Dominic Solanke has endured a frustrating start to the season.
Tottenham Hotspur’s club-record signing, a £65million ($82.5m) arrival from Bournemouth in August 2024, came off the bench in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain and their opening two games in the Premier League before suffering a recurrence of an ankle injury which initially caused him trouble during pre-season. The England international’s last appearance was in a 2-0 victory at Manchester City on August 28.
Before Spurs’ 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 27, head coach Thomas Frank said: “It’s an ankle injury which has just been a little bit tricky. It’s nothing big. We are positive it will be relatively quick.” A few days later, Frank announced Solanke needed to have surgery but it was a “small procedure” and “I don’t expect (the recovery) to be long.”
Solanke has been forced to watch from the sidelines as Spurs find their feet under Frank, who replaced Ange Postecoglou in June. The 28-year-old is slowly edging closer to a comeback but will not be available for this weekend’s north London derby or Wednesday’s Champions League tie with PSG.
“It’s been very difficult,” Solanke tells The Athletic in an interview at the Fanatics Collectibles store in central London, a couple of days before Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Manchester United. “At first, I didn’t think I would be out for too long but we didn’t really understand the extent of the injury. I was trying to get back as quickly as I could but it didn’t happen, so I had to have surgery. Since then, I have been working to get back.
“I’m not putting a timeline on it because I’ve been telling everyone ‘I’m going to be back soon’ for the last few months. I’m taking it day by day but hopefully I won’t be much longer.”
Solanke has seen external specialists over his injury. He has been back in the gym building up his strength and should be available soon.
Spurs sorely miss Solanke. They have struggled to create chances from open play without him, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, who are both recovering from long-term knee injuries. During his time in Chelsea’s academy, Solanke rotated between the No 9 and No 10 positions, and he is therefore comfortable dropping deep and turning with the ball or sprinting into space behind the opposition’s defence. Spurs crave his ability to link together midfield and attack.
Solanke scored nine goals in 27 top-flight appearances last season but it was his work rate that stood out. He would chase and harass defenders into making mistakes, allowing Spurs to turn over possession high up the pitch. Randal Kolo Muani is recovering from a fractured jaw he suffered against Manchester United, although that injury will not require surgery, while Richarlison and Mathys Tel have been inconsistent throughout their time in north London. Frank desperately needs his first-choice striker fit and healthy.
“I haven’t had the chance to work with (Frank) too much but he is a great man manager,” Solanke says. “All the players are loving having him around. He speaks with us all and has meetings every day. Even with the coaching staff he has brought in, everyone gets on so well. It’s a great environment.
“We have had a good start to the season. When a few of us come back (from injury) and strengthen the squad, hopefully we can do some big things.”
One of the reasons Solanke joined Spurs was to compete for trophies and play regularly in European competition. He scored crucial penalties in the quarter- and semi-finals of their victorious run in the Europa League, and can recall the exact moment when Spurs ended their 17-year trophy drought.
“(Manchester United) had a goal kick and I asked the referee, ‘What is going on?,” Solanke recalls. “He said, ‘It’s done.’ So when (Andre Onana) kicked the ball I said to myself, ‘Damn, we did it.’ I was so happy we won and then I realised Sonny (Son Heung-min), who had been at the club for so long, actually did it, so I went over to congratulate him. After that, I went to see my family. They have been through everything and it was nice to share that moment with them.
“It was the best feeling I have ever had in my life. Even this season, I keep thinking back to it because I want to have that feeling again. Going through football, you never know if you will actually win a trophy. When you do, the feeling is crazy.”
Solanke has had a lot of spare time while he recovers from injury. It has given him an opportunity to indulge his love of anime, the Japanese form of animation. It is now well documented that some of his goal celebrations have even been inspired by characters from Naruto, One Piece and Jujutsu Kaisen.
In August, he hosted an early screening of the film Demon Slayer Infinity Castle at Soho Hotel in London. He recommends watching Death Note and Attack on Titan.
Surprisingly, he draws the most inspiration from Vegeta in Dragon Ball. Surprising because Vegeta is an antagonist at the beginning of the series before he develops a friendship with the main character Goku. Solanke has a tattoo of Vegeta on his right arm.
“He knows that Goku is the strongest warrior,” Solanke says. “Vegeta is the underdog but always believes he can be the best. His mindset is crazy and something you can take from.”
The best example of Solanke adopting Vegeta’s attitude is in relation to his international career. Solanke helped England to win the Under-20 World Cup in 2017 and was named the player of the tournament. At the end of the year, he earned his first senior cap under Gareth Southgate in a friendly against Brazil at Wembley. He had to wait seven years to make another appearance.
“At times, it was difficult to understand how, but I always believed that when I found my feet again, I would get back there,” he says. “My career has not been straightforward. I was at Liverpool when I received my first call-up and then went to Bournemouth. I loved my time there. They gave me the opportunity to learn, grow and express myself. I felt like, when I had those minutes and goals behind me, I could make it back to the top.
“My move to Tottenham was my way of feeling like I got back. It was a long time but I finally made it back (to the England squad) and I want to stay there now.”
Solanke has three caps but is yet to feature under Thomas Tuchel, having been included in the German’s first England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia in March, only to be an unused substitute.
“Another reason why I have been so frustrated is because it is a World Cup year and everyone wants to show why they should be going. There have been three international breaks this season and I have not been available for any of them. It’s been difficult but it is part of football.”
Solanke’s other hobbies include collecting figurines and trading cards. It is an interest he rediscovered during the Covid-19 pandemic after collecting football cards and playing the popular game Yu-Gi-Oh! during his childhood. He would take books packed with cards, including Blue Eyes White Dragon and Dark Magician, into school to trade with his friends. He plans to put them on display along with the figurines and his football shirt collection in a special custom-built studio in his house, which has nearly been completed.
Instead of buying individual cards, Solanke prefers to purchase boxes. The most he has spent in one day is around £4,000 on a crate of boxes containing One Piece cards. He is trying to find special-edition versions of every single member of Tottenham’s Europa League-winning squad so he can display them in his studio around a replica trophy he has ordered, and hang a framed, match-worn shirt from his former captain Son.
Just before our interview started, Solanke found a card of himself.
“I enjoy doing this and I like to share that with the world and speak to the community,” Solanke says. “In this day and age, everyone wants us to focus on football but we are humans and have our own passions. A lot of players are starting to show their interests, which is great for us because the more people who express their passions outside of football, the more comfortable we can feel and the more people can understand we are not robots.”
Solanke can spend hours opening boxes of cards and his wife, Erica, knows to leave him alone in the studio he describes as “my little den”. Another family member frequently disturbs him, though.
“My little daughter, she doesn’t care,” Solanke says. “She comes in anyway but I can’t say no to her. I need to put the valuable stuff out of her reach.
“The shirts are my prized possession. They are something I will look back on forever because all of the shirts I have are from people I played with or against. Son’s is my favourite. I had the pleasure of playing with him in his last year at the club. I was only with him for one year but I was so happy to be part of the team that helped him to win a trophy.”
Watching anime shows and collecting trading cards have been helpful distractions for Solanke while he recovers from surgery but it should not be too much longer until he is back doing what he does best — scoring goals.