FPL new signings: Is Dominic Solanke a good buy at £7.5m?

Dominic Solanke’s arrival at Tottenham Hotspur was confirmed on Saturday, for a fee that could rise to £65m depending on add-ons.

Priced up at £7.5m by Fantasy Premier League (FPL) upon the game’s relaunch earlier this summer, the 26-year-old is in contention to feature in Spurs’ Premier League opener against Leicester City.

We run the rule over Solanke in this Moving Target piece, where we have included data and images from our Premium Members Area and StatsBomb, with whom we are partnering for 2024/25.

• READ MORE: FPL 2024/25 team previews: Spurs – Best players, predicted line-up + more

SOLANKE TO SPURS: IN QUOTES

“We identified him because he has the attributes we are looking for in terms of that position. He gives us some things we probably have been missing in the last 12 months, particularly when Richy [Richarlison] was out last year.

“When Richy played he was very effective for us but it was quite evident when he was out we didn’t really have a player who can make the impact that I know Dom can in the final third and just with his general play. So I think he will be a good fit for us.” – Ange Postecoglou

“Me as a player, I’m ambitious on the pitch, I work hard for the team, score goals, leave it all out there and love winning, so hopefully we can win a few things together. That’s what I’m going to bring, that fighting spirit. I’d say my attributes are movement, goals, hard work and link-up play, so hopefully I can bring all that together at Tottenham.” – Dominic Solanke

SOLANKE: FPL HISTORY

After an indifferent spell at Liverpool, Solanke joined Bournemouth in January 2019.

Signed by Eddie Howe for £19m, he initially struggled to score goals, finding the net just three times in his first 42 Premier League appearances for the club.

He blitzed the Championship in 2021/22, racking up 29 goals, but could only follow that up with six upon his return to the top-flight.

However, he went from strength to strength under Andoni Iraola last season. Coached to stay central and remain higher up the pitch, Solanke scored 19 goals to finish joint-fourth in the race for the Golden Boot.

Above: The leading FPL forwards for goals in 2023/24

Solanke achieved 22 attacking returns overall, while his 175 points ensured he was the third-highest FPL points-scoring forward – an excellent achievement given that he was playing for a bottom-half club.

WHERE DOES SOLANKE FIT IN AT SPURS?

This one is straightforward, simply because Solanke is a pure centre-forward.

Tottenham now have two main options in this position, with Richarlison (£7.0m) set to compete with Solanke for a starting berth.

The Brazilian did a good job of leading the line for Spurs last season, scoring in eight successive winter games, but Solanke is more technically adept for the role and should do a better job.

Dejan Kulusevski (£6.5m) has had a fantastic pre-season playing in the number nine role for Spurs, but he should move to the right or central midfield.

“No, I don’t think [we’ll use Kulusevski there again]. The good thing about Deki is that he can play attacking midfield and out wide. I think the reason why we signed Dom, and hopefully Richy should be ready as well, is that we want to have a player through that area who is a bit more accustomed to that role.

“Deki has done a great job for us but I think his strengths and attributes are more in that attacking midfield or wide role. I think he is really developing and has had a really strong pre-season for us and hopefully, it gives us some more flexibility and potency through the midfield when he is playing because he can get into those scoring areas.” – Ange Postecoglou

… AND WILL HE START IN GAMEWEEK 1?

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