Sports Mole

Ashley Phillips has become the latest Tottenham Hotspur youngster to leave the club on loan this summer, joining Stoke City in the Championship for the 2024-25 season.

The 19-year-old joined the Lilywhites from Blackburn Rovers last year and spent the second half of 2023-24 on loan at Plymouth Argyle, where he established himself as a key player.

Phillips was involved in Spurs' pre-season campaign under Ange Postecoglou, but he is yet to make his competitive first-team debut, finding himself behind Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Radu Dragusin in the pecking order.

Tottenham still feel that Phillips can have a bright future at the club, but the teenager has now joined Stoke in search of regular minutes in 2024-25, telling the Potters website: "I'm really excited to be at Stoke City and can't wait to get started.

"I've done my pre-season work, had some great minutes playing, training and learning so much from some fantastic players with the first team squad at Spurs, now I'm ready to kick-on and raring to go."

Phillips made 18 Championship appearances for Plymouth last season and could make his Stoke debut in Saturday's Championship contest with West Bromwich Albion.

Mats Hummels 'in talks' to join La Liga powerhouses

At the other end of the defensive experience scale, Mats Hummels is apparently in talks to join La Liga powerhouses Real Sociedad on a free transfer.

The 35-year-old left Borussia Dortmund at the end of his contract in June, despite shining for the Bundesliga giants during their run to the 2023-24 Champions League final.

Despite his age, Hummels was never expected to be short of offers to continue his career in Europe, and Fabrizio Romano claims that the defender is discussing a switch to La Real.

The former Bayern Munich defender was also rumoured to have been in talks with Mallorca, although Romano adds that such speculation is wide of the mark.

Hummels made a mammoth 508 appearances for Dortmund across two separate spells, in addition to playing 118 times for Bayern, whom he rejoined in 2016 after coming through their youth system.

The 1988-born centre-back could arrive in the Basque country as a replacement for Robin Le Normand, who left Real Sociedad to join Atletico Madrid earlier this summer.

Sergi Roberto pictured in Italy ahead of Como move

From a veteran defender moving to Spain to one heading for the La Liga exit door, Sergi Roberto has been all smiles in Italy as he prepares to finalise his move to Como.

The 32-year-old could not come to an agreement over a new deal with Barcelona, leaving Camp Nou as a free agent this summer after an 18-year spell in Catalonia.

A Premier League move was briefly mooted for Roberto, who was believed to have been keen to test himself in England's top flight and could have proven a useful option due to his versatility.

However, as reported by Gianluca Di Marzio, the Spaniard has now touched down in Italy ahead of his switch to Como, whom he is expected to join on a two-year contract.

Roberto was quoted as saying "Very happy to be here! Forza Como," as he was greeted by the Italian media at the airport, as he prepares to become the latest high-profile player to sign for Como.

The newly-promoted Serie A side - who are managed by Cesc Fabregas - have already added Raphael Varane, Pepe Reina, Alberto Moreno and Andrea Belotti to their ranks, and they are also thought to be close to a permanent deal for Real Madrid's Nico Paz and a loan agreement for Manchester City's Maximo Perrone.

Brentford 'reach full agreement' to sign Brazilian talent

Finally, Premier League mainstays Brentford have reportedly reached a full agreement to sign 18-year-old winger Gustavo Nunes from Brazilian giants Gremio.

The 2005-born attacker has already made 40 appearances for the Gremio first team, contributing seven goals and four assists, including two goals in the current Copa Libertadores.

Nunes is still contracted to the South American side until New Year's Eve 2028, but according to Romano, Gremio have now shaken hands with Brentford on a permanent transfer.

Thomas Frank's side will reportedly pay €12m (£10.2m) to sign Nunes, who will soon undergo his medical with the Bees, and Gremio will also retain a 20% sell-on clause.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou will be expected to make a like-for-like midfield swap for Saturday's Premier League showdown against Everton in North London.

The Lilywhites were held to a 1-1 draw by Leicester City in their first game of the top-flight campaign, where play was stopped for several minutes in the second half due to a worrying head injury for Rodrigo Bentancur.

The Uruguayan - who came off worse in a collision with Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu - was given oxygen as he was stretchered off the field, but Postecoglou confirmed after the game that he was conscious and communicating.

However, Bentancur is guaranteed to miss Saturday's game at the very least, so Yves Bissouma could return from the naughty step to take his place in the XI, having sat out the Foxes draw as a consequence of filming himself inhaling laughing gas.

The Malian and Pape Sarr should reprise their regular midfield partnership behind James Maddison, who set up Pedro Porro's opener on Monday and has also registered more assists against Everton (four) than any other Premier League team.

Son Heung-min and new £65m talisman Dominic Solanke are shoo-ins up front too, despite Richarlison's strong record against his old club, but Dejan Kulusevski will certainly threaten Brennan Johnson's place.

After flicking in Spurs' first goal of the campaign at the King Power, Porro succumbed to a foot/ankle injury late on, but the lack of updates suggests that his issue is not too serious.

Archie Gray and the resurrected Djed Spence are both waiting in the wings, but Porro should be fine to join Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie in a first-choice backline.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke

> Click here to see how Everton could line up for this clash

No Data Analysis info

Both out to right the wrongs of the opening Premier League gameweek, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton square off in North London on Saturday afternoon.

The Lilywhites failed to make the most of their early dominance in a 1-1 draw with newly-promoted Leicester City on Monday, while the Toffees were torn apart in a 3-0 home loss to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Match preview

At the ripe old age of 37, Jamie Vardy's penchant for scoring against the Premier League's Big Six remains alive and well, as the Leicester City talisman - who was not even expected to make the squad on Monday - made Tottenham pay for their wasted chances and woeful defending at the King Power Stadium.

Ange Postecoglou's men deservedly broke the deadlock when ex-Foxes playmaker James Maddison found the run of Pedro Porro with a sublime inswinging cross, but Vardy then capitalised on some horrendous marking from the visitors to nod home the leveller in the second half.

The low-scoring draw was overshadowed by a sickening head injury to Rodrigo Bentancur, although that lengthy stoppage actually aided Tottenham in a way, as Leicester were building up a head of steam and threatening a second before the Uruguayan was given oxygen and stretchered off.

Failure to overcome last season's Championship winners means that Tottenham now have just two victories to show from their last eight top-flight contests, although not since the 2015-16 campaign have Saturday's hosts failed to win their opening two games of a Premier League season.

Furthermore, Spurs have triumphed in their first home game in five of the last six top-flight seasons, the outlier being a slender defeat in September 2020, although there will be no big prize for guessing who inflicted that loss on the North London crop.

On that day, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the hero for Everton behind closed doors at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but he and his teammates were all powerless to quell Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton juggernaut at a gloomy Goodison Park last weekend.

Kaoru Mitoma, Danny Welbeck and Simon Adingra all managed to breach Sean Dyche's backline, and insult was added to injury when veteran defender Ashley Young was given a straight red card for a last-man foul midway through the second half.

On account of suffering the heaviest defeat of the opening weekend, Everton are already residing in 20th place in the Premier League table on goal difference, and Dyche could only describe the Brighton battering as a "horrible game" to witness.

That 3-0 humbling prolonged an August hoodoo for the Merseyside club, who have now gone three years without winning a Premier League match in the current month, losing each of their last four without finding the back of the net in any of them.

Another statistic that makes for unpleasant reading, Everton are still without an away Premier League victory in the whole of 2024 - losing seven and drawing four of their last 11 on the road - and despite fighting back to earn a creditable 2-2 draw versus Spurs earlier this year, that stalemate stretched their winless run in this fixture to seven matches.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Everton Premier League form:

Team News

Before the final whistle blew in Tottenham's clash with Leicester, there was reassuring news on Bentancur's condition, as the Uruguayan was confirmed to be conscious and talking and did not need to be taken to hospital.

However, in line with concussion protocols, Bentancur will certainly miss Saturday's game, where Yves Bissouma - banned for Monday's draw after filming himself inhaling laughing gas - could be a straight swap in the middle of the park.

Bentancur joins Fraser Forster (foot) in the treatment room, while goalscorer Porro also sustained a foot/ankle issue of his own in the second half at the King Power, but Postecoglou did not deliver an update on his condition after the game.

While Porro could therefore be fit for the weekend, Everton will definitely be forced into a change at right-back due to Young's red card, which he has incurred a one-match ban for, and Dyche is now stretched incredibly thin at the back.

Nathan Patterson (thigh) is guaranteed to miss out, while James Garner and Seamus Coleman are touch-and-go with calf injuries, so Dyche may have no choice but to bring in Mason Holgate for the trip to North London.

The visitors' defensive dilemma is further complicated by Jarrad Branthwaite's groin operation, although the Englishman could be back in action soon, while Chermiti is weeks away from recovering from a foot procedure.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bissouma; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke

Everton possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Holgate, O'Brien, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Harrison, Iroegbunam, Doucoure, Gueye, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Everton

Tottenham should have been out of sight by half time in their clash with Leicester, only to be their own worst enemies in front of goal, but the Lilywhites should rectify those mistakes with ease on Saturday.

Working around a rearguard crisis and also boasting a distinct lack of senior midfield options, Everton should be no match for Postecoglou's men as the Toffees' terrible start continues.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

body check tags ::

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!

Both aiming to kickstart their 2024-25 Premier League campaigns at the second attempt, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton pit their wits against one another in North London on Saturday afternoon.

Ange Postecoglou's men appeared to be coasting to victory at newly-promoted Leicester City on Monday, only to fail to build on Pedro Porro's goal and eventually being hit with a Jamie Vardy-sized sucker punch in a 1-1 stalemate.

The Lilywhites still fared better than their Merseyside counterparts, who were embarrassed 3-0 at home by Brighton & Hove Albion and have rarely possessed that winning feeling in this fixture.

Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 188

Spurs wins: 71

Draws: 60

Everton wins: 57

As two of the Premier League's six ever-present teams - the others being Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea - meetings between Everton and Tottenham are regular occurrences and have in fact been since their inaugural FA Cup showdown in 1904.

Fast-forward 120 years, and there have been 188 competitive clashes between the London and Merseyside giants, the former of whom boast the head-to-head superiority with 71 triumphs to their name, although Everton are not too far behind with 57.

Another 60 matches between Spurs and the Toffees have ended with the spoils shared, including their most recent top-flight encounter in February 2024, where Richarlison would seemingly have the last laugh at his old stomping ground with a brace before Jarrad Branthwaite's last-gasp leveller.

While Dyche's men rightly earned plaudits for their fighting spirit in that four-goal stalemate, they are now without a win in seven straight matches against Tottenham, whom they have not prevailed against since a nine-goal FA Cup spectacular in 2021 under Carlo Ancelotti.

That astounding 5-4 success came shortly after Everton's most recent Premier League triumph against Spurs, which appropriately came at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at the start of the 2020-21 season, where Dominic Calvert-Lewin netted the game's only goal.

However, the Toffees' 1-0 success four years ago is the only Premier League victory they have marched to in their last 23 top-flight contests versus the Lilywhites, and they have not won successive meetings on Tottenham's turf since a run of three at White Hart Lane between 2006 and 2008.

In December 2023, Tottenham handed out Christmas presents to their supporters two days early with a slender 2-1 victory - where Richarlison was again on target against his former employers - and previous 2-0 and 5-0 successes mean that Spurs are searching for their fourth straight home win over Everton on Saturday.

The Lilywhites also boast more overall goals (102) and home strikes (63) against Everton than any other side in the Premier League, and 15 of the former have been supplied by Harry Kane, by far and away the highest individual scorer in this battle.

While he is now behind Dominic Solanke in the pecking order, another Richarlison effort this weekend would draw him level with Wayne Rooney (four) as the former Everton player to have scored the most goals against the Toffees since leaving the club.

Last 20 meetings

Feb 03, 2024: Everton 2-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 23, 2023: Spurs 2-1 Everton (Premier League)

Apr 03, 2023: Everton 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Oct 15, 2022: Spurs 2-0 Everton (Premier League)

Mar 07, 2022: Spurs 5-0 Everton (Premier League)

Nov 07, 2021: Everton 0-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Apr 16, 2021: Everton 2-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Feb 10, 2021: Everton 5-4 Spurs (FA Cup Fifth Round)

Sep 13, 2020: Spurs 0-1 Everton (Premier League)

Jul 06, 2020: Spurs 1-0 Everton (Premier League)

Nov 03, 2019: Everton 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

May 12, 2019: Spurs 2-2 Everton (Premier League)

Dec 23, 2018: Everton 2-6 Spurs (Premier League)

Jan 13, 2018: Spurs 4-0 Everton (Premier League)

Sep 09, 2017: Everton 0-3 Spurs (Premier League)

Mar 05, 2017: Spurs 3-2 Everton (Premier League)

Aug 13, 2016: Everton 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Jan 03, 2016: Everton 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Aug 29, 2015: Spurs 0-0 Everton (Premier League)

May 24, 2015: Everton 0-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Last 10 Premier League meetings

Feb 03, 2024: Everton 2-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Dec 23, 2023: Spurs 2-1 Everton (Premier League)

Apr 03, 2023: Everton 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Oct 15, 2022: Spurs 2-0 Everton (Premier League)

Mar 07, 2022: Spurs 5-0 Everton (Premier League)

Nov 07, 2021: Everton 0-0 Spurs (Premier League)

Apr 16, 2021: Everton 2-2 Spurs (Premier League)

Sep 13, 2020: Spurs 0-1 Everton (Premier League)

Jul 06, 2020: Spurs 1-0 Everton (Premier League)

Nov 03, 2019: Everton 1-1 Spurs (Premier League)

Read more on Spurs vs Everton

Premier League football returns to the King Power Stadium on Monday evening, when Leicester City host Tottenham Hotspur in their first game back in the top flight.

The Foxes won the 2023-24 Championship and now kick off a new era under Steve Cooper, while the Lilywhites just missed out on a top-four placement last season, and here Sports Mole rounds up the team news for both clubs.

LEICESTER CITY vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

LEICESTER CITY

Out: Jamie Vardy (knock), Patson Daka (ankle), Conor Coady (hamstring)

Doubtful: Luke Thomas (unspecified)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Soumare; Reid, Mavididi, Fatawu

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Yves Bissouma (club suspension)

Doubtful: Richarlison (calf), Fraser Forster (foot)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here. body check tags ::

Tottenham Hotspur's record signing Dominic Solanke is in line to make his full Premier League debut for the club when they meet Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Monday.

After joining from Bournemouth in a deal that could fetch up to £65m, Solanke was presented to the Tottenham crowd in their recent friendly loss to Bayern Munich, and Ange Postecoglou confirmed in the week that he had been training well.

As Richarlison is still dealing with a calf problem and has been absent throughout pre-season, Solanke should be given the nod up front for the 2024-25 opener, spearheading an otherwise familiar attack.

Dejan Kulusevski and captain Son Heung-min - able to cause havoc on the left flank thanks to Solanke filling the central void - will start out wide, as James Maddison pulls the strings in the number 10 slot.

After filming himself inhaling laughing gas, Yves Bissouma was slapped with a one-game suspension by Postecoglou, who should therefore call on Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur to man the midfield; the latter memorably suffered an ACL injury in Spurs' last visit to the King Power in 2023.

Postecoglou has chopped and changed his defence throughout pre-season owing to international absences and injuries, but the Australian should have his first-choice backline available in front of Guglielmo Vicario.

Destiny Udogie has fully recovered from a quadriceps operation, while Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro are all raring to go too.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke

> Click here to see how Leicester could line up for this match

No Data Analysis info

Leicester City manager Steve Cooper is facing an unwelcome attacking conundrum for Monday's Premier League opener against Tottenham Hotspur at the King Power Stadium.

During their final match of pre-season - a 3-0 loss to Lens - Patson Daka suffered a severe ankle injury which required surgery, and the striker faces a few months on the sidelines.

Daka is one of two Leicester strikers in the medical bay, as the veteran Jamie Vardy has been plagued by a knock throughout the summer and is still a couple of weeks away from a comeback.

With Daka and Vardy sidelined, Tom Cannon is the only out-and-out striker in Cooper's ranks, but the Foxes boss may instead side with ex-Arsenal youngster Stephy Mavididi in a central role.

Bobby Decordova-Reid and Abdul Fatawu will likely flank Mavididi in Leicester's attacking trident, while former Tottenham midfielder Harry Winks should feature from the off against his old club.

Should Cooper opt for a more conservative shape, Wilfred Ndidi and Boubakary Soumare may join the Englishman in the middle, but the injured Conor Coady (hamstring) will not be manning the defence.

Instead, Jannik Vestergaard and Wout Faes could act as Mads Hermansen's central shield, in between full-backs James Justin and Ricardo Pereira; Luke Thomas requires a late fitness test.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Soumare; Reid, Mavididi, Fatawu

Premier League Monday night football makes its long-awaited return on August 19, as Tottenham Hotspur provide Leicester City with a stern test of their top-flight credentials at the King Power Stadium.

The Foxes are adjusting to life without Championship-winning coach Enzo Maresca, while Spurs have top-four desires to fulfil after coming so close yet so far last term.

Match preview

© Imago

With the Arsenal-Tottenham rivalry still as bitter as ever, a chunk of Lilywhites fans happily relinquished their hopes of watching their side play Champions League football in 2024-25 at the expense of the Gunners' title dream, as a 2-0 home loss to Manchester City in the closing stages of the campaign proved telling on two fronts.

After an apoplectic Ange Postecoglou ranted and raved about supporters siding against their team, Spurs still wound up in a respectable fifth position to earn direct entry into the Europa League, but there was a palpable sense of what could have been for the North London crop.

No manager had ever taken more than 25 points in their first 10 Premier League games before Postecoglou hit the 26-mark, but as injuries and inconsistency began to take its toll, Tottenham spent most of the campaign hovering on the periphery of their title-chasing rivals.

Nevertheless, Postecoglou always insisted that a top-four finish was never the priority for his first campaign in charge - rather serious signs of progression - and a praiseworthy start to pre-season saw Tottenham put all of Hearts, Queens Park Rangers, Vissel Kobe and Team K-League to the sword.

However, two defeats against two Bayern Munich sides - the latter of which featured departed top scorer Harry Kane - disrupted Spurs' summer momentum, but only one of the visitors' last eight opening-day contests in the Premier League has seen them come out on the wrong end of the scoreline.

© Imago

As Postecoglou prepares for season number two at the Tottenham helm, Monday's match will mark a maiden competitive game for Steve Cooper as Leicester head coach, after 2023-24 title-winning boss Enzo Maresca could not resist the pull of a long-term Chelsea contract.

Some members of the King Power faithful became disenchanted with Maresca's style towards the end of his reign anyway, as after leading the Championship back for months on end, a downturn in form plunged Leicester's automatic promotion hopes into serious jeopardy.

However, the 2015-16 Premier League winners ultimately survived that late scare to pip Leeds United and Ipswich Town to the crown, finishing with 97 points on the board to jump back up to the big time at the first time of asking, before swapping Maresca with ex-Nottingham Forest boss Cooper.

Like Postecoglou, the Leicester coach also oversaw a strong start to pre-season - wins over Villarreal and Shrewsbury Town - before three straight losses to Palermo, Augsburg and Lens, and the threat of a potential points deduction for alleged financial breaches is also a highly unwelcome distraction.

Leicester are not expected to learn their possible punishment fate until 2025, though, and full focus now turns to Monday's reunion with Tottenham, whom they memorably demolished 4-1 at the King Power during their most recent showdown in February 2023.

Leicester City friendly form:

Tottenham Hotspur friendly form:

Team News

© Imago

Tottenham boss Postecoglou has been laying down the law in pre-season, suspending midfielder Yves Bissouma for Monday's game after the Mali international recently filmed himself inhaling laughing gas.

Fraser Forster (foot) and Richarlison (calf) are on the touch-and-go list, but the latter has now been bumped down the pecking order by £65m arrival Dominic Solanke, who should be in line for his full Lilywhites debut on Monday night.

No Tottenham debutant since Steven Bergwijn in 2020 has netted on their first Premier League appearance for the club, while long-serving captain Son Heung-min has 13 direct involvements from 14 previous meetings with Leicester, nine of his own and four assists.

Sticking with the attacking theme, Leicester have already been dealt a devastating injury blow up front, as Patson Daka has undergone surgery for a serious ankle injury - which he sustained in the loss to Lens - and is facing a few months on the sidelines.

Jamie Vardy - a tormentor of Big Six sides during his Premier League prime - is also still on the mend from a pre-season knock, while Conor Coady (hamstring) misses out too, and Luke Thomas will require a last-minute fitness test.

With neither Daka nor Vardy available, Leicester should turn to either Tom Cannon or Stephy Mavididi to fill the void up top, while Harry Winks should be a nailed-on starter against his old club in the middle.

Leicester City possible starting lineup:

Hermansen; Pereira, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Ndidi, Soumare; Reid, Mavididi, Fatawu

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke

We say: Leicester City 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur

As Leicester are lacking two of their principle goal threats and failed to score in their last three matches of pre-season, those backing a Tottenham clean sheet should be left with a smile on their face come full time.

The Lilywhites were not exactly solid at the back in pre-season either, but Postecoglou's men have a taste for goals and should subject their hosts to a harsh welcome back to the Premier League.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!

Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the signing of English striker Dominic Solanke in a club-record deal from Bournemouth.

The 26-year-old has penned a six-year contract with the Lilywhites until the end of the 2029-30 campaign, and the Cherries are expected to receive an initial £55m plus £10m in add-ons for Solanke's sale.

Bournemouth confirmed in their statement that Solanke is now the most expensive sale in their history, and the £65m man also becomes Spurs' record signing of all time, eclipsing Tanguy Ndombele's £54m switch from Lyon in 2019.

The former Chelsea and Liverpool striker becomes Spurs' third arrival of the summer after Archie Gray and Yang Min-hyuk, and the Reds are also set to receive around £10m as part of the deal thanks to a sell-on clause.

Speaking to the Cherries website, Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake paid tribute to Solanke's professionalism while negotiations rumbled on in the background and revealed that the South Coast club were braced for a European-competing team to come calling for Solanke eventually.

Bournemouth chief offers "sincere well wishes" to Solanke

"When we identified Dominic as a target and brought him to the club five years ago, we did so with the understanding that this was always a possibility," Blake said.

"As he began to realise the great potential we knew he had, it quickly became in the club's best interest to protect his value and so we were delighted to agree terms on a new contract last summer.

"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.

"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."

Solanke steps into Harry Kane's Tottenham shoes

Solanke - who was also labelled a "club icon" by the Cherries in their exit announcement - leaves Bournemouth with a record of 77 goals and 31 assists from 216 matches across all competitions, including a terrific 19 Premier League strikes in 2023-24.

Only Cole Palmer, Alexander Isak and Erling Haaland netted more goals in last season's English top flight than Solanke, who will be expected to come straight into the Tottenham XI as Ange Postecoglou's new number nine.

Having failed to secure a big-money replacement for Harry Kane last year, only bringing in the young Alejo Veliz and loaning him to Sevilla in the second half of the campaign, Tottenham relied on Richarlison and Son Heung-min as their chief attacking threats last season.

However, Richarlison could now be given the green light to leave the club amid links with Saudi Arabia, while Son is in the last year of his contract, although his terms do include a 12-month extension option.

Solanke is not expected to face Bayern Munich in Sunday's friendly, but he should be in line for his Tottenham debut in their opening Premier League match away to Leicester City on August 19. body check tags ::