Dominic Solanke could make his Tottenham Hotspur debut on Monday – and club legend Teddy Sheringham believes he could make a real impact in North London.
Solanke has joined Tottenham from Bournemouth for £65m, after netting 19 Premier League goals for the Cherries last season, and is in line for his first appearance for his new club when they travel to Leicester for their opening match of the campaign.
The 26-year-old will be following in the footsteps of many fine forwards at Tottenham – among them Sheringham, who is excited about the signing.
“When Tottenham signed Solanke, I was delighted,” Sheringham said, speaking to onlinepoker.ltd.
“That’s the kind of signing that I think the club needed and it’s something I like to see.
“He’s a player that’s coming into his prime as a striker. He’ll be 27 in September, he just had a brilliant season for Bournemouth where he scored 19 goals and got three assists.
“Solanke has qualities that I like. He’s not a big typical centre forward that bullies players with strength, he’s cuter than that.
“I think he’ll develop into an even better player under Ange Postecoglou, and you would expect him to score more goals in a Tottenham side that creates plenty of chances then he did at Bournemouth.
“He played well against Spurs for Bournemouth last season. Ange obviously noted that.
“I’m excited for the fans because they need someone to finish off a lot of the good football that we played last year, and I’m pleased that we’ve brought him in before the season starts.
“Solanke’s signing is a massive boost to the club’s hopes of challenging for the title this season. That will certainly be the aim, it will be difficult of course, but he will also massively help with the battle for the Champions League as well.”
James Maddison was one of Spurs’ biggest signings last summer, and made an instant impact before injury derailed his season, and he ended up missing out on England’s squad for the Euros.
Sheringham hopes Maddison and Solanke will link up well – believing the latter could have a similar impact to when Spurs brought Jurgen Klinsmann back for a second spell in 1997.
Back then, the German was filling the void left by Sheringham’s departure to Manchester United, and scored nine goals in 15 league games during the second half of that season.
“I think for James Maddison, he will definitely be playing with a point to prove this season after missing out on a place in the England squad,” Sheringham said.
“I have no doubt that he will be looking at a new managerial change at England and thinking that he wants to be part of that future.
“Of course, to do that, he needs to get back to his best playing for Tottenham. I think he will have a massive amount of hunger to show what he’s all about as a player this season, so maybe missing out on the Euros will be a blessing in disguise for him and for Tottenham.
“I’m looking forward to seeing the response he shows in the opening game against his old club Leicester.
“I also want to see what Solanke’s arrival does for his game. They’re obviously good mates, they’ve played together with the England youth teams, and I think that’s a key relationship for Tottenham this season.
“Solanke could be the perfect foil for Maddison. I can see Maddison creating a lot of things for Solanke, and he would have been waiting for the club to sign a top striker to finish off all the cute little balls that he can play.
“The signing of Solanke is a bit like when the club signed Jurgen Klinsmann to replace me. It was a big one, and I hope that it gives everyone a massive lift at the football club.
“If Solanke starts finishing all the chances that Maddison can create for him, then all of a sudden everyone is talking about Maddison and England again.”
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