Two years ago, Tottenham Hotspur broke a transfer record by signing a replacement for Harry Kane.
The player chosen was Dominic Solanke, who was acquired from Bournemouth for a huge fee of £65 million. But since that move, the jury is still out on the former Chelsea and Liverpool player.
Is Solanke the striker who can take Spurs’ team forward? Probably not. The Lilywhites are in need of exciting new forward talent, with Roberto De Zerbi at the helm.
Coincidentally, De Zerbi ensured that Solanke was no longer a record buyer. That honor now goes to £100m man Sandro Tonali.
A total of £185 million has been spent on the Italian and Matheus Fernandes, but that’s not the end. They appear to be planning a second attack on Solanke’s former employers this summer, following their arrest of Marcos Senesi a month ago.
Spurs eye Premier League forward
It’s safe to say that De Zerbi’s side have made a great start to the summer, and if they can add players up front they will reach the top in style.
Several players have been linked in attack, but the most exciting of them is undoubtedly winger Rafael Leao.
Leo, who scored a blistering World Cup goal in Portuguese colors this summer, has become one of Europe’s most dangerous wide players in recent years, scoring in double figures in each of the past five seasons.
Other wingers such as Codi Gakpo and Sabinho continue to be linked, but the AC Milan star feels like the best option here, especially with Milan hoping to make an escape from Italy.
It could be Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Crupi who will play alongside Leo in the attack next season. Tottenham’s interest in the Cherries striker was first revealed last week and since then we have been provided with an update courtesy of talkSPORT’s Alex Crook.
“Junior Crupi has had a great campaign and he has many potential suitors, Arsenal among them,” he said in a YouTube video over the weekend.
Crook added: “Tottenham are preparing an £85m bid to test Bournemouth’s resolve, but he is not for sale. That is the message coming out of the Vitality Stadium.”
Comparison of Junior Crupi and Dominic Solanke
With Solanke also coming from Bournemouth, there are legitimate concerns that Spurs will simply repeat their mediocre signing here. But that would be lazy. Crupi is much more exciting.
It would be an understatement to say that Solanke was blown away wearing the Tottenham shirt. The 28-year-old scored 16 goals during his debut campaign in north London, but 2025/26 was a memorable season in which he struggled not only with fitness but also with form.
He appeared in only 20 matches and scored 6 goals. The forward missed 30 games, primarily due to an ankle problem that has plagued him since the beginning of the season.
It might be harsh to judge him completely based on that, but in reality, his performance was far too one-dimensional.
But Crupi will bring more excitement and more dynamism to the Spurs squad, which has definitely been lacking since the departure of players like Son Heung-min and Harry Kane.
why? Well, he’s one of the best young strikers in Europe at the moment. As Daniel Sturridge said, the 19-year-old is already “one of the best finishers in the Premier League”.
Crupi scored 13 goals last season, the most by a teenager in his debut season in the Premier League. Despite his young age, he is already making history.
So what is the difference between him and Solanke?
Crupi vs Solanke: 25/26 League Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
Statistics (every 90 minutes) | croup | Solanke |
non-penalty goal | 0.59 | 0.27 |
shot | 2.78 | 1.80 |
big chance involvement | 0.70 | 0.54 |
shot end carry | 0.64 | 0.36 |
dribbling success | 0.80 | 1.17 |
Expected threats (build-up) | 0.39 | 0.22 |
progressive action | 2.51 | 1.35 |
Win a Defense Ground Duel | 0.29 | 0.95 |
A versatile threat who can play as a centre-forward, second striker or on the wing, he is much more dynamic than Solanke, crucial to the De Zerbi system and more progressive in terms of possession.
Solanke comes out on top when it comes to winning duels, which isn’t too surprising given his size, but in other situations the smaller Krupi is superior. He records more shot-end carries, gets involved in more big chances, and is a much better expected threat in the build-up phase of play.
Expected threat (xT) is a metric that quantifies how much a player’s actions (such as passes or carries) increase the team’s chances of scoring.
He is a versatile striker who, although still in his teens, could become one of Europe’s elite forwards in the not-too-distant future.
He is also coveted by Arsenal this summer and it would be quite a coup if he can get over the line and seal this deal.
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