Tottenham have to face another brutal Dominic Solanke truth in the winter transfer window

Tottenham Hotspur manager Roberto De Zerbi has desperately tried to make things work with Dominic Solanke as his starting striker this season, and while Spurs are increasingly realizing that new summer signing Omar Marmoush is more of a support striker than a true No. 9, it appears preferable to still start the Egyptian international above Big Dom.

Because it is starting to click even for De Zerbi that Solanke is his worst player. That was evident in an actual win by Spurs over a 10 man Crystal Palace, with Solanke failing to do anything of consequence in the attack as a scorer, creator, or even general goal threat despite Spurs outright dominance of the match.

This winter transfer window, Tottenham are going to have to find his replacement. There are the dream superstars of the future like Eli Junior Kroupi, the expensive stars of the present like Victor Osimhen, the bargain bin playres like Orri Oskarsson, and the hidden gems of the future like Monza's Gustavo Varela.

But no matter who Tottenham Hotspur look at, all of them will be better than Dominic Solanke in a side by side comparison, especially when looking at the raw data. And that's because Solanke has been so bad that literally anyone Spurs could possibly find this winter would be an upgrade.

The problem is that Spurs have been here before, including with the Solanke signing itself, when it comes to having a ton of options to make an upgrade. Tottenham have to be careful that they are comparing their options not only to each other but also to what their ideal striker would be in order to make it back into the Premier League top five not just this season but in every season for the next several seasons.

Not only do Spurs have to acknowledge that Dominic Solanke is nowhere near good enough as a starting striker to bring them into the top five, but they also have to acknowledge that because he is so below that standard, anyone will look good in comparison. What Spurs need to do is realize that every striker they look at this winter has to measure up to being a top striker, and if they are not and are, then they either need to be off the list or, if they could be a top striker in the future, they would need to be paired with someone who can help them win now.