Solanke under the microscope: Tottenham's £65m equation and the elephant in the room named Richarlison

In the 66th minute at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Dominic Solanke left the pitch with a blank stare. He had just played another match without impact against Aston Villa. The whistles from the stands were not loud, but they were enough to sense the restlessness. Roberto De Zerbi did not hide it: "His physical condition is not good enough." A short sentence, but it opens a whole complicated mess about the £65 million, about a winless season, and about a squad decision being criticized by the whole ground. This is not the first time Solanke has been substituted early. Earlier, at Goodison Park, he also disappeared in a 0-0 draw with Everton. Tottenham have not won in 5 Premier League matches. They lost 2-3 to Aston Villa at home. Last season, this club had to fight to stay in the top flight, and Richarlison with 11 goals was considered the hero. Yet now, the Brazilian striker is left out of the 25-man squad to make room for Xavi Simons – a player still on long-term injury. Meanwhile, Solanke, the club's most expensive striker signing, has scored only 1 goal in 7 appearances, and that was against Charlton in the Carabao Cup. If you only look at the numbers, the story seems simple: Solanke is playing badly, and De Zerbi is right to criticize. But I have been watching football for nearly four decades, and I know that between the two whistles, there is a world that the scoreboard cannot measure. Let us dig deeper. First, Solanke's problem is not tactical. De Zerbi did not say he was in the wrong position, did not say he did not understand the instructions. He spoke about physical condition, about confidence. Solanke has turned 29, a sensitive age for a striker who depends on pace and power. He had an injury-hit 2026-26 campaign and missed the entire pre-season. As I once wrote, fixing a wrong name takes 47 days; keeping a person's trust is forever. For a player who missed pre-season, regaining sharpness usually takes 6 to 10 competitive matches. Solanke has only 7, and one of them was in a domestic cup. This could just be a recovery phase, not a permanent decline. Second, the real problem of Tottenham is dependency. They do not have a reliable backup striker. Mathys Tel was left on the bench, and even in the loss to Aston Villa, De Zerbi explained that he needed players who could change the game, and Tel was not among them. Richarlison is out of the squad list. So the team has only one centre-forward, Solanke, even though he is half-fit. What happens if he gets injured again? Who will score? The current answer lies in Conor Gallagher and centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke – the ones who ended Tottenham's goal drought. Goals coming from midfield and centre-back are not a sustainable attacking model. Third, we cannot ignore the phrase "elephant in the room." Tottenham's board kept Xavi Simons, a long-term injured player, instead of Richarlison, who scored 11 goals last season. De Zerbi once said that Richarlison "decided everything alone" when the move to Everton collapsed. But look at reality: Tottenham have no firepower, and they voluntarily removed a proven goalscorer. Every winless match will further raise the question: "Why drop Richarlison?" That is a self-inflicted pressure loop, and De Zerbi is putting himself in a difficult position. Speaking of De Zerbi, the Italian coach is gambling on public statements. He both defended Solanke by saying "I will stay with him until the end" and publicly criticized his physical condition. In the dressing room, this approach can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, it creates pressure for the player to respond. On the other hand, it sends a message to other players: if a £65 million star can be publicly criticized, then there is no hiding place. That can break internal trust. Let us look at the numbers. Solanke has 1 goal in 7 matches, an average of 0.14 goals per match. For a striker bought for £65 million at age 29, that is a disaster compared to expectations. But as I have said, football never owes us a result; it only owes us a story. Solanke's story is still open. Without xG data, without touches in the box, we cannot determine whether he is missing chances or not being served. The truth lies somewhere between those silent moments. Another point often ignored by the media: Tottenham are trapped by their own financial decisions. Solanke has turned 29, his transfer value is declining. If they sell him in January, Tottenham would have to record a huge loss, affecting PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules). So economically, keeping him for another season is a must. But keeping a fading player, while the backup goalscorer is excluded from the squad list, is a huge gamble. I still remember the 2026 season, when stadiums were closed due to the pandemic. I started a podcast called "Breathing in the Empty Stadium" – listening to the sounds left behind: wind, the closing of dressing room doors. The emptiest stadium still has a breath, only that you have to listen with your heart. Tottenham now is the same. The scoreboard does not show the anxiety in Solanke's eyes, does not show the phone calls of Richarlison's agent, does not show the impatience of the board. But they all exist. So what is the signal to follow? The next three matches will decide a lot. If Solanke remains goalless, the pressure will become unbearable. If Tottenham continue their winless run, questions about De Zerbi's future will be raised. And if Richarlison remains excluded, a January departure is almost certain. The equation is not just for Solanke. It is the equation for the whole club, about how they spend money, about how they manage people. Between two whistles, there is a world that the scoreboard cannot measure. Tottenham are stuck in that world. And that world does not forgive repeated mistakes.