Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank will have been delighted with Saturday’s 2-0 victory against his former club Brentford in the Premier League.
Goals from Richarlison, signed for £60million, and Xavi Simons, signed for £52million, secured all three points for the Lilywhites, as two of their most expensive signings begin to show their quality.
One expensive signing who doesn’t offer the team too much at the moment however is £47.5m addition Brennan Johnson, who was an unused substitute against Brentford.
Why Brennan Johnson wasn’t a waste of money for the Spurs
The Wales international has not scored in the Premier League since August, with four goals in all competitions this season, and has not been used off the bench in two of the last three matches, according to Sofascore.
Signed for £47.5 million from Nottingham Forest in 2023, Johnson does not currently appear to be good value for money, given his struggles this season, but he has not been a waste of money if his total time at the club so far is anything to go by.
The 24-year-old striker has provided 27 goals and 18 assists in 104 games for the Lilywhites, according to Transfermarkt, including the winner in last season’s Europa League final.
It could be argued that his winning goal in that final alone was worth £47.5 million because of the memories it created, as the club’s first trophy in 17 years.
Meanwhile, there is another expensive signing in the Spurs squad who should be sold, as he has been a bigger failure than Johnson and has yet to justify his price tag.
The Spurs player expected to be sold in January
Dominic Solanke has been out with an ankle injury since August, with no return date given by Frank, but he is expected to be mercilessly sold in the January transfer window.
Spurs spent a record transfer fee of £65 million to sign the England striker from Bournemouth in the summer of 2024, and his performances on the pitch have not reflected that huge outlay.
For a 27-year-old, now 28, who was brought in as a proven Premier League star in the early years of his career, Solanke has not offered enough in front of goal to suggest he was worth it, with just nine league goals for the club to date, according to Sofascore.
In April, pundit Micah Richards claimed the £65m signing had “been a disappointment all season” in the 2024/25 campaign, and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment when you look at his stats, notably costing them around £4m per goal so far.
|
Solanké – 24/25 |
Premier League |
Europa League |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
27 |
13 |
|
xG |
10.97 |
5.58 |
|
Goals |
9 |
5 |
|
Big missed opportunities |
12 |
4 |
|
Minutes per goal |
245 |
161 |
|
Statistics via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, Solanke underperformed against his xG in the Premier League and Europa League last season, missing more ‘big chances’ than he scored goals in the first.
Johnson, meanwhile, has scored double the goals with 11 Premier League goals for the Lilywhites, meaning he has scored four more league goals for Spurs than Solanke since the start of last season, according to Sofascore.
This shows that the Welshman, who plays on the wing rather than as a striker, has been more productive than the former Bournemouth player in the Premier League, while also having more impact overall, given his winning goal.
Solanke simply hasn’t done enough on the pitch since signing for the club to prove the Lilywhites were right to spend £65million on him, which is why they should cut their losses and cash in on him in January.
His current injury problems only add fuel to the fire, as Spurs no longer know if they can count on him to be fit and available, while also not knowing if they can count on him to be effective in front of goal as a number nine.
Richarlison’s return of six goals and two assists in nine Premier League starts so far this season, according to Sofascore, also suggests Solanke will not be first-choice number nine when he returns to fitness.
Fewer touches than Vicario and 88% of duels lost: Spurs’ flop must now be abandoned
A Tottenham Hotspur player may have to be ruled out despite yesterday’s win over Brentford.
This is an additional reason for the club to take advantage of the big January flop to invest in a new recruit in this position, because the Englishman’s transfer to north London has not worked out so far.
