Tottenham Hotspur continued their pre-season preparations for the 2025/26 campaign with an interesting split of two games on the same day against Luton Town and Wycombe Wanderers.
The Lilywhites failed to win either match, with a mix of first-team and youth players, as they were held to a 0-0 draw by the Hatters and a 2-2 draw by the Choir Boys.
New signing Mohammed Kudus, who arrived from Premier League rivals West Ham United earlier this summer, played in the goalless draw with Luton, failing to help his team break the deadlock.
One player who was not in action in either of the matches, though, was centre-forward Dominic Solanke, as the club confirmed that he has suffered a minor ankle injury.
The England international is the club’s only senior, natural, number nine option, and he missed 14 games through injury in the 2024/25 campaign, which may leave Spurs wary of going into next season with him as their only natural striker to call upon.
Why Spurs need to sign a new centre-forward
The Lilywhites should be in the market to sign another goalscorer because the team seriously lacked a consistent scorer in the Premier League last term, as evidenced by Brennan Johnson ending the year as the top scorer with 11 goals.
Solanke’s fitness issues are a concern, because of the 14 games he missed last term and the ankle injury he has already sustained in pre-season, but his performances when fit have also been concerning.
The 27-year-old centre-forward did not enjoy a particularly impressive debut season with Spurs in front of goal, as the former Bournemouth attacker failed to hit double digits for goals in the Premier League.
Solanke ended the season with a return of 16 goals in 45 matches in all competitions for the Lilywhites, but he underperformed against his xG of 16.55 and only nine of those goals came in the top-flight.
The English marksman scored nine goals from 10.97 xG in the Premier League and five goals from 5.58 xG in the Europa League for Spurs, which shows that he was wasteful in front of goal.
Appearances
27
xG
10.97
Goals
9
Minutes per goal
245
Big chances missed
12
xA
1.15
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, the ex-Cherries attacker missed too many ‘big chances’ in the top-flight and was not a reliable goalscoring presence for Ange Postecoglou.
It now remains to be seen whether or not he can step up his game to be the consistent goalscorer that Thomas Frank needs to push the team up the table next season.
That is why the club must sign a new number nine option to bolster their squad, and they are reportedly looking at a forward who would be a big upgrade on Solanke.
Spurs exploring deal for prolific striker
According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham Hotspur are one of a number of clubs exploring the possibility of a deal for Al Hilal centre-forward Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The report claims that Premier League sides Newcastle United, Manchester United, and Spurs are all keen on a possible swoop for the Serbia international during the summer transfer window.
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It states that Tottenham want to add new players to their forward line this summer because of Richarlison and Heung-min Son’s declining form, and that they view Mitrovic as a player who can be a viable alternative to Solanke next season.
CaughtOffside adds that Al Hilal are looking for a fee in the region of around €30m (£26m) in order to sanction a summer transfer for the prolific centre-forward.
However, it remains to be seen whether Spurs, Newcastle, or Manchester United are prepared to pay the £26m that is needed to secure his services in the coming weeks.
Why Spurs should sign Mitrovic
The Lilywhites should push to win the race for the experienced number nine before the end of the summer transfer window, because he would come in as a big upgrade on Solanke for Frank.
As aforementioned, the current Spurs number nine has struggled to score goals on a regular basis and has been a wasteful finisher in the Premier League, but that is unlikely to be the case for Mitrovic in North London.
The 30-year-old star, formerly of Fulham, has racked up a staggering 68 goals and 15 assists in 79 appearances for Al Hilal since his move from the Cottagers in 2023.
He also produced a phenomenal return of 111 goals in 206 games for Fulham during his time in England, which shows that he is also a proven and consistent goalscorer in English football.
Mitrovic, who was described as an “absolute monster” by Saudi Arabian news journalist Matt Monaghan, is an experienced and proven goalscorer who could come in to offer far more than Solanke in front of goal in the Premier League next season.
Appearances
28
23
xG
26.60
17.41
Goals
28
19
xG on target
26.26
22.12
xA
2.48
1.33
Assists
5
2
As you can see in the table above, the Serbian marksman has scored 47 goals in two seasons in the Saudi Pro League, outperforming his xG in both of those campaigns.
These statistics show that he is an incredibly efficient forward who can consistently put away the high-quality chances that are created for him, or created by his own movement and play in possession.
Mitrovic also scored 14 goals in 23 starts in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign with Fulham before his move to Saudi Arabia, which shows that he can also be an effective number nine in the English top-flight.
With question marks over Solanke’s ability to be the starting number nine that Spurs need to kick on next season, due to his lacklustre finishing and underwhelming goal return, signing the Al Hilal star for £26m is a move that could make a lot of sense this summer.
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Mitrovic could come in as a huge upgrade on the England international, if he can translate his form in Saudi Arabia over to the Premier League, as he has the potential to offer significantly more to the team in front of goal.
