Nine starts in nine months amount to fewer than 900 competitive minutes of football and yet his nine goals in that time merely confirm Dominic Solanke’s importance to Tottenham.
They have missed him badly during his time out injured and are instantly more cohesive and fluent as an attacking force with him as the focal point of Thomas Frank’s team.
Frank believes he can turn Solanke into a Premier League goal machine in the way he did for Ivan Toney, Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa by getting him on the end of chances in the most critical areas.
Four goals since his return to the starting lineup against Borussia Dortmund support the theory. Two were untidy finishes in front of goal. One was a dash clear and a composed strike on the break and the other a delectable ‘scorpion flick’ against Manchester City.
Still, according to Frank, only operating at 70-80 per cent of full capacity, but having failed to upgrade their forward department during the January transfer window, all eyes are on Solanke.
Is he the man who can save the season for Spurs?
Dominic Solanke is back with a bang for Tottenham, with four goals in his last four games after an injury-wrecked start to the season
His double against Manchester City last week showed a range of finishing, from a scuffed effort in a goalmouth scramble to a deft scorpion flick
He also scored in the Champions League wins over Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankfurt as Spurs finished the group stage in fourth
Those who have worked with him describe Solanke as someone comfortable in his own skin. Off the pitch, quiet and modest but determined, which chimes with his interest in Japanese culture and love of anime, usually the inspiration for his goal celebrations.
When we met for an interview after his England recall in October 2024, ending a seven year wait for a second senior cap, he was keen to discuss his belief that all journeys different and that everyone must find their own path. This sort of inner calm would have been useful during the frustrations of this season.
At Spurs, Solanke is not the loudest voice in the camp, not the life and soul like James Maddison nor the rebel-in-chief like Cristian Romero, but popular and able to make a point if he feels it necessary.
Perhaps not long ago the adjectives used would have included shy, but he has grown in stature in the last five years and at 28 is among the senior figures and a leader in the Spurs dressing room.
Frank is not blessed with many of those in an immature squad, which was key to the decision to select him despite injury in the original Champions League squad then having exercised a clause to replace him with Mathys Tel for the game against Slavia Prague in December, to recall him when he had a chance ahead of the penultimate fixture against Dortmund, last month.
Solanke repaid his faith with a goal in a win and was on target again, this time off the bench as Spurs won at Eintracht Frankfurt to finish fourth in the league phase of the competition and qualify for the last 16.
Two more goals led the fightback for a draw against City on Sunday and Frank’s team is conjuring more threat from the forward players in open play than they did without him at the vanguard.
Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert look happier combining with a strong and mobile centre forward who holds up the ball and brings others into play, and the team is more aggressive and effective in the press.
Solanke has grown in stature in the last five years and at 28 is among the senior figures and a leader in the Spurs dressing room
Solanke (centre left) was a star of Chelsea’s vaunted academy before joining Liverpool and then going on to Bournemouth
He made his senior England debut aged 20 against Brazil at Wembley but had to wait seven years for another chance
Solanke was a teen prodigy at the Chelsea academy. He was the tournament’s top scorer when England won the Under 17 Euros in 2014 and the player of the tournament at the Under 20 World Cup, when England won again, three years later.
It was a prime crop and among his closest friends in football are Kyle Walker-Peters of West Ham, Tosin Adarabioyo of Chelsea and Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa, friendships started in England’s youth ranks.
Solanke left Chelsea for Liverpool in search of opportunity, but his real coming of age came with a move to Bournemouth and after relegation a burst of goals in the Championship.
He scored 30 in 48 games in the promotion campaign of 2021-22 and went on to prosper further under Andoni Iraola, who worked intensively on the training pitch to fashion him into a modern centre forward, effective in the press and in front of the goal when it mattered.
The scorpion flick for Spurs against City came as no surprise to those who saw him developing at Bournemouth, where he worked tirelessly on drills attacking the near post and improvising flicked finishes at goal when the chances were not served up perfectly.
Solanke has always been a willing learner. His work rate and stamina were a perfect fit for Iraola’s hard pressing style.
A year in his tutelage propelled his game to a different level and his 19 Premier League goals convinced Spurs to pay £56million for him in 2024.
Nobody cared if his first footballing affections were on the other side of north London’s great footballing divide. His father supported Arsenal. His first shirt was an Arsenal shirt. The first games he recalls watching were Arsenal playing in the pre-season Emirates Cup.
He was player of the tournament in England’s Under 20s World Cup triumph, joined in that team by the likes of Kyle Walker-Peters (left) and Ademola Lookman (right)
It was at Bournemouth where he finally made good on his talent, scoring 77 times in 216 appearances across six seasons
His first football shirt may well have been an Arsenal one, thanks to his dad’s first love, but he can now be the man to save Spurs’ season
Football is a profession for him now and he is a model professional. ‘A dream for the coaches,’ as one Spurs source described him and one of those Frank looks upon to carry his culture through the club.
Unfortunately, he has acquired a reputation as a dream patient for the medical staff since his arrival.
Niggling injuries disrupted his first season, limiting him to 25 Premier League starts. Even so, his goals were crucial to Europa League glory.
There was his nerveless penalty was the winning goal of a quarter-final against Frankfurt in April, and goals in both legs of the semi-final against Bodo/Glimt. His opener in the second leg in the Arctic Circle effectively settled the tie.
This, his second season at Spurs is already halved by six months out with an ankle problem that began when he kicked the floor in pre-season friendly.
Rest and injections failed to cure it and what should have been minor surgery in September led to an infuriating absence made worse by uncertainty about when he could expect to be back in action.
‘One of the hardest moments of my life,’ said Solanke. ‘Quite complicated and really tough.’ And not helped by the team’s miserable form. ‘It’s difficult when you don’t have the chance to help and make an impact,’ he said. ‘That’s one of the hardest parts of being injured.”
Solanke is private. His family are his representatives and very little leaks out. In interview, he is respectful and polite. He smiles and answers questions without being too revelatory.
Solanke’s goals were crucial to the Europa League win last season, scoring in both legs of the semi-final against Norway’s Bodo/Glimt
His second season at Spurs is already halved by six months out with an ankle problem that began when he kicked the floor in pre-season friendly
His England recall in late 2024 was brief, but Harry Kane (centre) will need a back-up at this summer’s World Cup and it may well be Solanke versus Ollie Watkins for that spot in the squad
‘We want to build on the last few results,’ he said after his double against City, scored with England boss Thomas Tuchel at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and rekindling hope of adding to his three international caps with the World Cup on the horizon and Harry Kane needing a competitive back-up to go alongside Ollie Watkins.
Spurs are unbeaten in four, and the upturn coincides perfectly with his return to the team but it is hardly a time for celebration.
They have not won in the Premier League in 2026 and are 14th in the Premier League. Problems linger for Frank as they tackle Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday.
At least with Solanke back in the groove the outlook is brighter.
