Spurs struck gold on "influential" star who's worth far more than Solanke

Submitted by daniel on
Picture
Remote Image

It's going to be a big campaign for Tottenham Hotspur next season as they look to push on in the Premier League, put in a better showing in the FA Cup and qualify for the Champions League.

In his first year with the Lilywhites, Ange Postecoglou showed that he has what it takes to lead a 'big six' club, although if he wants to achieve all of his goals in North London, he'll need Daniel Levy and Co to support him in the market.

Luckily, it appears that is happening, as the last couple of weeks have seen the club linked with several top-class centre-forwards, with Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke being a particularly strong link.

The Englishman didn't make it into Gareth Southgate's England squad for the Euros, but after an incredible season last year, you can't deny his goalscoring ability.

However, if he does make his way to N17 in the coming weeks, he'll need to hit the ground running to see his value surpass that of another left-footed superstar who just missed out on the Euros this summer.

The latest on Solanke to Spurs

Now, while the Lilywhites have been linked with plenty of other talented number nines in recent days, from Napoli's Victor Osimhen to LOSC Lille's Jonathan David, it does appear that Solanke is currently the one they are most likely to sign.

For example, a report from late last week claimed that the North Londoners were in talks with the Englishman's camp and were 'prepared to test Bournemouth and the player's resolve with a €50m offer', which converts to about £43m.

Another story from the start of this week claimed that the club was set to make an offer to the Cherries that involved one of their own players and a cash sum of £50m.

While there seems to be a consensus that an offer is in the works, the actual price of the former Chelsea prospect is still in the air, especially as other reports have claimed the South Coast club want as much as £60m.

Whatever the final fee Spurs have to pay ends up being, it'll likely be sizeable, and based on the 26-year-old's performances last season, that would be entirely reasonable.

For example, in 42 appearances, he found the back of the net on 21 occasions and provided four assists to boot, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.68 games.

However, he'll have to recreate those numbers or do even better in North London if he wants to see his future valuation surpass that of one of his potential new teammates.

James Maddison's valuation in 2024

Yes, the player in question is Tottenham co-vice captain James Maddison.

The former Leicester City star is valued at a whopping €75m by FotMob, which converts to about £65m.

Last season might not have been easy for the 27-year-old, with his exclusion from the England squad leaving him "devastated," but there is no denying his quality.

For example, in 30 appearances for the Lilywhites, he's scored four goals and provided nine assists, which equates to an impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.30 games.

Moreover, his underlying numbers are just as impressive.

FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe's top five leagues, places him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers for shot-creating actions and progressive passes, the top 2% for attempted passes, and the top 7% for assists, all per 90.

Ultimately, Solanke would be an excellent signing for Spurs this summer, and his combination with Maddison, who is justifiably valued so highly, could be the key to the club's future success.