Opinion: Thomas Frank's comments about Dominic Solanke should excite Tottenham fans

Dominic Solanke had an acceptable first season at Tottenham Hotspur, but there is something he must add to his game to thrive under Thomas Frank.

Dominic Solanke had all eyes on him when he joined Tottenham last summer. At £65m, he may not have been expected to be the ideal Harry Kane replacement, but that price tag was certainly enough to heighten the expectations of Spurs supporters.

Some may feel Solanke is yet to justify the record-breaking transfer fee he cost Tottenham. His story at the club was rather perfectly summed up by his debut against Leicester City last August. He played well at the King Power Stadium, linking his team’s attacking play and showcasing an excellent work rate.

However, Solanke missed some good goal-scoring chances and while this could be excused after only one game, it became a theme of his first year at Spurs.

Thomas Frank heaps praise on Dominic Solanke

Solanke scored nine Premier League goals last season, yet missed 12 big chances. These less-than-impressive stats could pose a concern, as Thomas Frank likes his forwards to be threatening in front of goal.

Despite this, the new Spurs boss is looking at how best to use Solanke, and has already spoken highly of the 27-year-old. Frank believes Solanke can score a lot of goals.

Speaking on how he would get the best out of his players, he said: “Of course, I’ve got an idea already. You know, my head is spinning. ‘How can we play?’ I will put them together and all that.

“But, yeah, before that. When I say talented, it’s also, it’s not only the young players, is also some of the more experienced players.

“How can we get the best out of them? Let’s say Dominic Solanke, I’m a big fan of him in terms of his abilities. I’m sure we’ll make him score a lot of goals.”

Comparing Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke with Ivan Toney at Brentford

Frank has already worked with a top English striker in Ivan Toney. The Northampton-born frontman was primarily utilised as a goal scorer. In his best Premier League season, Toney scored 20 goals. He would also hold up the ball and lay off passes to his teammates, providing Frank with different ways to get the best out of him.

The Dane once described Toney as the ‘perfect fit’ for Gareth Southgate’s England squad, claiming the flexible striker could do things other forwards could not.

Solanke has the potential to play a similar role for Frank at Tottenham. He has shown how impressive his all-around play is; the only thing missing is his ability to score goals. This is not something he needs to learn, but rather, to rediscover. After all, he hit the back of the net 19 times in his best season at Bournemouth.

Solanke needs better attacking partners at Spurs

Solanke clearly needs a boost in confidence when it comes to shooting, but part of the reason he had a disappointing campaign for goals is due to a lack of creativity.

When he scored 19 goals in the 2023/24 season, he missed 14 big chances, which is more than he missed last season. Toney himself missed 16 big chances in the season, where he scored 20. 

This does not mean Solanke is not at fault. He needs to find the attacking form he once had, but he is still likely to score more goals if Frank can get his new side creating more goal-scoring opportunities. 

Like Toney, Solanke is a versatile forward, with intelligence on the ball, good link-up qualities and his movement is even better. Add more goals to the mix and Solanke has everything required to be the striker Frank needs to compete for more trophies.

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