Former Tottenham Hotspur striker Darren Bent has backed Dominic Solanke to smash the 20-goal barrier in the Premier League this season.
Spurs completed the £55m signing of Solanke from Bournemouth at the weekend in a move that should finally replace Harry Kane, who left for Bayern Munich last summer.
Solanke caught the eye with 21 goals across all competitions last season, including 19 in 38 Premier League appearances.
However, that remains the 26-year-old’s best top-flight return to date, with Solanke only managed 10 goals in his previous 96 Premier League outings prior to 2023/24 for Bournemouth and Liverpool combined.
With that in mind, there may well be worries that last season was a one-off for Solanke, whose only previous seasons breaking double figures (2020/21 and 2021/22) both came in the Championship.
Solanke to break 20-goal barrier in Premier League?
Bent has no such concerns. In fact, the former Tottenham striker — who was a part of the club’s 2008 EFL Cup-winning side — has backed Solanke to break the 20-goal mark in the Premier League alone.
“Dominic Solanke has never hit 20 in the Premier League goals in a season,” Bent told talkSPORT, adding: “For Solanke, 19 goals last season, he’s now ready for that big club.
“He had a little stint at Chelsea when he was young, he went to Liverpool and it didn’t quite happen, but at Spurs, I reckon he will score 20+ goals this season.
“If he can get a first goal early in the season it will give him so much confidence. It just settles everything down if he can score early.”
Solanke should make his Spurs debut against Leicester City on Monday night, with manager Ange Postecoglou insisting he has no reason to suspect a recent minor foot injury will cause a problem.
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