By signing Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes, Tottenham Hotspur shocked the Premier League.
By no means the bride and all the time the bridesmaid, Spurs threatened to lastly be part of English soccer’s elite after they spent £100m on Tonali and £85m on Fernandes.
This isn’t often how the Lilywhites behave. To say they pench pinch can be flawed, however very not often are they on the desk to signal the most effective gamers in English soccer. Nonetheless, after very practically being relegated, one thing needed to change.
That stated, whereas it’s nonetheless early days, Tonali seems extra like the brand new Tanguy Ndombele than he does the brand new Mousa Dembele. Once more, the membership’s recruitment has been referred to as into query, significantly in assault. They’re but to attain a single objective within the league this time period.
What made Dembele so particular
After signing for Tottenham, Tonali and Fernandes will probably be hoping to comply with within the footsteps of Dembele. The Belgian was a marvel in north London and undoubtedly the best midfielder to grace the midfield for Spurs within the final decade.
What made him so particular? Properly, we’ll let a few of his colleagues do the speaking right here. Kyle Walker beforehand went so far as to explain him as “the most effective dribbler I’ve ever seen”. Eric Dier, in the meantime, claimed that “he is a monster and he is obtained ballerina ft on the similar time.”
Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere was additionally a fan, as soon as remarking that the previous Spurs midfielder’s “dribbling was a joke”.
In that regard, he was the most effective the English top-flight needed to supply. In 2016/17, Dembele accomplished 2.6 dribbles per recreation. For context, solely 5 gamers accomplished extra; Alexis Sanchez, Wilfried Zaha and Eden Hazard have been amongst them, so he was in wonderful firm.
Throughout his time at Spurs, he performed 249 occasions, scoring ten objectives and helping 11. He was by no means rampant going ahead however he was a exceptional presence in midfield.
Nonetheless, all good issues should come to an finish.
Why Spurs changed Dembele with Ndombele
Within the winter of 2019, Dembele left Spurs and headed for Chinese language shores. Their substitute arrived the next summer season. That participant was Ndombele.
Signed for £55m, he was a then-club file addition however it’s protected to say he by no means lived as much as the hype.
On paper, he seemed like the right Dembele substitute. Sturdy, aggressive, a assured ball-player and technically elegant, the Frenchman seemed like one other Paul Pogba within the making. This was the precise sort of midfielder Spurs wanted to bolster the center of the park.
Sadly, his time in north London was marred by a poor work fee and a poor perspective. Jose Mourinho as soon as outlined that “we [Spurs] needed to begin with him as a No 10. He didn’t have the self-discipline, the energy or the stamina to be a midfield participant.” Damning phrases certainly.
His time at Spurs was so poor that he was shipped out on mortgage on three separate events, firstly to his former employers Lyon, then to Napoli and Galatasaray. None of these spells noticed him rediscover his type and he ultimately left on a free switch in 2024.
Why Spurs are dealing with an Ndombele repeat
From the most effective midfielders Spurs have ever needed to one of many worst signings of their historical past, it might be protected to say this transfer didn’t go effectively. In reality, it was one thing of a catastrophe.
In fact, it’s not simple to exchange a cult hero. They’re icons for a purpose; they’re extremely uncommon gamers. Dembele is arguably nonetheless missed seven years after his departure from White Hart Lane.
Properly, within the current day, the same state of affairs has performed out, and it is occurring on the prime finish of the pitch.
In 2024, Tottenham lastly stated goodbye to Harry Kane. Like Dembele, he is an icon in these components. In reality, he is greater than that; he is a legend. No participant has scored extra objectives (280) than him for Spurs. He is 14 forward of the good Jimmy Greaves.
Changing that stage of output was going to be unattainable. Even so, Dominic Solanke has not been the person they want. It is arguably the largest downgrade since that Dembele to Ndombele transfer.
To chop the striker some slack, he did take pleasure in a productive first marketing campaign within the capital, scoring 16 objectives following a mega £65m transfer from Bournemouth.
The similarities to that Ndombele deal are clear to see. Spurs wanted to exchange one of many greats and so they did so by breaking their switch file. Therein lies the issue.
|
Solanke objectives per season |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Video games |
Targets |
|
2020/21 |
43 |
15 |
|
2021/22 |
48 |
30 |
|
2022/23 |
35 |
7 |
|
2023/24 |
42 |
21 |
|
2024/25 |
45 |
16 |
|
2025/26 |
20 |
6 |
|
2026/27 |
5 |
1 |
Solanke has not been a catastrophe however his £65m charge now seems obscene for the extent of performances seen. Final time period, the centre-forward did miss loads of motion via harm however he nonetheless solely scored six occasions in 20 outings. That isn’t the file of a big-money striker.
This time period the issues run deeper. The previous Chelsea and Liverpool man did discover the web towards Charlton however like the remainder of his colleagues, he’s but to attain within the Premier League this season. His efficiency on Saturday towards Everton was indicative of the downgrade they’ve discovered.
Solanke performed simply 63 minutes. Inside that point, he took simply 20 touches and solely accomplished 12 passes. Whereas he’s completely satisfied to drop deep and hyperlink the play like Kane, what he then does with possession is incomparable. He did not handle a key cross or full a dribble towards the Toffees.
Moreover, to sum up Tottenham’s woes within the closing third, he didn’t have a single shot both. For a participant who price as a lot as he did, the variety of occasions he goes lacking in video games is unacceptable.
The hierarchy did signal Omar Marmoush in the summertime and in time, they’ll hope that he does a greater job of replicating Kane’s numbers than Solanke has.
