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Ange Postecoglou has lavished praise on Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke for exceeding his expectations, but does feel more is to come from the £65million signing.
Solanke was linked with a move to Arsenal during 2024 but joined Spurs in August and has scored 11 times for his new club.
The ex-Bournemouth striker has also provided six assists and quickly become an integral figure, especially during an injury-ravaged period where his contributions have kept Postecoglou’s men on track for cup success despite inconsistent Premier League form.
While Solanke’s big-money move has paid off ahead of Wednesday’s north London derby at the Emirates, Arsenal have squandered chances in recent fixtures with forward Kai Havertz particularly under-fire after recent displays.
“I don’t know who else was in for him. I’m just glad we got him. In terms of outlay, if you’re trying to sign a striker with proven pedigree these days, it’s pretty hard not to spend,” Postecoglou said.
“Nothing is a sure thing, but I really thought he was a real safe bet for us. We knew what we were getting.
“We were getting a proven Premier League striker who was going to fit into our style of play, which is the most important thing, but even in terms of what I was hoping for, he’s exceeded that in my mind.
“Dom has just been outstanding in the way he’s carried the frontline for us during this period. With the way we play, we put a lot of demands on that position. It’s not just him standing up there scoring goals, it’s working hard for the team.
“I really think if Richy (Richarlison) was available, I think he (Solanke) would have been able to contribute even greater for us in terms of his output in goals.
I do know that to have success you need to be strong defensively.
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou
“He’s been great for us. I really feel there is more to him and his game. We’ll be able to get more out of him if we can get him some help.”
Richarlison will return to the bench at Arsenal after two months out injured.
Player unavailability has contributed towards Spurs being 12th in the Premier League, but they still boast the best defensive away record in the division with only nine goals conceded this term.
Poor set-piece defending was also a major talking point during Postecoglou’s debut campaign, but this time they have only shipped six goals from set-pieces – one more than midweek opponents Arsenal.
“I do know that to have success you need to be strong defensively,” Postecoglou said.
“You’d rather hear that I don’t like defending, we’re open, that we have this ridiculously high line, that we get torn apart in every game. That’s the narrative.
“Considering the challenges we’ve had I think our defending this year has been very good.
“We’ve been blown away in a couple of games, Liverpool significantly, Chelsea, but aside from that even the losses we’ve had they were only by a goal in very tight games.
“I think it’s been a collective approach of us working hard defensively. What’s let us down is just moments in games. We’ve lost focus.
“Even games when we’ve defended really well, we’ve switched off at key moments and it’s really cost us, whether that’s home or away. That’s the area we need to eradicate.”
