Two years ago Tottenham Hotspur broke their transfer record to sign a replacement for Harry Kane.
The chosen man was Dominic Solanke, signing from Bournemouth in a mega £65m transfer. Since that move, however, the jury still remains out on the former Chelsea and Liverpool man.
Is Solanke the striker to carry this Spurs team forward? Arguably not. The Lilywhites need a new batch of exciting forward talent with Roberto De Zerbi at the helm.
As it happens, De Zerbi has ensured that Solanke is no longer the record buy. That honour now goes to £100m man Sandro Tonali.
An accumulative £185m has been spent on the Italian and Mateus Fernandes but they are not done there. They look set to raid Solanke’s former employers for a second time this summer after landing Marcos Senesi a month ago.
Spurs looking at Premier League forward
It is safe to say that De Zerbi’s side have enjoyed a remarkable start to the summer and it would be topped off beautifully if they were able to add to their forward line.
In attack, several players have been linked, the most exciting of which is undoubtedly winger Rafael Leao.
The scorer of a fierce World Cup strike in Portugal colours this summer, Leao has become one of the most dangerous wide players in Europe in recent years, scoring double figures for goals in each of the last five seasons.
Other wingers like Cody Gakpo and Savinho continue to be linked but the AC Milan star feels like the best option here, particularly as hs specifically wants out of Italy.
Playing alongside Leao in attack next season could be Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi. Tottenham’s interest in the Cherries striker first emerged last week and since then, an update has been provided courtesy of talkSPORT’s Alex Crook.
Speaking in a YouTube video over the weekend, the journalist said: “Junior Kroupi had a fantastic campaign and he has lots of potential suitors. Arsenal are amongst them.”
Crook continued: “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.”
How Junior Kroupi compares to Dominic Solanke
With Solanke also coming from Bournemouth, there may well be fears that Spurs simply conjure up a repeat of a mediocre signing here. However, that would be lazy. Kroupi is far more exciting.
To say Solanke has underwhelmed in a Tottenham shirt would be an understatement. While the 28-year-old did score 16 goals during his debut campaign in north London, he had a season to forget in 2025/26 struggling not only with his fitness but also with his form.
He played just 20 times and scored six goals. The forward missed 30 matches, largely due to an ankle problem that plagued him from the early months of the campaign.
Based on that, it may be harsh to judge him fully but the fact of the matter is that his performances were far too one dimensional.
Kroupi, however, would bring an extra dose of excitement and some extra dynamism to the Spurs team that has arguably been missing since the likes of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane departed.
Why? Well, this is one of the finest young strikers in Europe right now. As Daniel Sturridge put it, the 19-year-old is already “one of the best finishers in the Premier League.”
Kroupi scored as many as 13 times last term, the highest number of goals any teenager in their debut Premier League season has netted. He’s already creating history despite his tender age.
So what sets him apart from Solanke?
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Kroupi vs Solanke: 25/26 league stats |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stats (per 90 mins) |
Kroupi |
Solanke |
|
Non-penalty goals |
0.59 |
0.27 |
|
Shots |
2.78 |
1.80 |
|
Big chance involvement |
0.70 |
0.54 |
|
Shot-ending carries |
0.64 |
0.36 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0.80 |
1.17 |
|
Expected threat (build-up) |
0.39 |
0.22 |
|
Progressive actions |
2.51 |
1.35 |
|
Defensive ground duels won |
0.29 |
0.95 |
A versatile threat capable of playing as a centre-forward, a second striker or out on the flanks, he’s far more dynamic than Solanke and pivotally for a De Zerbi system, he’s much more progressive with possession.
Solanke comes out on top as far as duel winning is concerned which is not much of a surprise given his build, but the slighter Kroupi excels in every other situation. He registers more shot-ending carries, is involved in more big chances and his expected threat in the build-up phases of play is a lot better.
Expected Threat (xT) is a metric that quantifies how much a player’s actions (like a pass or carry) increase their team’s probability of scoring.
This is a multi-faceted striker and still just a teenager, he could become one of Europe’s elite forwards before too long.
Also coveted by Arsenal this summer, it would be quite the coup if they were able to get this deal over the line.
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