The New York Times

Yves Bissouma picked up nine yellow cards and was sent off twice in the Premier League last season — a disciplinary record that saw him suspended for five of Tottenham Hotspur’s 38 matches in the competition — but his latest ban is down to his behaviour away from the pitch.

Earlier this week, footage emerged of the Spurs midfielder appearing to inhale nitrous oxide from a balloon. Bissouma posted the video of himself on a private account on social media app Snapchat.

Nitrous oxide — more commonly known as laughing gas, nos or hippie crack — is classified as a Class C drug in the United Kingdom and its recreational use has been a criminal offence since 2023, carrying a maximum two-year prison sentence. It can damage the throat and lungs and is known to cause paranoia, dizziness and hallucinations.

Want to stay up to date with the best news and features as the Premier League season kicks off? Sign up (for free) to The Athletic FC newsletter

Bissouma apologised for the incident and called it a “severe lack of judgement”. The 27-year-old has been punished by the club with a one-game suspension, which means he is unavailable for their opening fixture of the new season away against Leicester City on Monday night.

“He has made a really poor decision,” Tottenham’s head coach Ange Postecoglou said. “You want to understand that and try to help him through that, and as a club (see) what we can do to make sure he doesn’t make those kinds of choices and decisions in the future. Within that context, there are still sanctions that are involved and some of those sanctions include education and giving him a clearer understanding of why he did what he did and how wrong it was.

“He is also a footballer. He has a responsibility to his team-mates, to our supporters and to everyone associated with the club — and he failed in those duties. There have got to be sanctions for that. He won’t be available for Monday. Beyond that, there is also some trust-building that needs to happen between Biss and me and Biss and the group. That’s what he needs to work hard at from now on, to try to win that back, and that has nothing to do with just one game.”

According to data on the UK government’s website, nitrous oxide is commonly used by people aged between 16 and 24. Its popularity peaked in the years 2019-20, when 8.7 per cent of that demographic used it and that dropped to 3.9 per cent in 2021-22. As a role model to young fans, Bissouma should set a better example. Instead of fining him or ordering him to do some work with the local community, Tottenham have acted strongly with the ban.

However, their moral stance regarding Bissouma taking nitrous oxide jars when you compare their response to another of their midfielders, Rodrigo Bentancur, and his racist comments towards team-mate Son Heung-min, Spurs’ captain, earlier this summer. Bentancur said that Son and his cousins “all look the same” during an appearance on the television programme Por la Camiseta, broadcast in his native Uruguay, in June.

He subsequently issued an apology to the forward, also captain of South Korea’s national team, on social media. “Sonny, brother! I am sorry for what happened, it was a joke in bad taste,” Bentancur said. “You know that I love you and I would never disrespect you or hurt you or anyone. I love you brother!”

A few days later, Son confirmed he had spoken to the 27-year-old South American. “He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologised,” he said. “Lolo (Bentancur’s nickname) would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all. We’re past this, we’re united, and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one.”

Postecoglou was asked about the episode after Tottenham’s first game of this pre-season against Scottish club Heart of Midlothian last month.

“The most important person in that whole process is Sonny, so he’ll guide us and he’ll direct us,” Postecoglou said. “It’s being dealt with, and I’m sure there will be further actions behind it. With all of these kinds of things, it’s easier to jump in and make judgements. But I always think the most important people are the ones affected and, in this case, it’s Sonny and we’ll be guided by him.”

The problem with that approach is it places the burden on finding a resolution at Son’s feet. He is a victim here, and he should not be expected to determine the appropriate punishment.

For their part, the club say they are still waiting to see whether Bentancur will be charged by the Football Association for his comments before deciding their next steps. The FA has been contacted for comment.

As it stands, a public apology does not feel like an adequate response. Bentancur saying “it was a joke in bad taste” suggests he does not fully understand the damage his comments caused and that further education is required.

If Bissouma has to rebuild trust within the dressing room for taking laughing gas, surely Bentancur needs to repair relationships after his racist comment, which will have directly impacted more people? According to research previously commissioned by AIA (the Asia-based insurance firm which has been the club’s shirt-front sponsor since 2014), Spurs are supported by 12million South Koreans, which represents nearly a quarter of that country’s population.

Bentancur missed Tottenham’s pre-season tour to Japan and South Korea this summer as he was still on holiday after helping Uruguay to a third-place finish at the Copa America. It is a shame he was unavailable, as the trip would have offered him an opportunity to show contrition and learn why his words were harmful.

Kick It Out, the anti-discrimination and inclusion charity, received 1,332 reports of abuse during the 2023-24 Premier League season — a 33.2 per cent increase on the previous one. It says 731 (54 per cent) related to racism, and that a third of that 1,332 were about comments directed towards people with East Asian heritage.

Last November, a supporter who made a racist gesture towards Son during the home league fixture against Crystal Palace in May 2023 was banned from attending football matches for three years.

Kick It Out says it received “a significant” number of complaints about Bentancur’s remarks too, and that these had been “sent to the club and the relevant authorities”.

This is not the only example this summer of a Premier League club failing to sensitively handle one of their players making racist comments.

Enzo Fernandez issued a personal apology to Chelsea’s squad for singing a racist song about Black players in the French national team after winning the Copa America with Argentina last month. Fernandez told Chelsea he wanted to make a sizable donation to an anti-discrimination charity and the club planned to match it via their foundation. Apart from that, there were no consequences for his actions.

Bentancur and Fernandez are both role models, like Bissouma, but they have not been properly held to account.

The strange paradox here is that Bentancur could well be the beneficiary of Bissouma’s ban and start in place of him in midfield against Leicester on Monday.

(Top photos: Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have reached an agreement to sign Wilson Odobert from Burnley.

The north London club confirmed on Friday that the 19-year-old has signed a five-year contract through to 2029.

Odobert scored three goals and provided two assists in 29 Premier League appearances last term as Burnley were relegated to the Championship.

The France Under-21 international began his career at Paris-Saint Germain before joining Troyes, where he scored four goals in 32 appearances.

He became Burnley’s youngest ever Premier League goalscorer in October last year after netting the opener in the club’s 4-1 defeat to Chelsea.

Wilson began his career in the PSG’s academy before moving to Troyes in July, 2022, where he scored four goals in 32 appearances. He joined Burnley last summer, signing a five-year contract at Turf Moor.

Odobert reputation enhanced despite Burnley relegation

Odobert was one of the few players who enhanced his reputation during Burnley’s relegation campaign last season.

The 19-year-old was one of the more consistent performers for Vincent Kompany despite his age and relative inexperience. He scored four goals and registered three assists in 33 appearances in all competitions.

The technical attacker is versatile, quick and skillful. Operating mainly on the left, he showed a no fear attitude with his willingness to be direct and take on defenders. Later on in the campaign, Kompany moved Odobert into a No 10 role and it was an effective change to increase his involvement in matches.

At times last season, the French youth international would become isolated and anonymous when on the flank, coming alive for exciting short bursts. That should change playing for a team higher up the Premier League that should be more dominant in possession.

He is not yet the finished product, but Kompany was a huge believer in the player and feels he has the potential to reach the top. It remains to be seen how quickly he can establish himself in Tottenham’s squad and earn a starting eleven spot.

Odobert began Burnley’s Championship campaign well, scoring in their 4-1 victory over Luton Town.

(Dave Howarth – CameraSport via Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur have suspended midfielder Yves Bissouma for their Premier League opening match against Leicester City after footage emerged of him appearing to inhale nitrous oxide.

The 27-year-old apologised earlier this week after uploading a video of himself inhaling from a balloon. He acknowledged that the incident was a “severe lack of judgement” and given the “health risks involved”.

Nitrous oxide — also known as laughing gas or nos — is classified as a Class C drug in the United Kingdom and its recreational use has been a criminal offence since 2023, carrying a maximum two-year prison sentence.

Spurs launched an internal investigation into the video and have opted to exclude the Mali international from Monday night’s Premier League opener away at newly-promoted Leicester.

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou said on Thursday that Bissouma had made a “really poor decision”, adding there was “trust building to do” from the midfielder towards his team-mates and the coaching staff.

“You want to understand that (his action) and try to help him through that and as a club what we can do to make sure he doesn’t make those kinds of choices and decisions in the future,” Postecoglou said.

“Within that context there are still sanctions that are involved and some of those sanctions include education and giving him a clearer understanding of why he did what he did and how wrong it was.

“Hopefully thought that he comes out of it — you always want to give people the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.”

The head coach acknowledged that Bissouma had “failed in his responsibilities” to the club and his Spurs team-mates, for which “there has got to be sanctions”, leading to the one-game suspension.

When asked how Bissouma could rebuild his trust, Postecoglou replied: “Behaviour mate, it’s quite simple. Him making better choices moving forward and behaviour.

“He is obviously disappointed and very apologetic not just to me but to the club and everyone involved. That’s just the first part of the process, the next part is behaviour.

“Of making sure he does the things he needs to do. Like for all of us, we all make mistakes and it’s about how you find your way back from those mistakes. What you do is far more important than what you say.”

Bissouma has made 56 appearances for Spurs across two seasons, having joined from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2022.

(Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Ange Postecoglou’s first 12 months in charge of Tottenham Hotspur felt like the club hitting the reset button.

If their style of play towards the end of predecessor Antonio Conte’s divisive reign was uninspiring, Postecoglou quickly made them fun to watch again.

Expectations were low this time last year after Spurs sold Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, but their new head coach won eight of his opening 10 league games. They went on to finish fifth, missing out on the Premier League’s final Champions League spot by two points, but the overwhelming sense was still that it had been a positive season and a step in the right direction.

During his second year in charge of the Australia men’s national team, Postecoglou lifted the Asian Cup — the regional equivalent of the Euros, Copa America or Africa Cup of Nations. And in his previous three jobs in club management (not counting Melbourne Victory, where he only stayed for a year before becoming Australia manager), he has won the league title in year two.

The 58-year-old has a clear track record of improving teams, but Tottenham finished 25 points behind champions Manchester City last season. How will they try to close the gap over the next nine months? The Athletic has looked to the past for clues.

Want to stay up to date with the best news and features as the PL season kicks off? Sign up (for free) to The Athletic FC newsletter

Peter Cklamovski started working with Postecoglou 20 years ago in Australia’s youth system. He then served as his assistant at Greek side Panachaiki, Brisbane Roar, Yokohama F Marinos in Japan and with Australia’s senior side before forging his own career as a head coach. Ckalmovski describes Postecoglou’s style of play as a “holistic approach”.

“The essence of it is to be as aggressive as you can be off the ball and as entertaining as you can be with it,” Ckalmovski tells The Athletic. “To play as fast as possible from the first second until the final whistle.”

Postecoglou tried to implement this when he took over Brisbane early in the 2009-10 season, but they finished second-bottom — fortunately, there is no relegation from the A-League, the top-flight of club football in Australia and New Zealand.

He revamped the squad for year two, recruiting Thomas Broich, Michael Theo, Erik Paartalu, Shane Stefanutto and Matt Smith. Brisbane topped the 2010-11 regular-season table on 65 points, eight points clear of the runners-up, then went on to win the Grand Final. The following year, they finished second after the 27 regular games but were victorious in the title play-offs again, becoming the first club to win back-to-back championships since the A-League began (albeit that was only seven years earlier).

Following his success with Brisbane, Postecoglou briefly stopped off at hometown club Melbourne Victory (they finished third in 2012-13, then lost in the play-off semi-finals) before he was appointed Australia head coach in October that year.

Australia had already qualified for the World Cup in Brazil nine months away, but he was already looking ahead to the Asian Cup at the beginning of 2015, which Australia were hosting. He made it clear that senior players Lucas Neil and Luke Wilkshire were not part of his plans, while former Middlesbrough, Chelsea and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer announced his international retirement a couple of weeks after he was appointed.

Drawn in Group B with defending champions Spain, a Chile side who would win Copa America a year later, and the Netherlands, who would finish third, Australia lost all three games, but there were signs of progress.

“Everything he does is strategic and planned out,” Ante Milicic, another of Postecoglou’s assistants with Australia, tells The Athletic. “He brought in a youthful squad and said, ‘I’m going to give these younger players experience of international football and working with me and my staff for seven months to prepare for the Asian Cup’. Other people might have said, ‘These senior players got us to the World Cup and we should move them on afterwards’.”

Despite the short turnaround between the two tournaments, seven of the 23 players who went to Brazil were not included in the Asian Cup squad six months later and Mile Jedinak was the only carry-over from the final Australia team before Postecoglou took charge.

It was a dramatic overhaul of a squad, which he has repeated in north London.

Long-serving senior players Kane, Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier have left. More fringe members of the squad including Emerson Royal, Ryan Sessegnon, Bryan Gil and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are gone, too, either permanently or on loan. Richarlison scored 11 goals in 28 league appearances last season but has just been pushed down the pecking order by the arrival of new club-record signing Dominic Solanke.

Postecoglou has shown his faith in an exciting crop of young talents who are more malleable to his demands, including Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. Academy prospects Mikey Moore, Will Lankshear and Jamie Donley were given lots of opportunities during pre-season.

“It’s never personal,” says Milicic, now head coach of the Chinese women’s national team. “He doesn’t do that to show a message. That’s what he feels is best for the squad. To execute his way of playing, you’ve got to have total buy-in. It’s easy for coaches to say something, but he demands it and believes in it.

“He always used to say that ‘you’ve got to give your tracksuit back at the end of camp’. In international football, you have the power (as manager) because if someone doesn’t deliver, they don’t get called back. That’s a strong message to send to everyone.”

Postecoglou’s bold selection calls paid off.

Australia scored eight goals in their three Group A games at the 2015 Asian Cup but finished as runners-up following a 1-0 defeat to South Korea in the third and final match. They then beat China and the United Arab Emirates in the knockout stages before getting revenge on South Korea in the final, beating them 2-1 after extra time to secure the first (and so far only) major trophy Australia’s men’s team have ever won.

“He is always challenging you,” Milicic says. “You never get comfortable or stand still. You’re always looking at ways to improve. You never waste a session or a drill. A lot of work goes into designing and evaluating the sessions. It was intense working with the national team, and for Ange, but to win on home soil was something special.”

Postecoglou resigned in November 2017 after Australia had qualified for the next year’s World Cup in Russia and explained that managing his country had “taken a toll on me professionally and personally”. A month later, he was confirmed as the new head coach of Yokohama F Marinos in the Japanese top flight.

As with Brisbane Roar, he endured a difficult debut season in the 2018 J-League — Yokohama finished 12th out of the 18 teams and only avoided the relegation play-off on goal difference (although they did score just one fewer than champions Kawasaki Frontale over the 34 games and got to the League Cup final).

“We were like aliens that came in and had a playing style (nobody was used to),” says then assistant Cklamovski, now a head coach in the J-League with FC Tokyo. “The results were like a rollercoaster. You have players asking, ‘You want us to press all the time? You want us that high (up the pitch?). You want the goalkeeper where?’. There are all sorts of challenges which are new to them and make them feel uncomfortable.

“Some players loved that and others were fearful. That is normal. That’s part of developing a brand of football. We had to break down barriers, give them confidence and coach them in ways that gave them solutions and helped them to improve. The tough moments are the most important because you grow.

“Every day, you’re trying to get progress physically, tactically, technically, individually and as a team. The balance of training is important — when to push and when to rest. But with the right programme, which Ange always sets up, every player improves no matter how old they are.”

Midway through Postecoglou’s second season, in July 2019, Yokohama played Manchester City, who are also owned by the City Football Group, in what was a pre-season tour game for the Premier League club. City won 3-1, but they were only a goal up going to second-half stoppage time and afterwards, manager Pep Guardiola described Yokohama as an “incredible test” and their England forward Raheem Sterling said “they are probably one of the best teams I’ve seen play out from the back”.

Yokohama then won 10 of their final 11 games that season to finish top with 70 points, six points clear. It was the first time they had won a trophy in 15 years.

That dramatic improvement from 12th to first in Postecoglou’s second season is reflected in the numbers. Yokohama scored more goals, conceded fewer, and notably played in a manner that was more in-keeping with their manager’s identity. Not only did their possession share increase, but their 19.2 sequences of 10-plus passes per 90 minutes in that 2019 season far outweighed 2018’s average of 13.9.

Spurs will be hoping for a similar improvement as they embark on their second year under Postecoglou.

In June 2021, Postecoglou moved on, succeeding Brendan Rodgers as manager of leading Scottish club Celtic, who had finished the previous season 25 points behind Glasgow rivals Rangers when trying to win a 10th straight title. There was an exodus of the club’s best talent that first summer, including Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer, Ryan Christie, Oliver Ntcham and the captain, Scott Brown.

Celtic signed 15 new players during Postecoglou’s first year, including Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate, who he knew from the J-League, Filipe Jota and Josip Juranovic. It was a period of huge change, which started with three defeats in his first six league games.

“The way he plays is non-stop,” Anton McElhone, who was Celtic’s head of sports science under Postecoglou and had previously worked at Spurs when Mauricio Pochettino was the manager, told The Athletic in June. “To play that style, you need to have no body fat and there is so much work to support that.

“It was a high-pressure job, week in, week out, and in the first few months, we had a horrendous injury list because we might not have been able to train the way we wanted to. He was understanding, as he said that every club he goes to, in the first six months he has injuries, as they’re not used to training at that level. You had all these new players who hadn’t played anywhere near 60 games (in a season) before, so you need to get them close to that.

“We had to make sure the data was right and they were training hard enough. In two years, we changed the GPS company and did things to match the standards Ange wanted. Group pre-training was individualised based on previous injuries, starters and non-starters. It was all bespoke, but we would give the top players some autonomy. We brought in a new nutritionist in the (spoiler alert!) treble season and we brought in a rehab coach to really push. Ange backed everything if it was objective, measured and going to make the team better.”

In May this year, The Athletic researched injuries in the top flight last season and discovered Tottenham’s injured players were absent for 1,331 days. When you adjust it to the injury burden per 1,000 minutes, they were the fourth most impacted team (nine injuries per 1,000 minutes) behind Chelsea (9.4), Crystal Palace (10.0) and Manchester United (10.3).

“We didn’t have a squad that was equipped to handle the rigours of a Premier League campaign, particularly when you’re trying to challenge and sustain some sort of level of intensity and competitiveness in the toughest league in the world,” Postecoglou told The Athletic earlier this month. “It wasn’t surprising. Some of that is just because it was my first year and we had a lot of injuries, which I think was just the remnants of us training the way we train and the way we do things. You’d like to think this year we are a lot better equipped to handle that side of it.”

Tottenham’s fanbase should take comfort from the fact Celtic’s squad adapted pretty quickly.

They did not lose a single game in the league after September 19 during that first season, beating arch-rivals Rangers to the title by four points and also winning the Scottish League Cup final.

Celtic then retained their championship the following year, improving their points tally from 93 in 2021-22 to 99 as they won 32 of 38 league games while scoring 114 goals (up from 92). Success in both domestic cup competitions sealed the treble.

The second-season improvement in Glasgow was a little more subtle than during Postecoglou’s time in Yokohama. Their goalscoring and dominance in possession improved, but Celtic did concede goals at a slightly higher rate than his debut year.

One notable improvement was their out-of-possession return. Lower passes per defensive action (PPDA) numbers indicate higher pressing intensity while more high turnovers (open-play possessions that begin 40 metres or less from the opponent’s goal) pointed to a greater sharpness defensively as Postecoglou’s side hunted in packs to retrieve the ball.

Tottenham suffered a dip in form towards the end of last season but still made significant progress under Postecoglou.

Spurs’ style can be neatly summarised in The Athletic’s playstyle wheel, which outlines how a team look to play compared with sides across Europe’s top seven domestic leagues. Notably, their tendency to build out from the back (Deep build-up rating, 98 out of 99) and carefully work the ball through the thirds (Circulate, 81 out of 99) are reflective of a team led in Postecoglou’s image, arriving into shooting areas with crafted attacking sequences as opposed to their previous counter-attacking style under other managers (Patient attack, 97 out of 99).

Room for improvement can be found in how effectively they work the ball out of their defensive third (Press resistance, 60 out of 99).

Using data from Footovision, no club had more build-ups that led to an opposition transition last season than Spurs’ 14.9 per 90. Postecoglou’s side gave up seven goals after losing the ball in their own defensive third — only five teams had more than that and four of those finished in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Giving up cheap opportunities was a theme that became more prominent as the season went on (Chance prevention, 18 out of 99) and has undoubtedly been a key area for Postecoglou to address during pre-season.

Postecoglou will be pleased with the foundation his side now have out of possession. Defensively, Tottenham were one of the most intense pressers in Europe during his first season (Intensity, 99 out of 99) as they squeezed the pitch to shut down spaces in advanced areas (High line, 98 out of 99).

Their 8.8 passes allowed per defensive action (PPDA) was the lowest in the Premier League and it is worth highlighting how Postecoglou has transformed the club’s approach since Conte and his Spurs predecessor, Jose Mourinho. Across a 10-game rolling average, Tottenham’s PPDA has seen a notable upward trajectory that you would expect to stabilise further in the next 12 months under the Australian.

One area which needs to be addressed is defensive set pieces.

Spurs conceded 16 times from them last season, which put them level with relegated Burnley. Only the other two relegated sides Luton Town and Sheffield United (both 19) and fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest (23) conceded more. Bayern Munich exposed this weakness twice in last weekend’s friendly.

Teething problems were to be expected. According to figures from respected data site FBref, Tottenham’s average squad age of 25.2 was the fourth youngest (weighted by minutes played) in the division last season. Destiny Udogie describes it as the “hardest” system he has ever played in. Midfielder James Maddison says it’s “not too similar to anything I have played with other managers”. This is a long-term project and patience is required.

“It’s brilliant,” Maddison said of the style on this summer’s tour in Japan and South Korea. “It’s very attacking and front-footed. You have to work extremely hard in every session and game, but I believe (in) this way of playing and if we follow it how we should, it can bring success to the club. We are only a year in and we’re still learning and adapting to his style. The messages are very clear and we debrief a lot on what we should be doing and how we want to play.”

There have been changes to the coaching staff, too. Chris Davies left in June to become League One club Birmingham City’s new head coach, so Matt Wells has been promoted to senior assistant. Nick Montgomery and Sergio Raimundo are new additions. Postecoglou values “fresh voices” because “if you’re going to improve, you can’t just recap and dish out what we dished out last year”.

Pre-season performances have been encouraging, even without first-choice defenders Udogie, Van de Ven and Cristian Romero for the bulk of the programme due to either injury or international commitments. Solanke is a better fit stylistically for this brand of football than Richarlison up front. Dejan Kulusevski has impressed and Djed Spence has shown flashes of his potential.

How much Tottenham have evolved this summer will be put to the test on Monday when they start the new season for real away against promoted Leicester City.

“The way we play is very demanding and you’re kind of looking for how much you really have to push them — and the less you feel you need to push them, the more you know they’re actually buying into it,” Postecoglou said. “Some of it is just the way they talk and their behaviour around the place.

“So it’s about, are they doing it because I’m telling them, or are they doing it because they really believe and understand what we’re doing? You can see that growth; I’ve been doing it for a long time, so I really feel last year we laid some really strong foundations in terms of some underlying core values that I saw from the first day we got back into pre-season, and now it’s about building on that.”

(Top photo: Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)

Tottenham Hotspur start the new Premier League campaign with a trip to face Leicester City on Monday following an eventful summer.

Since Ange Postecoglou’s side beat Sheffield United 3-0 on the final day of last season, they have played friendlies in Australia, Scotland, Japan and South Korea, reshuffled their coaching staff and broken their transfer record. Multiple players impressed at the European Championship, while Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso won the Copa America with Argentina.

Postecoglou lifted the mood at Spurs during his first year in charge but expectations will be a lot higher now. They narrowly missed out on finishing fourth and qualifying for the Champions League, so will be hoping the arrival of Dominic Solanke in a £65million ($83.4m) deal can push them closer to success.

Here, The Athletic breaks down pre-season preparations and what to expect over the next nine months.

Want to stay up to date with the best news and features as the PL season kicks off? Sign up (for free) to The Athletic FC newsletter

The summer and pre-season have been

Back-to-back friendly defeats to Bayern Munich have slightly dampened the mood — but there should be a lot of optimism heading into the new season.

Solanke is a statement signing. For most of the summer, it felt as if the only way Spurs would sign a new striker was if Richarlison moved to the Saudi Pro League. Keeping Richarlison and adding Solanke is a huge boost for Postecoglou. Tottenham have serious strength in depth up front when you factor in Son Heung-min, Brennan Johnson, Timo Werner and Manor Solomon.

The academy’s brightest talent, including Will Lankshear, Jamie Donley and Mikey Moore, received plenty of minutes during pre-season while new arrivals Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray settled in straight away. Solomon returned to action for the first time since last October after recovering from knee surgery while Djed Spence’s performances surprised everybody.

The pursuits of Conor Gallagher and Jacob Ramsey have been unsuccessful but there is still more than enough time for the recruitment department to find a new, high-energy central midfielder before the transfer window closes.

Are they in a better place than when last season finished?

The majority of players who have left this summer were ill-suited to Postecoglou’s style of play or, in the case of Ryan Sessegnon, injury-prone. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s leadership will be missed but there are lots of alternative options in midfield who are better in possession than him. Tanguy Ndombele’s contract was terminated a year early while Joe Rodon joined Leeds United as part of the deal that brought Gray to north London.

Gray and fellow new signing Bergvall are both 18 but have lots of senior experience. It is unlikely they will be thrust straight into the starting XI but they look capable of contributing. Postecoglou believes Solanke will be a “great fit” stylistically and it will be exciting to see him combine with Son. Radu Dragusin’s performances for Romania at the Euros underlined why chairman Daniel Levy and technical director Johan Lange went to so much effort to sign him.

The lingering concern is that this squad is too light to juggle multiple competitions. Tottenham played only 41 games last season and that number will significantly increase because of their participation in the Europa League. What happens if Dragusin, Romero or Micky van de Ven pick up a long-term injury? Ashley Phillips’ lack of consistent game time in pre-season suggests Postecoglou does not believe he is quite ready to play regularly at centre-back yet.

The squad was rocked by a couple of injuries last season. Hopefully, that does not happen again.

GO DEEPER

Dominic Solanke to Tottenham Hotspur: The Athletic 500 transfer ratings

Which player are you most looking forward to watching?

When I flew to Stockholm in May to watch Bergvall play for Djurgarden, I was impressed by his quality on the ball but wondered how long it would take him to adjust to the Premier League. Judging from his pre-season performances, he will have no issues. The midfielder is extremely comfortable receiving the ball from deep, driving past players and attacking the box.

Bergvall’s assist for Dejan Kulusevski’s second goal against Bayern Munich last weekend encapsulates everything he offers. He won the ball high up the pitch and then poked it with the outside of his boot straight into Kulusevski’s path. He might need a few months to fully adjust to the intensity of Postecoglou’s demands but he looks like a star in the making.

The player with a point to prove is…

There are a couple of potential options here, including Richarlison who has rejected interest from the Saudi Pro League to remain with Spurs. When Richarlison was fully fit last season he excelled in Postecoglou’s system and scored nine goals in 10 games between December and February. The Brazilian scored only once after that, though, and needs to become more consistent. He will be feeling the pressure following Solanke’s arrival.

Spence falls into this category too. Many people thought he would be sold after spending the past 18 months on loan with Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa respectively, but it appears Postecoglou is willing to give him a second chance.

“I think he’s been very, very good for us this pre-season, in terms of the way he’s trained and his general attitude,” Postecoglou said about the full-back while on tour in Japan and South Korea. “I think there’s an opportunity for him here, for sure. Thinking about building a squad, he would definitely be somebody who could (contribute) with the attributes he has.

“A lot of these things are in the players’ hands themselves. They decide their own future in many respects, and I think Djed’s in that boat. Maybe he’s learned a couple of things over the last couple of years about himself and, hopefully, we can sort of bear the fruit of that.”

Which player could have a breakout season?

It has been an incredible few months for Moore.

In May, he became the youngest player to represent Tottenham in the Premier League when he came off the bench in their 2-0 defeat to Manchester City. He followed that up by scoring four goals for England at the Under-17 European Championship and then excelled on Tottenham’s pre-season tour. The 17-year-old winger signed his first professional contract this week and it is becoming hard to contain the excitement around him.

Keep an eye on Lankshear, too.

GO DEEPER

'A special talent' - what could come next for Spurs and England's Mikey Moore

The deal they still need to do before the end of the window…

Two years after Yves Bissouma joined Spurs from Brighton & Hove Albion, there are still question marks about whether he is the perfect No 6 for this team.

Finding an upgrade on him will not be easy or cheap, however. Spurs want a central midfielder who can play further forward too but looked to have missed out on Gallagher while Ramsey appears to be staying put at Aston Villa.

Which Euros or Copa America player would be an ideal signing?

Take your pick from Spain’s midfield.

The game I’m most looking forward to is…

Spurs host Arsenal on September 15 just after the first international break. Dragusin, Van de Ven and Romero, who missed the bulk of pre-season after starring for their countries at the Euros and Copa America, will hopefully be fully up to speed by this point along with Destiny Udogie, who is still rebuilding his fitness following injury.

Solanke will have a few games under his belt and a better relationship with his new team-mates. After losing the last north London derby in April, Tottenham will be determined to strike back and deal an early blow to Arsenal’s title chances.

The stat to watch out for this season…

Spurs conceded 16 times from set pieces last season, which put them level with Burnley and Aston Villa. Only Luton Town, Sheffield United (both 19) and Nottingham Forest conceded more (23). Bayern exposed this weakness twice on Saturday. It is a problem that refuses to go away.

How likely is the manager to survive the season

Postecoglou’s appointment represented a shift in strategy from Levy following on from the divisive reigns of Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho. It would take something pretty dramatic to pull the plug on this project when the signs so far have been encouraging.

The Australian has been backed in the transfer market with incomings and outgoings and time will be needed for this young squad to reach its potential.

What is their best XI as things stand?

(4-3-3) Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Maddison, Sarr; Johnson, Solanke, Son

A good season means…

Securing qualification for the Champions League and tasting success in the Europa League or one of the domestic cup competitions.

Predicted league finish

Fourth.

(Top photo by Daniel Pockett and Ian MacNicol, both via Getty Images)

Ange Postecoglou always knew there would be difficult goodbyes this summer.

“I’ve got to change this squad, I have to,” the Tottenham Hotspur manager said towards the end of last season when it was clear how much work his club still had to do. “I’ve got to build a squad I think can play our football. For that to happen, there have to be exits. Sometimes, you let people go who you think: ‘He’s a good player’. But how am I going to change if I don’t do that?”

Maybe it has not been quite as painful as last summer’s window when Harry Kane left, or January when Hugo Lloris and Eric Dier left. Only Son Heung-min and Ben Davies remain as links with the Mauricio Pochettino era now.

But this summer, Spurs have still said goodbye to some of their most prominent players of what we may come to call the post-Pochettino pre-Postecoglou era: those four years of false dawns, famous managers and negative football. Tanguy Ndombele had his contract terminated and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has left for Marseille. There was not much of a fanfare for Hojbjerg, even though he had given his all to the club for four years. Perhaps that is just the way it is when you are one of the most reliable players on a poor team.

And so to Emerson Royal. The right-back flew to Italy over the weekend to tie up a move to AC Milan, bringing to an end his three-year spell in north London. During that time, he played 101 times for Spurs — at right-back, wing-back, and as a centre-back in a two or a three. He has never been one of Tottenham’s best players and has always had to deal with the sense that they could improve on him. At times, he was even booed by the home fans.

But, despite all of that, Royal will leave with a place in the hearts of many fans; a deeper legacy than you might expect based on what he did on the pitch.

Because at first glance, Royal’s story at Spurs is unremarkable. He was signed by Fabio Paratici in the summer of 2021. This was Paratici’s first window and he was trying to pick up bargains from across Europe while bringing the average age of the Spurs squad down. The 22-year-old Royal was on the fringes at Barcelona at the time and Paratici moved just as Spurs terminated Serge Aurier’s contract.

The idea was that he would come in and play as a conventional right-back in Nuno Espirito Santo’s system. Not a bad idea for a defensively solid but technically limited player, but there was a problem. Nuno only lasted 10 league games before Antonio Conte came in and wanted to train and play in a completely different way: a hard-running 3-4-3 with wing-backs providing all the attacking width.

If Spurs still had Aurier (or an even better Kieran Trippier), they would have been well set, but Royal had to learn a role that never suited his natural game. It did not take long for opponents to learn that they could let Royal have the ball, safe in the knowledge that he would not be able to hurt them. It became an image of that early phase of Conte: Royal overlapping into space, lining up a cross, a defender easily heading away.

Spurs considered going for Adama Traore in the January 2022 window, but he ended up at Barcelona instead.

Royal lost his place to Matt Doherty in February 2022, but he got it back after the Irishman suffered an injury, and scored in a 5-1 win over Newcastle United. He was roared by the fans, just as he was when he scored from a deflected cross against Brighton, which was eventually given as a Solly March own goal.

Of course, we all know now that the positive energy from the end of that season did not last into the next year. Performances started to dip — and so did results — and everyone was looking for someone to blame. After Royal was sent off in a tight north London derby at the Emirates, some fans started to turn. They wanted Djed Spence — or even a returning Doherty — in the team instead. When Conte angrily insisted Royal had to play, it was a sign of the growing gap between him and the crowd. And Royal paid the price, unfairly booed by some fans simply for being picked to play.

Ultimately, Royal’s status at the club changed when Pedro Porro was signed from Sporting Lisbon in January 2023. Even though Royal played brilliantly immediately after the signing — especially in the 1-0 win against City — it was clear that Porro would have to come in. From then on, chances were limited: he did not feature under Cristian Stellini but came back in under Ryan Mason at the end of that season.

When Postecoglou took over in the summer of 2023, he had a new set of tactical ideas: a 4-3-3 with inverting full-backs and an emphasis on possession through midfield. It was yet another system for Royal to learn. He started well, scoring in the first game of the Postecoglou era, a 2-2 draw at Brentford — but as soon as Porro was ready, he had that right-back role locked down.

Royal’s main opportunities last season were filling in at left-back or centre-back. When he did try to invert into midfield from full-back, he never looked comfortable. He had a lot to do during Spurs’ pre-Christmas centre-back crisis and did as well as he could, without ever looking like a perfect fit.

It was ever thus for Royal at Tottenham. He never looked like a permanent fixture in the team, but when he did get a proper run under Conte, the team defended better than they have done for years before or since. He ended up playing plenty of different positions in different systems for very different managers and while his own talents were for physical solidity and one-on-one defending, he was willing to be pushed outside of his comfort zone, trying things that did not come easily to him.

And perhaps the reason so many people warmed to him was that he exuded such a sense of enjoyment about his three years at Spurs. Elite professional football is such a deadly serious industry now that supporters can sometimes warm to someone who plays like they are having fun with their friends.

Who could possibly forget Royal’s legendary no-look pass in a Champions League game against Sporting, when Spurs were on top and chasing a goal? (The ball rolled beyond Bryan Gil and out for a goal kick.) Or the high-production compilation videos he made of his own performances — music and visual effects to accompany his diligent tackling, blocking and defensive headers. Or the moment against Marseille when referee Slavko Vincic tried to send off Chancel Mbemba and dropped his card, allowing Royal to pick it up and brandish it instead.

It often feels as if modern football is shorn of characters. And while Tottenham will probably be able to replace Royal as a utility player who can fill in at right-back or centre-back, replacing his personality might be harder.

(Top image: Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Dominic Solanke has completed his move to Tottenham Hotspur in a £65million deal from Bournemouth.

The 26-year-old striker has signed a six-year contract with the north London club, putting pen to paper overnight on Friday after undergoing a medical.

The deal is a club-record transfer fee for Spurs and a record sale for Bournemouth.

The forward enjoyed his best-ever scoring campaign in the top flight last term scoring 19 times as Bournemouth finished 12th.

A product of the Chelsea academy, Solanke joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2017 before moving on to Bournemouth in 2019.

Liverpool hold a 20 per cent sell-on clause from that deal.

Solanke has gone to make 216 appearances in all competitions for the south-coast club, scoring 77 goals.

Despite his fine season he missed out on selection for Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, with Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa and Brentford’s Ivan Toney preferred.

Tottenham haven’t signed a senior striker since Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich a year ago.

They begin their Premier League season away at Leicester City on Monday, August 19.

GO DEEPER

Tottenham welcome back Harry Kane with efforts under way to secure his successor

(Photo: Getty Images)

When Harry Kane and Eric Dier walk back towards the tunnel at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday — emotions high, commemorative gifts in hand, seeing the crowd rising to their feet, thanking them for their combined 800 games for the club — they could be forgiven for mistakenly turning into the wrong dressing room instead.

Two of Tottenham’s most important players over the last decade will be back in familiar surroundings to play a friendly match for Bayern Munich. Spurs will be taking the opportunity to thank them both for their service at a pre-match ceremony that is likely to overshadow the game itself.

The nature of modern football makes goodbyes difficult. The player flies off to their new club as soon as the deal is done. There is very little opportunity for an appropriate send-off at the time. Eric Dier told The Athletic in an interview in April that there was just time for a few phone calls as he prepared to leave. He was not in the least bit offended by this. “That’s just the way the business works. Off you go and see you later.”

GO DEEPER

Eric Dier exclusive interview: 'I'm proud of how I behaved at Tottenham. It opened the door to Bayern'

So for Kane and Dier — and for many Spurs staff and fans — it is fitting that they have this chance to say thank you and goodbye collectively.

It also gives people a chance to reflect on everything Kane and Dier achieved during their time at the club. They were two of the most important players of the Mauricio Pochettino era, representing the youthful energy that was at its heart, and the happiest memories will always come from that time. But they were reliable in the bad times, too. Both shone during that brief spell when it looked as if Antonio Conte might take Tottenham back to the top.

There was interest from elsewhere, but Kane and Dier both stayed at Tottenham when some of their team-mates started to leave. And the fact that they left when they did — Kane at the start of the Ange Postecoglou era, Dier six months into it — underlined the sense of the fresh clean start. They departed with only good things to say about the club and the new era. Dier was even very complimentary about Postecoglou despite how little he played last season.

They took with them almost 20 years of combined first-team experience. And maybe it will take seeing them at the stadium lining up against Spurs this weekend to get a sense of how valuable that is. Players like that cannot easily or simply be replaced.

Clearly Tottenham have done very well at centre-back signing Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg last summer, one of the best young defenders in Europe. He was a revelation last season and his speed made him perfect for ‘Angeball’.

But Dier was about more than just his performances on the pitch. He was one of the leaders of the squad, the dressing room glue; what sports psychologists call a “cultural architect”. The fact that he went out of his way to help Van de Ven settle last summer is a case in point.

Tottenham have lost a lot of experience over the last year — not just Dier and Kane, but Hugo Lloris and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg too. And one of the big questions for this season is whether Spurs can maintain the same standards and consistency without those senior players who were so important behind the scenes. The start of last season suggests they certainly can. The way they tailed off at the end of the season, maybe not.

But replacing Kane was another matter entirely.

Even now, it requires some mental effort just to get your head around how much the striker meant to Spurs. He was not just their record all-time goalscorer. Not just their best player throughout his time at the club. Not just arguably Tottenham’s greatest player of the modern era. But someone who seemed to be synonymous with the whole club.

GO DEEPER

Kane has overtaken Greaves to become Tottenham's all-time leading scorer — this is his evolution

Spurs have sold great players before and wondered how to replace them. When Kyle Walker went to Manchester City in 2017, they already had Kieran Trippier. When Gareth Bale left for Real Madrid, they signed seven players and played Nacer Chadli on the left for the next few years. When Luka Modric was sold to Madrid, they spent all summer trying and failing to secure Joao Moutinho and then struggled in midfield for years.

But none of these situations — not even that of Bale, who was one of the best players in the world in 2013 — is quite like Kane.

None of those players had a huge mural on the side of a building just off the High Road. It is not often that clubs sell one of their all-time greats after a long run in the team while he is also still their best player. The one example that springs to mind is Arsenal selling Thierry Henry to Barcelona in 2007 at the age of 29.

Tottenham must have known how irreplaceable Kane was because they made no real move to secure a like-for-like replacement at the time. The only forwards they signed last season were Manor Solomon, Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner — none of whom have any of Kane’s qualities.

They relied on Son Heung-min and Richarlison to alternate as the No 9. Son never looked comfortable there. Richarlison had one very good run in the middle of the season but struggled to sustain his form. They often looked short by at least one top-level forward, if not two. But with only 41 games last season, they were able to muddle through.

That was not an option this time.

They needed a new senior specialist striker to come in. By the start of the summer, they had identified Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth and a deal is now close. Unlike Son or Richarlison, there is no question about whether Solanke plays centrally or out wide. He will bring to Spurs many of the characteristics — hold-up play, linking play, staying within the width of the box — that they have missed since Kane left.

In a sense, Solanke is the belated Kane replacement, although that is not a helpful tag to stick on any player.

Maybe the fact he is arriving one year after Kane left makes it easier to come in and play up front for Spurs. He will never be able to escape Kane’s shadow — the 280 goals and the mural outside the ground make that impossible — but perhaps coming in this summer will give him a better chance of succeeding on his own terms.

Tottenham will hope Solanke can build his own legacy.

(Top photos: Getty Images)

AC Milan have agreed a deal with Tottenham Hotspur for the signing of defender Emerson Royal.

An initial fee of €15million plus €3m in add-ons has been agreed, and while Royal has not yet officially signed, the deal is progressing.

He is set to sign a four year contract with the option of a further 12 months with the Serie A side.

The 25-year-old joined Tottenham from Barcelona in a deal worth £25.8million (now $33m) with add-ons of around £4.3m in the summer of 2021. Royal had spent the previous two and a half campaigns at Real Betis, before Barcelona exercised their buy-back option on the Brazilian.

Royal featured 79 times for Betis and three times for Barcelona before moving to Tottenham, where he made 101 appearances in three seasons. In 2023-24, Royal played 24 times for Spurs but made only 13 starts, predominately acting as a deputy to first-choice right-back Pedro Porro and occasionally filling in at left-back.

Spurs have also welcomed full-back Djed Spence back into their first-team squad following his loan spells at Leeds United and Genoa last season. Spence, 23, has featured regularly in pre-season and manager Ange Postecoglou said the Englishman has “impressed” upon his return, adding that his future was in his hands.

Royal, meanwhile, would become Milan’s fourth summer signing following the arrivals of striker Alvaro Morata, centre-back Strahinja Pavlovic and left-back Alex Jimenez. Paulo Fonseca’s side begin their Serie A campaign at home against Torino on August 17.

GO DEEPER

Football's best up-and-coming managers: Paulo Fonseca

(Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

Dominic Solanke has completed his move to Tottenham Hotspur in a £65million deal from Bournemouth. He has signed a six-year contract with the north London club.

The deal is a club record transfer fee for Spurs and a record sale for Bournemouth.

Our writers — experts in transfers, tactics, data and football finance — have come together to rate this summer’s senior Premier League transfers in five categories, with each aspect given a score out of 100 to reach a total score out of 500. Hence, The Athletic 500. The ratings are explained in more detail here (not all transfers will be rated as there may be a lack of data to support an analysis).

Below is our rating for this move.

Get the latest transfer news on The Athletic…

Transfer news and analysis | Follow David Ornstein

Join The Athletic Insiders WhatsApp channel

Sign up for The Athletic FC newsletter

Tactical fit — 71/100

A look at how the player fits into his new club tactically, using Sentient Sports’ bespoke tactical-fit model, explained by our tactical expert.

Dominic Solanke is a striker capable of being the focal point of Tottenham’s attack for the next few seasons. At 26 years old, he is entering his prime and last season added improved finishing to his existing gifts of clever movement and pressing.

He possesses a powerful shot and a wide range of finishes, from striking the ball cleanly through the laces to executing clever flicks. His intelligent movement off the ball allows him to exploit spaces left by defenders, particularly by finishing near-post crosses.

Solanke had a strong 2023-24, showing he can score goals in the top flight with both feet and his head. Many of his shots are high-quality and last season he converted at a rate close to what is expected from his chances.

Solanke’s pressing is arguably his biggest strength. He understands how to curve his runs to limit passing options for opposing centre-backs and is adept at shadowing the opposition’s holding midfielder. When his side’s pressing trigger is activated, Solanke closes down opponents with aggression and intensity, while also serving as a dangerous outlet during turnovers.

Here, in Bournemouth’s 2-2 draw against Newcastle in February, Solanke anticipates Sean Longstaff’s pass back to Sven Botman. Solanke arches his run to prevent Botman from passing it to Dan Burn. In a moment of panic, Lascelles passes to Martin Dubravka, and Solanke increases his pressing intensity. Dubravka slips, leaving Solanke with an easy goal.

Solanke’s link-up play is something Ange Postecoglou will appreciate. He has shown great capability in holding up the ball, allowing runners like Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert to exploit spaces. This ability could also be replicated with players like Son Heung-min, Brennan Johnson or Timo Werner, all of whom excel at making runs into those openings.

Despite his obvious strengths, Solanke’s goalscoring record has been inconsistent. 2023-24 saw him score more than 10 goals in a Premier League season for the first time, raising questions about whether this is a legitimate improvement or an anomaly. The transition to a bigger club like Tottenham brings increased expectations, and it remains to be seen if he can thrive under pressure.

Solanke’s tactical fit at Tottenham Hotspur is rated at 71, reflecting his compatibility with the team’s playing style and formation. He has experience in a 4-2-3-1 setup, used frequently by Spurs. Small adjustments will be necessary, but his pressing ability, off-ball movement, and link-up play align with Tottenham’s attacking patterns.

Crucially, Solanke can fit into Ange Postecoglou’s tactical plans in several ways. He can play as the central forward or drop deeper, providing flexibility in attacking movements. This adaptability suits Postecoglou’s preference for fluid, dynamic forward play. Additionally, Solanke’s ability to connect with midfielders and wingers should help with the team’s attacking rotations, while his work rate complements Postecoglou’s high press.

Gillian Kasirye

Gaming rating — 73/100

Rating the player according to Football Manager 2024’s data across both current and potential ability.

Solanke is edging closer to his prime, according to Football Manager. Their data is powered by an extensive scouting network, one that is used within sport, and they suggest a current ability rating of 141 out of a possible 200. For context, that is similar to Scott McTominay (141) and Harvey Barnes (140), who are of a similar age, and Everton’s Beto (140), another Premier League striker.

His potential ability rating is 150, which indicates that he does not have too much room for improvement but attaining that level will cement his status as an effective top-flight striker. Dominic Calvert-Lewin (150) and Lucas Paqueta (150) are players with a current ability at that level, and so too is Ivan Toney.

A comparison with the Brentford striker is interesting as they play for similar-calibre clubs and are not far apart in terms of their influence on their teams. Toney is one year older and has a slight edge on the potential front: his potential ability rating is 155, according to the FM data.

Peter Rutzler

Season rating — 70/100

Rating the player over the course of last season, using statistics from The Athletic’s data team

Solanke had an excellent season on the south coast in 2023-24, scoring 19 goals and providing three assists. This was a significant improvement from 13 goal involvements (six goals, seven assists) in 2022-23.

In December, Solanke scored his first senior hat-trick in a thrilling 3-2 win against Nottingham Forest. Following a remarkable run in December, where he scored six goals in seven matches, he was named the Premier League Player of the Month — the first Bournemouth player to achieve this honour.

The gamble for Spurs is whether Solanke’s standout 2023-24 was evidence of a new high ceiling for the striker or a one-off campaign that he will struggle to repeat. The north London club have decided that it was the former.

Gillian Kasirye

Financial value rating — 57/100

A four-category summary of the player’s transfer in financial terms — and whether it makes sense for his new club

Market value – 13/25

The £65million spent on Solanke will be among the biggest deals of the Premier League summer and a significant commitment on a player unable to command a place in England’s plans. One prolific season in the top flight with Bournemouth has transformed perceptions and value.

Squad cost – 14/25

Tottenham, traditionally frugal, do not often spend as lavishly on one player and this transfer will be the one Ange Postecoglou hopes has a huge impact on his team’s attacking fortunes. Spurs still have work to do in the window and will be open to the prospect of sales to help offset this.

Contract sensibility – 16/25

Solanke’s six-year contract was inevitable for a signing costing so much, rewarding the player for his rising stock and offering Tottenham protection on such a heavy outlay. Likely to join the club’s highest earners this season, making the overall transfer package a huge outlay.

Resale value – 14/25

Solanke will turn 27 next month and, in theory, is about to hit the peak of his powers. Bournemouth have tripled their outlay in the last five years but it is difficult to see Tottenham doing the same given Solanke will be almost 33 at the end of this deal. The forward’s pedigree will likely ensure value holds, though.

Philip Buckingham

Risk or reward? — 70/100

Is there a history of injury or other problems that could crop up in the future and make this deal a bad one in retrospect? Or does the player come with a clean bill of health? Our expert takes a look.

Dominic Solanke burst onto the scene at an early age at Chelsea but it has required time and patience to reach his level today. That development process has served him well. Now, at 26, he is an established Premier League striker, capable of scoring 19 league goals in a mid-table team. He has also become more complete; capable of linking the play, creating chances for himself and others, as well as pressing aggressively. He is an attractive signing.

His Premier League credentials limit the risks. He does not have a troublesome injury history either, with only a couple of notable injury absences in the past four years (ankle and knee knocks) that did not keep him out for more than 10 games collectively. As a character too, he is highly regarded at Bournemouth.

Tottenham are yet to truly fill the void left by Harry Kane and so there is a clear place for him in their team. It is not a cheap outlay, though his fee is not majorly overpriced for a homegrown striker with England caps, certainly when Ivan Toney has been touted for fees close to nine figures.

Of course, he has just the one strong season in the Premier League and there is limited scope for re-sale. There is the slight unknown too regarding how he will cope again at a bigger club, having not established himself at Chelsea and Liverpool. But he knows the pressures they entail, and it does seem like the right time for him to step up again.

Peter Rutzler

Overall rating: 341/500