with many strikers, including Ivan Toney, who Brentford are valuing at £40m. Toney is also open to the idea of moving to Tottenham, but there is a strong argument to suggest that recently-linked Bournemouth ace Dominic Solanke is a better option for Spurs, if they are to succeed this season.
Toney is open to a move to Spurs
The striker has entered into the last year of his contract
Toney would welcome the opportunity to test himself in European football and Spurs are in this season's Europa League. He is also, of course, entering into the last 12 months of his contract, so Brentford will be well aware that the time to cash in on the striker is running out. While some may still doubt Toney's ability at the very top level, his current manager, Thomas Frank, has described him as world-class.
The England frontman's aggressive and direct style would be welcome in a Spurs shirt. Despite spending much of last season on the sidelines because of his betting ban, Toney returned to action looking fit and lean and with goals. At 28, he is at his prime and judging by his penalty technique for England in the Euros, he's clearly someone who thrives on pressure.
Complete number 9 Solanke the best option for Spurs
The striker has reinvented himself at Bournemouth
Solanke – a player that Sky Sports state is blessed with "elite" credentials – has gained plenty of admirers in recent seasons playing for Bournemouth. Not only did he score an impressive 19 Premier League goals last season, but it's his overall attributes as a player that make him an attractive proposition. Being six foot two, naturally, he can be utilised as a target man, but there's far more to his game than that, as he is also capable of using his pace and power to get in behind the opposition defence. This is another area of his game, his selfless running and willingness to close down the opposition, something that would work well under Ange Postecoglou, as current Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola said last season: "I think, unless you watch Dom regularly and closely, some of the stuff he does can go unnoticed."
Solanke would represent a bigger investment for Spurs - he has a £65m release clause. Yet with his ability in the air and finishing capabilities he is in so many ways a like-for-like replacement for Harry Kane. Solanke was praised last season, with Jurgen Klopp saying: “I’m so happy for him because he’s a wonderful kid, a real talent and a real player.” His current manager, Iraola, is no less flattering, describing Solanke as a complete number nine.
As a youngster, he wasn't able to make an impact at Chelsea and Liverpool. Then, initially at Bournemouth, Eddie Howe, he was encouraged to drop deep, but Iraolo has given the striker fresh instructions, as Sky Sports reported, whereby Solanke has been asked to stay higher up the pitch. He has been less active in the midfield, with his percentage of touches in the opponent's penalty area rising from 15 to 20. So, while there is no doubting that Ivan Toney is a fine striker, who would no doubt do a great job at Spurs, there is a case to suggest Dominic Solanke could provide a better return on investment in the long run.