Tottenham Hotspur are the most disappointing team in European football, though considering they finished 17th in the Premier League last season, perhaps disappointment is not the right way to frame Spurs futility; they are finally now as dreadful as they deserve to be.
There are bright spots in the squad, though. One of them, lately, has been Dominic Solanke. Though he's been hampered again by a throat issue, Solanke was a revelation upon his return from a nasty foot injury, immediately making an impact in a big win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
But even as Solanke has asserted himself as the clear No. 9 for Spurs, a look at his numbers exemplifies the root of the problem at Tottenham. Sure, the attacking talent itself is far from adequate for a club of Big Six status, but the delivery of chances to the strikers and forwards is the real travesty here.
Tottenham cannot create sufficient chances
Look at Solanke's numbers. Before he joined Spurs, he was able to average 3.48 and 2.95 shots per 90 minutes in his final two healthy seasons with mid table club Bournemouth. Even in his first season at Tottenham under Ange Postecoglou, Solanke's shots per 90 average fell to 2.45.
But now under Thomas Frank (and Igor Tudor) rule, Solanke is averaging career lows with 1.70 shots and 0.68 shots per target per 90. Whereas his shots per target average in his first season with Spurs was about the same as his final season with the Cherries, the chances - and the quality of chances - available to Solanke have fallen off a cliff in 2025/26.
That speaks volumes to how difficult it is for a striker to succeed at Tottenham with how weak the team is tactically. They are a disaster, and while Solanke and Richarlison are still working hard to sniff out those few chances, even Randal Kolo Muani has given up as a hired gun from PSG.