“The shirt’s too big for him” – ex-PL star gives damning verdict of Tottenham summer signing. Dominic Solanke is struggling with the weight of the Tottenham Hotspur shirt and needs to ‘calm down’, according to Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Spurs completed the £55m signing of Solanke from Bournemouth in August in a move that they hoped would finally replace Harry Kane, who left for Bayern Munich last summer. Solanke caught the eye with 21 goals across all competitions last season, including 19 in 38 Premier League appearances.
However, that remains the 26-year-old’s best top-flight return to date, with Solanke only managing 10 goals in his previous 96 Premier League outings prior to 2023/24 for Bournemouth and Liverpool combined.
With that in mind, there may well be worries that last season was a one-off for Solanke, whose only previous seasons breaking double figures (2020/21 and 2021/22) both came in the Championship.
Those fears will be exacerbated among Spurs fans, with Solanke yet to register a goal or assist in three appearances for this new club.
Most recently, he had just 24 touches of the ball and failed to attempt a shot in 62 minutes as Spurs came from behind late on to beat Coventry 2-1 away from home in the EFL Cup.
Tottenham shirt ‘too big’ for Solanke?
It’s certainly not been the ideal start to life at Tottenham for Solanke who, according to Agbonlahor, appears to be struggling with the expectations at Spurs and needs to get back to basics.
“You know with Solanke, Solanke has just got to like, have a chat with the manager and just calm down,” former Villa striker Agbonlahor told talkSPORT. “He looks like he’s… the shirt’s too big for him at the moment.
“Just remember what you did last season for Bournemouth, you were outstanding, think about the things you were doing last season.
“Holding the ball up, making runs, being strong, being aggressive, getting in the box because, he doesn’t want to be that player that you go two or three games without scoring.
“When you’re at a new club, the pressure comes on. He got brought off last night again, perfect game at the weekend for him against Brentford at home to hopefully get off the mark.”Agbonlahor then urged Solanke to believe in his own ability and why Spurs paid so much for his services, while calling on Ange Postecoglou to stick with him.
“The big advice I’d give him is that you’re a top player and there’s a reason why you were bought for big money,” Agbonlahor continued. “At Bournemouth, he was a menace, he was bullying defenders and putting his body in the way. Just don’t think to yourself that you are at a bigger club now at Spurs that the pressure is on.
“He just needs that first goal now. Ange needs to keep playing him.”
