Despite the heavy investment from the Tottenham Hotspur hierarchy this summer, there are still various areas of the senior squad that are desperately lacking quality.
Whilst the new additions will need time to settle into life in North London, the Lilywhites have struggled in a handful of Premier League games – resulting in an 11th-place standing at present.
One area of the squad still looks somewhat light in quality, with one of the big-money additions made in recent years undoubtedly failing to match expectations.
Why Solanke has been a complete disaster for Spurs
During the summer of 2024, Spurs completed the £65m signing of striker Dominic Solanke in an effort to bolster the attacking options after Harry Kane’s departure the year prior.
Such a move broke the club’s record transfer fee, which undoubtedly heaped further pressure onto the Englishman to deliver the goods for the Lilywhites.
The 29-year-old’s time at North London has been a complete disaster, as seen by his measly tally of just 24 goals within his 77 senior appearances for the club.
Incidentally, the forward has also struggled with injuries during his period at the club, as seen by his tally of six separate injuries since his big-money transfer.
This season alone, Solanke has only managed to find the back of the net once, with the attacker now on a run of four games without scoring in the Premier League.
Why Marmoush has failed to provide an upgrade on Solanke
An attempt to provide a fresh face in attacking areas, the Spurs hierarchy decided to secure the signature of Omar Marmoush on loan with an obligation to buy for £60m next summer.
The Egyptian was seen as the answer to the Lilywhites’ struggles within attacking areas, but so far he’s only contributed to the issues that have arisen of late.
The 27-year-old has featured in all but one game in the Premier League to date, but only netted once, with his only effort coming against newly-promoted Coventry City.
His underlying stats also highlight his struggles within the final third this term, with the striker only placing 30% of his total strikes on target in North London.
|
Spurs top PL goal scorers (2026/27) |
|
|---|---|
|
Player |
Goals |
|
Jan Paul van Hecke |
2 |
|
Archie Gray |
1 |
|
Ben Davies |
1 |
|
Conor Gallagher |
1 |
|
Dominic Solanke |
1 |
|
James Maddison |
1 |
|
Mathys Tel |
1 |
|
Omar Marmoush |
1 |
The former Manchester City man has often been dominated in the air too, with the centre-forward only coming out on top of 23% of his aerials – a figure lower than 80% of other players in his position.
How Spurs sold a mega Solanke & Solanke upgrade for £6m
Given the struggles of the current attacking options at Spurs, it would be no surprise to see the hierarchy once again enter the transfer market to improve the squad.
Big money would likely need to be spent on any possible reinforcements, with the centre-forward position undoubtedly the most valuable in the modern game.
However, it all could have been so different for the Lilywhites, had they decided to put faith in Troy Parrott rather than selling him to AZ Alkmaar in the summer of 2024 for just £6m.
The Irish international has endured a remarkable rise in his own career, as seen by his incredible tally of 51 goals in just 97 matches for the Dutch outfit.
Such goalscoring form hasn’t gone unnoticed in recent years, with the 24-year-old now the Republic of Ireland’s main talisman – racking up 41 senior appearances and 15 goals for his nation.
As a result of his efforts at club and international level, Parrott would secure a move to LaLiga outfit Real Betis this summer – with the Spanish side paying £17m for his signature.
He’s since netted twice for the Spanish giants, including a memorable winner off the bench against European giants Real Madrid back in early September.
Since his departure from Spurs, the centre-forward has massively outscored both Solanke and Marmoush, with the attacker showcasing that the club made the wrong call in selling him.
His goalscoring efforts have also seen his market value skyrocket, with reliable statistics site FotMob now valuing the talisman at £30m – a 400% increase on the fee the Lilywhites sold him for.
Given his form in front of goal, there’s no denying he’s a more clinical option than both the current options available to De Zerbi – with the Italian no doubt wishing he could call upon the Irishman.
However, their loss is undoubtedly Betis’ gain, with the Lilywhites needing to ensure they don’t make a similar mistake with any promising youngsters in the near future.
Their error could cost the club millions in the transfer market once again, but it’s safe to say their ready-made talisman was under their noses all along.
