Spursy Spurs III: The Spurs Attack

£65m for Dominic Solanke has the Tottenham fanbase divided for once. Some see it as a great signing, others think the fee is exorbitant and that Daniel Levy has been mugged on a transfer for once.

Me? I'm just here to write about what the squad looks like heading into the season. I don't particularly care how much they signed which player as long as the player is here and ready to play.

So, what might the future hold for the Spurs forward line?

As always, a peek at the past first.

There were so many variations across the Spurs forward line last season. A typical lineup was Johnson - Son - Kulusevski, but that changed a lot as the season went on. Especially at center forward, because they did not replace Harry Kane. Son and Richarlison were the most common rotations at center forward, but even Kulusevski had a run there at some point.

However, no matter the variation they went with, Tottenham consistently had at least two problems in front.

1. No strong box presence. Obviously, with Harry Kane gone and not replaced their goal threat was reduced. But it wasn't just the goal threat. It was the lack of a central, focal player up front who gets in the box and gets on the end of chances. Richarlison was perhaps the closest to that profile, but obviously, the drop-off from Kane to Richarlison is immense.

2. No threats from wide areas. Okay, that's a little dramatic. I should have said not enough threat from the wide areas. But, the point still holds. Tottenham struggled to create from out wide last season. Perhaps except for Kulusevski, none of the wingers could be relied upon to create chances regularly from the wings. And that's a problem.

The forward options at the moment are:

Heung-min Son, Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, Richarlison, Timo Werner, Alfie Devine, Manor Solomon

The two signings have been Timo Werner on loan (again) from RB Leipzig, and Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth.

Honestly? I look at this bunch, and I scratch my head.

But first, we must ask the most important question: have the two big problems from last season been addressed by the new signings?

Dominic Solanke has been the marquee signing for Spurs this summer so far. And while many are turning their noses up at the deal, I'd say that Dominic Solanke addresses both problems in different ways so let us look at the one after the other.

You could say that Dominic Solanke indeed addresses the problem of box presence because he is a very traditional in-the-box kind of striker.

Below is a touch map (courtesy of Opta) for all his goals and shots after 31 games last season. As you can see, the vast majority of his work happens inside the opposition's box. Exactly the kind of player Tottenham need to fix their box issues.

If that alone doesn't convince you that Dom Solanke is all about the box, look at his heatmap from last season (courtesy of FourFourTwo)

Again, as you can see, this is a player who will be in the box to get on the end of any chances created. Son likes to drift and that's understandable, Richarlison's best qualities are not necessarily shown in the box. But Dominic Solanke is a different proposition altogether.

Now, for threats from wide areas. Obviously, I'm not about to suggest something ridiculous like Dominic Solanke being an elite-level threat from the wide areas in addition to all his work in the box. Of course not.

However, in signing a proper center forward, Spurs can now afford to move their most dangerous wide player Heung-min Son back to the wing where he is most effective. Due to the lack of a striker, Son started 26 games as a center forward last season, and only 12 on the left wing.

For a man who has been one of the most dangerous wide men in the league during his time at Tottenham, it is simply not beneficial to the team to have him playing out of position so much. And this is not even an attempt to criticise Son in any way, he did an admirable job at centre forward last season. All I'm saying is, keep the man in his preferred position, and let him cook.

Son on the wings certainly doesn't solve the problem completely. Especially not in a season where Tottenham have to compete on so many fronts. But it's a step in the right direction.

Look at that. Solanke brings even more to this team! Is he the gift that keeps on giving? Perhaps!

If you think about it, the most important thing Ange has to be looking out for when signing a player is this: does he fit Tottenham's high and tireless pressing model? Is this player comfortable with being asked not to give the opposition a moment to breathe and close them down relentlessly down to the final whistle?

And let me tell you this for free, Solanke is exactly that type of forward. This isn't really surprising. Under Iraola last season, Bournemouth had one of the highest and most aggressive presses in the league. But, how lucky for Tottenham that Iraola took over Bournemouth at just the right time to produce a tireless pressing center forward who they can just sign.

There are several stats I could throw at you to show Solanke's work rate when pressing. But let this quote from Opta suffice.

Solanke has also shown he would be able to play for a big team that defends by pressing high up the pitch. He leads the Premier League this season for pressures (1,093), pressures in the final third (609) and pressures in the final third resulting in a turnover (133). Not only does he work extremely hard, but he also knows how to press to force a turnover of possession close to goal.

Please note. "He leads the premier league this season..." He's not one of the best at pressing up the pitch, he is THE BEST player at doing that right now. If there is ever an Ange system player, here is the guy.

To fully explore Solanke's pressing tendencies, read this Opta essay and watch this FourFourTwo video.

I know I've just spent the last few paragraphs getting you hyped for the Solanke transfer (and you should be), but I will end this on a grim note. Solanke notwithstanding, I do not think this Tottenham forward line has improved enough to get them in conversations with the very best. Especially not with Europe on the horizon.

Besides Solanke and Son, Kulusevski is probably going to be the most reliable player in this forward line. He will work tirelessly for the team and make the right decisions in 7 out of 10 scenarios on most days.

Timo Werner's loan extension is particularly puzzling to me. Now, I don't hate Timo, I love him and I wish he never went to Chelsea. But, Werner's greatest strength isn't being a threat from the wings in the explosive, front-footed manner Ange wingers need to be. Surely they could have found a winger better suited to that mould to take on loan this season?

Brennan Johnson is another one who worries me. He has not yet had the kind of impact he was expected to after his big-money move from Nottingham Forest. Granted, he's still young and this could be his season. But, one more mediocre season this year, and that signing could prove costly. A waste of a lot of money and squad resources.

Richarlison will probably continue to be an enigma this season. He will have good spells, and bad spells, and never quite sure what kind of player he wants to be. Manor Solomon and Alfie Devine are, well, squad players at best. we don't know that much about them and what they bring to the table.

Like I said in the beginning, I look at this bunch and I scratch my head.

This is Part III in a three-part series. You can read Part II here, and Part I here.

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