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Coach Enze Postecoglou stressed that Dominic Solanke needs further development.

Tottenham Hotspur lost to Arsenal 0-1 in the fourth round of the 2024-25 Premier League at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, at 10 p.m. on the 15th. With the defeat, Tottenham will lose two consecutive games following the match against Newcastle United. Arsenal recovered from the Brighton draw and gained three points.

Solanke has returned to the starting lineup. After failing desperately for Chelsea and Liverpool, Solanke moved to Bournemouth, where he scored only two goals in 32 matches in the first season and his team was demoted. Solanke has completely changed in the English Championship minor league. He has become the best striker in the championship by racing wildly. While at the championship, he scored 44 goals in 86 matches. During the 2020-21 season, he had 15 goals and eight assists in 42 matches in the English Championship minor league. He achieved career-high scores by scoring 29 goals in 46 matches in the next season.

He also scored goals in the Premier League. In the 2022-23 season, he made six goals and seven assists in 33 matches in the league. In the last season, he recorded 19 goals and three assists in 38 matches, which was the best record in his personal career in the Premier League. Alexander Isaac, Cole Palmer and Elling Holan were the only players who scored more goals than Solanke. Son Heung-min was also under Solanke with 17 goals.

Solanke, who needed a striker, came to Tottenham Hotspur with 64.3 million euros in transfer fee. It was the highest ever transfer fee for Tottenham, surpassing Tanguy Ndombele and Hishalisson. Solanke, who made his debut for Tottenham in the first round match against Leicester City, was absent due to injury. He strengthened his physical condition during the A-match break, and prepared to return to the match against Arsenal.

He did not have any significant presence in the match against Arsenal. He was completely overwhelmed by William Saliba and Gabriel Magalyangis. Crosses to Solanke continued, but the team failed to display sufficient performance. The shot was not led to an effective shot in the second half, and the team had only 28 touches. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario had the 31st shot. He positioned himself at the center with Son at the end of the second half to stage an attack, but ended up scoreless.

Postecoglou said after the match, "Solanke worked hard, but you have to know that he did not play in an official match for more than a month. This is the second game of this season. There were some moments when I felt sorry, but everyone lacked in the final third game. We have to work harder to create good chances. He seemed to lack confidence in finishing the game. He needs to keep making efforts and will give feedback to players. Even if he rules a game, he needs to stay calm when he is cool. That's his role."