Solanke surgery leaves Spurs struggling for strikers
Tottenham Hotspur's English forward Dominic Solanke reacts after missed attempt on goal during the UEFA Europa League quarter-final second leg football match between Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham Hotspur in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany on April 17, 2025. A first-half Dominic Solanke penalty sent Tottenham to a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday and into the semi-finals of the Europa League 2-1 on aggregate. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank confirmed Monday that his side will be without striker Dominic Solanke for their Champions League meeting at Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt.
The 28-year-old
last played for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City and has now undergone
a minor surgery to fix his injured ankle which will keep him out of Tuesday's
match as well as the Premier League meeting with Leeds on Saturday.
"It’s a
small procedure, so that will mean he is not ready for today of course and of
course Leeds as well,” Spurs boss Frank told a press conference ahead of the
game in the Arctic Circle.
"We’ll have
more news about a timeframe after the international break but I don't expect it
to be long."
Surgery for
Solanke leaves Frank light on attacking options at the Aspmyra Stadion, with
Randal Kolo Muani, who is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, unable to train on
Monday because of a dead leg.
Frank said the
medical staff were "on top of" the problem but Muani is out of the
picture for Tuesday leaving Richarlison as the only fit striker for a rematch
against the side that Spurs beat 5-1 on aggregate four months ago to reach the
Europa League final.
Mathys Tel
featured in the 2-0 win in Norway but is not registered for Tottenham's
Champions League squad.
The Europa
League champions will also be without their captain Cristian Romero. Frank said
he had been left in England as a "precaution" after a bruising
encounter with Wolves.
However, Ben
Davies is back after a minor knee issue and will be in the frame to play a part
on Tuesday.
Danish coach
Frank heaped praise on Bodo after their historic run to the Europa League
semi-final was followed by qualification for the Champions League for the first
time.
Frank, who
succeeded Ange Postecoglou as Spurs coach during the summer, said he had
watched video of the games but played down the relevance of their recent
history.
"How many
months is that? Four months ago? With all due respect, I was not the coach.
This is a new game. This is a new situation," he said.
Spurs won their
opening match 1-0 against Villarreal in London while the Norwegians drew 2-2 at
Slavia Prague.


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