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Ange Postecoglou makes Ivan Toney Tottenham transfer admission amid Dominic Solanke truth

Ivan Toney has signed for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia
-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)


Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Tottenham did look at Ivan Toney this summer but Dominic Solanke was the striker he wanted to sign.

Having scored goals for fun at Brentford in both the Championship and Premier League, Toney was linked with a whole host of clubs and an exit from the Bees was always likely to come to fruition.

Linked with both Tottenham and Chelsea - as well as Arsenal previously - the frontman in the end headed for Saudi Arabia at the end of August after completing a big-money move to Al-Ahli. Very much a player who could have succeeded in Postecoglou's Spurs system with the team desperately lacking a proven goalscorer to play up front, the head coach and Spurs instead only had eyes for Solanke.

On the eve of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, Spurs struck a deal with Bournemouth to sign the player in a deal worth up to £65million. Missing out on the recent Everton and Newcastle United games after sustaining an injury on the opening weekend at Leicester City, Solanke is still waiting to get off the mark after his first three games for the club.

The ex-Chelsea academy ace will be desperate to open his Tottenham account this weekend against Brentford as Spurs look to climb the Premier League table. Now that they are due to face Toney's former side, Postecoglou was quizzed about the England international in his pre-match press conference at Hotspur Way.

"We looked at him but the reality was that Dom is the one that I wanted," said the Australian. "It took the whole summer to get him in but he was the one that fitted the profile that we wanted."

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Speaking about Solanke awaiting his first Tottenham goal and if he will need to deal with his big transfer fee, Postecoglou said: "I don't know because people are just so quick to judge, mate. It's a small sample. The guy has played less than two games for us.

"If he has gone 15 games without a goal then I can answer that question or 15 games where he hasn't contributed, but I just think take a breath. Do a bit of yoga. Think about the world for a second and make an assessment after that.

"We don't have to rush to make judgement all the time because the alternative is he may have got off to a great start, he is fit, scored in all four games, is flying and then he goes through a patch like all strikers where he doesn't score.

"I just don't look at those things. What I look at is he has come in, fitted really well and quite logically has picked up an injury that has disrupted the way he wanted to start his career, but he's still got plenty of time for that."

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