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min as Tottenham legend returns after £100m transfer

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Harry Kane returned to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the first time since leaving the club to join Bayern Munich last summer. The German giants travelled to north London for what will be Spurs' final friendly before the new season starts.

The Spurs hero was honour before kick-off by club icon and ambassador Ledley King along with Eric Dier on their return. The pair received a warm ovation by the home fans.

Kane struggled to hide back the tears when the trumpet started playing before kick-off. Initially named on the bench for the friendly, the England captain came on in the 79th minute minute when Bayern led 3-2.

The entire stadium got off their seats to applaud their former captain as Kane made his way on the pitch. The first thing he did once coming on was to greet former teammate Son Heung-min and the pair shared a few quick words and a hug before Son was replaced himself.

Prior to the friendly, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou had no doubts fans would give him a warm welcoming. "I’m sure he’ll get the right sort of acknowledgement and appreciation from a fanbase that adored him as one of their own," he said. "Look, he’s a quality player and he proved that last year, went to the Bundesliga and broke records.

"Outstanding player and I hope it is a good day for him in terms of before the game, not during the game, because he is a generational player. So, I am sure our fans will give him the welcome he deserves and I am sure he will appreciate it. It should be a good day for him until the whistle goes and then hopefully we make it a bit more miserable for him."

Kane left Spurs last summer to complete a £100 million move to the German giants. The striker scored 44 goals in 45 games in all competitions in his debut campaign.

Tottenham first half player ratings vs Bayern

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Tottenham first half player ratings vs Bayern - Kulusevski scores but set piece woes remain - Football.London
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Tottenham Hotspur are 3-1 down to Bayern Munich in their final pre-season match before their Premier League campaign begins at Leicester City and here are our first half player ratings.

Harry Kane and Eric Dier were part of a quick pre-match presentation on the pitch before the game while new Spurs signing Dominic Solanke was introduced to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium crowd after sealing his £55m plus add-ons move from Bournemouth, while Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall were also unveiled. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Rodrigo Bentancur were back on the bench after their international exploits.

Spurs scored within 24 seconds. Dejan Kulusevski intercepted a Bayern headed pass and Brennan Johnson ran up the pitch and sent the ball back to him, albeit just behind him. Although the Swede could not control the ball, it bounced back to him and he touched it home.

Bayern levelled on 17 minutes. There was a free header at the back for Mathys Tel from a free-kick and Dayot Upamecano bundled it in after Guglielmo Vicario palmed out the initial effort.

Both sides had further chances but Spurs conceded a sloppy second. Vicario's pass out to Yves Bissouma was closed down quickly and the ball came out to Serge Gnabry who fired it low and into the net from the edge of the box. Thomas Muller then headed home a third for Bayern from another set-piece late in the half.

Here are our first half Tottenham player ratings:

Guglielmo Vicario

Saved Tel's first header but it fell to Upamecano to tap in. Played a dangerous pass to Bissouma that was closed down easily leading to Gnabry's drive into the net. Did make a couple of good saves though, including one later in the half from Musiala. Nothing he could do about Muller's close range header. 6

Pedro Porro

Picked up an early knock and had a busy time down the right. Put in a decent ball late in the half but couldn't quite find Son. 5

Radu Dragusin

Made a couple of good interceptions in his own box even though he came back later than the rest. Was caught napping a bit for the second Bayern goal. 6

Ben Davies

Made an important interception early on his own box, but still filling in as a makeshift centre-back and Tottenham need their regulars back. 5

Djed Spence

Did well on the whole on the left, with a few driving runs through the centre, albeit having plenty of space to defend behind. 6

Pape Matar Sarr

A mixed half in keeping with his pre-season with moments that impress and moments that look shaky. 5

Yves Bissouma

Started the game brightly but faded noticeably as the half wore on. Hasn't played more than 45 minutes yet this summer and he doesn't look as sharp other than in the opening stages of games. 6

James Maddison

Quiet on the whole again until a late effort over the bar. 4

Brennan Johnson

Broke with Kulusevski for the early goal, albeit playing his pass just behind the Swede. Didn't contribute much else. 4

Dejan Kulusevski

Took his early goal well, seizing on the ball when it bounced back to him after setting up the attack with a good interception. Had a shot saved by Neuer later in the second half but then lost Muller for Bayern's third goal. 7

Son Heung-min

Looked a threat and had a few good runs and was in the right place a few times if the ball had been better but it didn't arrive at his feet. 6

Tottenham drop double transfer message vs Bayern Munich with Ange Postecoglou stance clear

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Tottenham duo Giovani Lo Celso and Dane Scarlett could leave the club before the end of the summer transfer window after Ange Postecoglou put their futures in doubt just a week before the Premier League opening day. On the same day that the club confirmed the addition of Dominic Solanke, the attacking pair could be heading in the opposite direction.

Spurs finish their pre-season preparations at home to Vincent Kompany's Bayern side having been defeated in Asia by the same opponents just one week earlier. For Tottenham, it comes as their last game of the summer before travelling to Leicester City on August 19.

After leaving both Lo Celso and Scarlett out of the squad for the match in north London, Postecoglou may have put the final nail in the coffin for the pair. Lo Celso, specifically, hasn't had the chance to impress his manager having joined up with the squad later than his teammates following success at Copa America.

Having gone all the way with Argentina, playing in the final on July 15, Lo Celso has not played a minute for Tottenham since the final week of last season. It leaves him undercooked heading into the new campaign, with an exit not ruled out.

The 28-year-old's contract runs out next summer and is unlikely to have a serious role to play under Postecoglou. He played 22 times in the league last season but only started four of those, and was relied on more heavily than initially planned due to injury problems throughout the squad.

Lo Celso himself suffered with two periods out and has added competition for the midfield places after Archie Gray was signed from Leeds earlier in the window. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has departed.

As for Scarlett, he has played a bigger part of Postecoglou's summer work but didn't get off the bench in Asia, sitting out the games against Vissel Kobe, K-League Allstars, and Bayern. He was initially involved in the matches prior to the tour against Hearts and QPR.

Scarlett, 20, signed a new contract at Tottenham last season that still has three more years to run, but failed to make much impact in the opportunities that followed. He didn't score in a loan spell at Ipswich that was cut short and was only offered minimal minutes from Postecoglou in the first team.

Neither player is thought to have been rested against Bayern on the second occasion, with Postecoglou not drawing attention to injuries or fitness concerns prior to the match. Instead, the manager chose to go with Pape Matar Sarr, James Maddison, and Yves Bissouma in midfield over Lo Celso, with Gray, Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Lucas Bergvall on the bench as options as well.

Tottenham XI vs Bayern Munich: Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Kulusevski, Son.

Subs: Austin, Gunter, Udogie, Romero, Van de Ven, Donley, Skipp, Gray, Bergvall, Bentancur, Devine, Moore, Solomon, Werner, Lankshear.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham! Click here for in depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Dele Alli approves £65m Tottenham transfer as brilliant James Maddison moment revealed

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Tottenham's £55million signing of Dominic Solanke has already gone down well with supporters and now even the club's current and former stars have given their verdicts.

The striker has put pen to paper on a six-year contract to swap the south coast for north London after he netted 21 times for Bournemouth last season, with his introduction set to hand manager Ange Postecoglou a massive boost to his side's attacking threat.

Ever since the loss of Harry Kane last summer in his £100m move to Bayern Munich, Spurs have heavily felt the need for a centre-forward and now with Solanke through the door, the Spurs boss will finally have what he's been highlighting as an issue over the past few weeks.

Speaking to football.london over the club's preseason tour of Japan and South Korea, he said: "To a certain extent, I have always felt that if you get the recruitment right then whoever it is hits the ground running. We signed Micky van de Ven three days before the first game last year, against Brentford, and we threw him straight in. He literally hit the ground running.

"We are trying to identify players who fit into our style of football. There will be a bit of adjustment but hopefully they will already have those qualities to come into the group and contribute straight away. That is my expectation when we sign someone - they will be ready to contribute from the moment they arrive.

"We showed last year that we were still a threatening team going forward without Harry. We are talking about a generational talent here, he was never going to be replaced, but invariably there will always be comparisons.

"It's pretty evident from the way we play that we are never going to be reliant on one player. When we are up and running we can score from many different areas. Hopefully the striker, when he is playing in our system, is a beneficiary of that as well as a contributor."

In a post on Spurs' official Instagram account, Solanke was seen talking to James Maddison who came to see him during his medical examination before his announcement as a Tottenham player. The pair both played for England Under-21s at the 2019 UEFA U-21 Championship alongside the likes of Manchester City star Phil Foden and Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Maddison can be seen walking in and clapping while Solanke is in the middle of one of his tests. He asks the doctor: "Can I say hello? He's not in the middle of one of his tests, is he?" The doctor replies: "He is actually!" before the pair hug.

They then talk about Spurs' preseason tour of Japan, the nation that has inspired all of Solanke's anime-themed celebrations that grabbed headlines throughout last season, with Maddison asking Solanke if he's ever been to the country before Solanke tells him he went there over the summer.

Solanke can then be seen taking another test after Maddison has left the room saying: "Top guy Madders, top, top guy."

Former Tottenham star Dele Alli has also given his approval, simply posting a 'love-heart eyes' emoji under Solanke's announcement on Instagram.

Djed Spence starts with Gray and Bergvall on bench

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Ange Postecoglou has selected his final Tottenham side before the Premier League season begins with Bayern Munich the visitors at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tottenham supporters will get the chance to say a proper farewell to Harry Kane a year after he left the club for the German giants, as well as Eric Dier, who left in January. It comes on the same day as Spurs signed Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in a £55m deal plus add-ons with the 26-year-old striker set to be unveiled at the game in N17.

Richarlison has also made it clear that he wants to stay at Tottenham which means Postecoglou will finally have a couple of strong options up front with captain Son Heung-min also able to play through the middle. Richarlison is back in training following his calf injury but is not yet ready to play and the same goes for Fraser Forster and his fractured foot. Destiny Udogie however has been back in training for two weeks now and the Italian left-back is ready to play some minutes ahead of the opening Premier League game at Leicester City.

The Tottenham fans should get the first chance to see the other new summer arrivals Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall in action while Timo Werner was re-signed for another season on loan. All three start the match on the bench.

With Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Rodrigo Bentancur and Giovani Lo Celso having only just returned to training after their international exploits, Postecoglou has had to start the game with a centre-back pairing of Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies. Djed Spence starts again at left-back with Pedro Porro on the right.

Lo Celso is the only one of the returning players to not make the bench. Up front Dejan Kulusevski continues to fill in as a false nine with Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson either side of him.

Here is the team Postecoglou has selected: Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Kulusevski, Son. Subs: Austin, Gunter, Udogie, Romero, Van de Ven, Donley, Skipp, Gray, Bergvall, Bentancur, Devine, Moore, Solomon, Werner, Lankshear.

Dominic Solanke's first words on Tottenham transfer, what excites him most and his ambitions

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Dominic Solanke has admitted that he cannot wait to get started at Tottenham after joining "a huge club with ambitions that match mine". The 26-year-old completed his move to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday afternoon in a £55million deal that could rise to £65million with add-ons.

Solanke enjoyed an incredible 2023/24 campaign with Bournemouth where he scored 21 goals in all competitions and now he will be hoping to replicate his form in north London. Following confirmation of his big-money transfer, the ex-Chelsea youngster has opened up joining Tottenham and outlined what exactly he can bring to the club.

"I feel delighted. Obviously it's a magnificent club, a huge club with ambitions that match mine, so I'm delighted to start, meet all the boys and I can't wait to get started," he said in an interview with the club.

"What excites me most about the club is how ambitious it is. Obviously a huge club with great ambitions that I want to be part of as well and it's a great manager, great players and I feel like it definitely suits my style of play as well so I can't wait to get started and do my stuff on the pitch.

"I'm familiar with James Maddison, we spent some time at England together. He's a top guy, a great player as well so that's one familiar face I already know and, like I said, I'm getting excited to meet the rest of the boys as well.

"I think the club has great depth throughout the whole squad, attacking options are great as well and that's what a top club needs. I'm really looking forward to playing with them, competing with them and hopefully we can achieve great things.

"I think me as a player I am ambitious on the pitch, I work hard for the team, score goals, leave it all out there and I love winning so hopefully we can win a few things together. That's what I'm going to bring that fighting spirit.

"I've had quite a journey in football, everyone's journey is different, but I wouldn't change it as I've had a lot of ups and downs as well and I think that's made me who I am today on and off the pitch. I'm grateful for everything really and hopefully I can carry on my form.

"I'm improving all the time, at the moment I am full of confidence and I feel like my game has improved a lot. I'm at that point in my career where it's all starting to come together and I think that was the start of last season.

"The season is not that far away and I'm sure that the boys will make me feel welcome and we can learn [from} each other very quickly, but, like I mentioned earlier, the style of play definitely suits me as well and I'm looking forward to gelling with everyone.

"I would say my attributes are movement, goals, work hard, link-up play and hopefully I can bring all that together for Tottenham."

Dominic Solanke true colours shown during £65m Tottenham transfer amid Bournemouth admission

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Tottenham have confirmed the signing of Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke on a six-year contract and the star has already shown his true colours since putting pen to paper in north London.

Ever since the departure of the club's record-goalscorer Harry Kane last summer in a £100million move to Bayern Munich, Spurs have been desperate for a traditional frontman and now manager Ange Postecoglou has his man a week before the Premier League season begins.

The 26-year-old netted 21 times for the Cherries last season and with Spurs splashing out on an initial £55m fee, which can rise to £65m with add-ons, it's clear their bolstered attacking threat will be one to look out for come the start of the season.

It's an area of the pitch that the Australian has long been touting for upgrades, having previously admitted during this summer's preseason tour of Japan and South Korea that it's the 'thinnest' area of his squad and that he'd hope that anyone they bring into the fold in that position will hit the ground running straight away.

Speaking to football.london, he said: "To a certain extent, I have always felt that if you get the recruitment right then whoever it is hits the ground running. We signed Micky van de Ven three days before the first game last year, against Brentford, and we threw him straight in. He literally hit the ground running.

"We are trying to identify players who fit into our style of football. There will be a bit of adjustment but hopefully they will already have those qualities to come into the group and contribute straight away. That is my expectation when we sign someone - they will be ready to contribute from the moment they arrive.

"We showed last year that we were still a threatening team going forward without Harry. We are talking about a generational talent here, he was never going to be replaced, but invariably there will always be comparisons.

"It's pretty evident from the way we play that we are never going to be reliant on one player. When we are up and running we can score from many different areas. Hopefully the striker, when he is playing in our system, is a beneficiary of that as well as a contributor."

In a statement released by the Cherries in the wake of Tottenham's announcement, they acknowledged Solanke's professional attitude through the entire process of leaving the club which he's called home for the past five seasons since he joined from Liverpool in a £19 million move.

"After Dominic’s performances for us - in particular his impressive 2023/24 season - it has come as no surprise that a team of Tottenham’s calibre has shown an interest," the club wrote on their website.

"This move has developed quickly but Dominic has remained professional throughout and I’d like to thank him for that.

"It’s a testament to the character he has always shown while at this club, on and off the pitch. His development since arriving in 2019 is a credit to his work rate and endeavour, as well as the platform AFC Bournemouth gives young talent to grow.

"We’re pleased to secure a club record fee for Dominic and he also leaves with everyone’s sincere well wishes at AFC Bournemouth."

Tottenham next transfer already clear after £65m Dominic Solanke move confirmed

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Tottenham have confirmed the arrival of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth in a £65million package deal and another transfer is set to follow shortly. Just eight days ago Ange Postecoglou dropped a major transfer hint, essentially confirming the club's priority was to sign a striker.

"I think for us what's more important is the type of striker we get," the Tottenham boss told football.london in South Korea. "You know we play a certain way. We demand certain things from a physical perspective from the technical aspects of it that it's going be a striker that fits that mould.

"It's still the area of the park we're really probably the thinnest when I talk about squad-wise at the moment, so obviously that's a focus for us." Swiftly following that, links to Solanke got stronger with the 26-year-old open to the move if the two clubs could reach an agreement on a fee.

The Cherries' asking price stood at £65million because of the release clause in his contract, with the Lilywhites agreeing to pay that sum. However, it has been agreed as a package deal and thus only £30million of that will be paid upfront with the remaining funds available in add-ons.

With such a marquee signing now confirmed, attention looks set to turn onto the 2024/25 Premier League campaign. However, there are still a few weeks of the summer window remaining with plenty of movement still expected at Hotspur Way.

Any further incomings though, will likely hinge on permanent exits being sanctioned and one of those is imminent. AC Milan entered talks to sign Emerson Royal several weeks ago and have now agreed to sign the Brazil international in a deal worth up to £15.4million (€18m).

Confirmation of his move to Italy could arrive very soon with Spurs unlikely to need a replacement given the impact of Djed Spence in pre-season. As for further incomings, Postecoglou could opt to sign another midfielder following the departure of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg or potentially acquire some depth at left-back.

Tottenham confirm fifth summer signing with £65m Dominic Solanke transfer

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Tottenham have completed the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth. Spurs agreed a deal with the Cherries on Friday to sign the striker and a deal has now been confirmed.

Spurs have needed a striker since Harry Kane left the club to sign for Bayern Munich last summer in a £100million transfer. And with just a week until the new Premier League season starts, Ange Postecoglou has got his man.

Solanke has signed a six-year contract at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having signed on the dotted line in an initial £55million deal that could rise to £65million with add-ons.

The frontman notched 21 goals in 42 games for Bournemouth last season - his best return in the top flight - finishing as the joint fourth top scorer in the Premier League.

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou admitted his need for a new forward during the club's pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea, declaring it the "thinnest" area of his squad. And he also admitted he needed to remain patient when it came to transfers.

Speaking to football.london, he said: "Last year we had to be a bit creative, it's fair to say. You know but if Harry [Kane] would have stayed I definitely would have used him! So I think for us what's more important is the type of striker we get.

"You know we play a certain way. We demand certain things from a physical perspective from the technical aspects of it that it's going be a striker that fits that mould. It's still the area of the park we're really probably the thinnest when I talk about squad-wise at the moment, so obviously that's a focus for us."

Dominic Solanke Tottenham transfer announcement imminent as Ange Postecoglou seals huge signing

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Tottenham have worked throughout the night to wrap up the transfer of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth. Back in June, football.london reported Solanke was on the club's striker shortlist before being moved up the pecking order as the summer window elapsed.

Earlier this month, Spurs began exploring a potential move, with talks quickly beginning after Solanke gave his green light to the switch. On Friday, Tottenham reached full agreement with the Cherries to sign the 26-year-old in a deal worth up to £65million, football.london understands.

Just hours after news came out of the major Solanke breakthrough, Ange Postecoglou faced reporters ahead of Spurs' final pre-season clash against Bayern Munich, where the topic of Solanke was unsurprisingly brought up. "I don't think we've been looking to replace Harry," he replied when asked about the Solanke links and if he was the man to replace Harry Kane.

"I think I said a number of times last year you can't replace a generational player and there's a reason they stand apart. It's fair to say front third is an area we really believe we need to reinforce this year. We've been working hard to try and get the right kind of players into those areas we need for another challenging season ahead.

"We're back in Europe, which means more games, and the one thing coming out of last year when we had disruptions in terms of injuries or suspensions there was a real drop off and we want to sort of try and mitigate that this year by having a stronger squad to cope with everything we do."

With just nine days until the new Premier League season kicks off, Tottenham were clearly hoping for Solanke to get a full week of training under his belt and that looks set to happen. According to the Athletic, the former Liverpool and Chelsea man completed his medical and signed a six-year contract in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Both parties have also signed all the formal documentation to make the transfer official, with just an announcement video needed. However, as Solanke is in north London, the club could choose to announce their huge new signing to fans inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for today's friendly against Bayern.