Tottenham took a big gamble when they agreed a deal worth up to £65million for Dominic Solanke in the summer of 2024. The striker was coming off the best season of his career, having scored 19 Premier League goals for Bournemouth.At the time, I wasn’t convinced Spurs should spend that sort of money on him. Solanke had enjoyed one excellent year in front of goal, but there was little evidence at that stage that he could repeat it season after season.The recruitment team Tottenham obviously saw things differently and there was plenty of logic behind the move. They needed a striker, Solanke knew the Premier League and his work without the ball looked well suited to what Spurs wanted.More than two years later, I still don’t think we know whether Tottenham got that decision right. This season could go a long way towards finally giving us the answer.Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty ImagesTottenham were never going to replace Harry KaneThere is one thing Solanke shouldn’t be judged on, and that is whether he has replaced Harry Kane. It was never going to happen – Kane’s output during his time at Tottenham was far more than what a typical player can deliver.Kane left Tottenham with 280 goals to his name and had become far more than simply a goalscorer. Spurs lost their best finisher and one of their best creators at the same time. You only have to cast your mind back to his eye-catching performance against Manchester City at the Etihad to remind yourself of what he brought to the team.The answer was always going to involve several players to collectively pick up the void left by Kane. Stephen Carr made that point when he spoke exclusively to SpursWeb, explaining why Tottenham needed to spread those goals around the side.Solanke was still supposed to provide some of them. Spurs did not spend up to £65million on him expecting nine or ten goals across all competitions every year.Asking Solanke to replace Kane is unfair, but asking him to score regularly for Tottenham isn’t – it is the exact reason why the club brought him to N17.I had doubts about the Solanke fee from the startWhen Tottenham were first linked with Solanke in July 2024, I wrote on SpursWeb that spending big money on him after one strong season represented a risk. My feeling was that Spurs needed to see him produce 15-plus goals across several Premier League seasons before paying the sort of money Bournemouth wanted.A few weeks later, when Fabrizio Romano revealed Tottenham were exploring the deal, the concern was much the same. Solanke had just enjoyed a brilliant season, but Spurs were paying for him as though that level was here to stay.That doesn’t mean the transfer has been a complete disaster and first season at Tottenham certainly wasn’t one.Solanke scored 16 goals in all competitions and helped Spurs win the Europa League. There were also plenty of matches where his pressing and movement gave Tottenham something even when he wasn’t scoring. The Premier League return of nine goals was less convincing. It was a long way down from the 19 he had managed during his final year on the south coast with the Cherries.D. SolankeTottenham – Premier League (2025 – 2026)Appearances15Lineups (Starts)11Substituted In4Substituted Out4Shots14Shots on Target11Goals3Assists0Stats correct as of 27 September 2026.Image credit: @thatfootballphotog / InstagramInjuries make last season difficult to judgeIf Solanke had played throughout 2025/26 and struggled, this would be a much easier article to write. The reality is that injuries took away a huge part of his season.An ankle problem eventually required surgery and Solanke spent months on the sidelines as a result. His start against Borussia Dortmund in January was his first for Tottenham in eight months.It is difficult for any striker to find form in those circumstances and he was basically trying to get his season started when most of his teammates were already halfway through theirs, at least those who weren’t in the treatment room.There was more bad luck to come as well, when a hamstring problem against Wolves in April meant another spell out and more games missed.I wouldn’t describe Solanke as injury-prone on the back of that season alone. His record before then was much better, and sometimes a player simply has a terrible year with injuries but he simply has to stay fit for the majority of this season if he is to build up any sort of consistency and rhythym in front of goal.They need him available this season because there are already enough injury problems with the likes of Pedro Porro, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert all currently sidelined and Dejan Kulusevski working his way back from a lengthy lay-off.Credit: @thatfootballphotog / InstagramSpurs need someone to start scoringTottenham’s start to 2026/27 has been dreadful in front of goal with just two goals from the opening five Premier League matches tells its own story.Solanke has played in all five top flight games without scoring or registering an assist. He has only started twice and played 172 minutes, so those numbers do need some context.Even so, Spurs need their striker to get going and that also applies to the likes of Omar Marmoush and Mathys Tel.Tottenham failed to score in their first four league matches before finally finding the net twice late on in the 3-2 defeat against Aston Villa. The numbers behind the poor start show just how unusual it has been.It would be unfair to pin all of that on Solanke, Roberto De Zerbi needs more from the entire attack and Spurs have to create better chances for whoever plays through the middle.Solanke won’t escape scrutiny, though and rightly so, that comes with being Tottenham’s main striker and it certainly comes with the hefty fee Spurs paid for him.De Zerbi clearly sees something in SolankeOne thing Solanke has in his favour at this time is his manager. Roberto De Zerbi has repeatedly backed him and appears convinced that the goals will arrive.He has also been prepared to demand more when De Zerbi recently made it clear that he needs an improvement from Solanke, while also saying he would continue to support the striker.Solanke now needs to repay that faith in the Italian, and he should get plenty of opportunities to do so if he stays fit, especially with Richarlison unable to feature in the Premier League.A run of goals would quickly change the discussion around him. We have already seen at Bournemouth what can happen when Solanke finds confidence and gets a run of games.That is the player Tottenham thought they were buying, and they need to see more of him with his goal contributions.Next summer could be the cut-off pointThere is no reason for Tottenham to give up on Solanke during the opening weeks of this season. After the injuries he suffered last year, he deserves the chance to put together a proper run.Next summer is where I think the situation changes. Solanke will have completed three years at Tottenham and will be heading towards his 30th birthday.By that stage, Spurs should know exactly what they have. They won’t be talking about a new signing who needs time or a younger player who might improve in a few years.If Solanke stays fit and scores regularly this season, there is no problem. Tottenham will have a proven striker who knows the club and already has a European trophy on his CV and deserves another season at least.If the goals don’t arrive, Spurs have to be prepared to move on. Three seasons is enough time to decide whether a £65million signing has worked and will likely have to accept a substantially lower fee than what they paid for him.Solanke still has time to prove the gamble was worth itTottenham do not need Solanke to become Harry Kane and they never did. They simply need him to contribute enough goals to a team that has to somehow has to step up replace Kane’s output collectively.That responsibility also falls on the other attack-minded players within the squad. Mohammed Kudus, Omar Marmoush, Mathys Tel and Savio cannot leave the burden with one player.Solanke has to hold up his end of it as well. His pressing, movement and work for the team have value, but goals will always be the biggest measure of a striker.The good news for him is that there is still almost an entire season left and with limited competition for his place, he has plenty of time to make this argument look premature.I hope he does because Tottenham spending another huge fee on a centre-forward is hardly the ideal outcome. Solanke finding his Bournemouth form again would be much easier for everyone and hopefully propel us up the table. No Tottenham fan can stomach yet another relegation battle after how close we came to the Championship on the final day of last season.If we reach next summer and are still talking about that Bournemouth season, the Spurs hierachy will have their answer. At that point, it would be difficult to argue against Tottenham looking for somebody else.The post Tottenham may finally have to answer the £65m Dominic Solanke question - Opinion appeared first on Spurs Web.