Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi will have a number of big decisions to make regarding his players in the summer transfer window if he leads his team to avoid relegation.
One player who could be put in a difficult position in the summer is Dominic Solanke, who signed the club’s biggest-ever contract when he joined from Bournemouth in the summer of 2024 for a fee of £65 million.
The England international has yet to justify the incredible fee he was paid for his services almost two years ago, due to a combination of his performances and injury problems.
Solanke scored nine goals in 27 league games in 2024/25, and has scored three goals in 12 Premier League appearances for the Lilywhites so far this season.
The former Liverpool and Chelsea talent underperformed in front of goal last season, scoring nine goals from an xG of 10.97 and missing out on 12 ‘big chances’ in the top flight.
De Zerbi pushes Spurs to sign new centre-forward
Solanke has yet to display the quality or consistency that would suggest he has what it takes to become a reliable goal-scorer in the future. That is why his position in the team is under threat heading into the summer.
If the Europa League champions bring in a new No. 9 to bring more to the team in front of goal, the English flop may need to assess his future and decide whether remaining in north London is the best option for the rest of his career.
According to Calcio Mercato, De Zerbi is looking to bring in a new centre-forward to lead Tottenham Hotspur’s squad for the 2026/27 season.
According to the newspaper, the Italian head coach has increased the club’s interest in signing Fiorentina marksman Moise Kean to strengthen their options at the top end of the pitch.
He added that Italian giants Milan are also keen to sign the Italy international this summer, meaning there will be competition for his signature.
Calcio Mercato have revealed that a transfer fee of around £44m would be enough for Fiorentina to sign the former Juventus star, with Spurs able to afford to pay that price for the striker who is De Zerbi’s main target.
Why Keane is a big upgrade over Solanke for Spurs
If Tottenham are able to beat Milan to sign Keane in the upcoming summer transfer window, Solanke could find himself on the bench more often, unless he pursues a move away from north London.
As mentioned above, the £65 million deal doesn’t offer much in terms of quality in front of goal during his time at Spurs, with him failing to reach double figures in the Premier League so far.
A return of 12 league goals in almost two seasons, even with one goal interrupted by injury, is hardly an impressive return, especially when compared to Keane’s form at Fiorentina.
Since the start of the 2024-25 season, the Italian center forward has scored 27 goals in Serie A, with nine in all competitions so far this term.
The 26-year-old star, who should be in the prime of his career, has scored 34 goals in all competitions for Fiorentina since joining from Juventus in 2024, while Solanke has scored 22 in the same period.
24/25 league season | Keene | Solanke |
|---|---|---|
Appearance | 32 | 27 |
xG | 19.32 | 10.97 |
the goal | 19 | 9 |
assist | 3 | 3 |
Number of successful dribbles per game | 1.4 | 0.6 |
dribbling success rate | 47% | 35% |
Last season, Keane played in Europe’s major leagues and significantly outperformed Solanke in front of goal at league level, scoring 10 goals in five games.
The Spurs strikers have only played 12 games so far, so it’s unfair to compare their respective form this season, but looking at their performances in 2024-25, the Italian ace could be the better option for De Zerbi up front.
Given his goal returns in recent seasons, Keane looks like a much better centre-forward than Solanke and could arrive in North London as a great goalscorer for the Italian head coach.
That is why the club should press ahead with signing the manager’s chosen target ahead of Milan in order to strengthen the club’s firepower ahead of the 2026/27 season.
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