Tottenham Hotspur reinforced almost every area of the squad in the summer. In attack, they recruited Savio, Omar Marmoush and Mykhailo Mudryk, as Roberto De Zerbi hoped to add flair, creativity and goals to his side.

However, neither of the aforementioned trio have managed to make any goal contribution in the Premier League thus far. Marmoush arrived on a season-long loan from Manchester City with a buy obligation next year, but has not managed to make much of an impact. The Egyptian has been ineffective as a No.9 in recent games.

Following Richarlison’s exclusion from the Premier League squad, Dominic Solanke has been Roberto De Zerbi’s first-choice No.9 this season. Solanke hasn’t looked sharp since the start of the season, perhaps owing to a disrupted pre-season campaign. The England international was guilty of missing several good opportunities in the first half against Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend. While he scored the decisive equaliser, the 29-year-old proved he cannot be relied upon.

Paul Merson baffled Tottenham did not sign Aston Villa forward

It was Solanke’s first Premier League goal of the season, and the centre-forward repaid the faith that was shown in him by De Zerbi, who made him captain against Man United. De Zerbi came in support of Solanke after the game, insisting that the 29-year-old is the “perfect” centre-forward for his system.

However, former Arsenal star Paul Merson disagreed with the Tottenham boss’ comments on Solanke. He was also surprised that Tottenham did not sign Aston Villa forward Nicolas Jackson in the summer instead of Marmoush.

“Omar Marmoush isn’t going to give you goals. He’ll get you a worldie here or there, but he’s not a goalscorer. They needed a goalscorer. I can’t believe Spurs didn’t go for Nicolas Jackson. He’s decent,” Paul Merson wrote in his column for Sky Sports.

‘The problem with Spurs at the moment is that they’re not scoring. There’s never a wrong time to score – every time is the right time – but they’re failing to find the net when they’re on top.”

Nicolas Jackson tormented Tottenham in North London in September

Aston Villa completed a club-record signing of Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea in August. The forward delivered his best performance in an Aston Villa shirt in the 3-2 win over Tottenham in North London last month. The Senegalese had tormented Spurs centre-backs Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven with his pace, physicality and directness, and also scored a fine goal.

Jackson has a strong record when playing against Spurs. The Senegalese international memorably scored a hat-trick for Chelsea in a 4-1 win over Tottenham back in November 2023. While the 25-year-old is yet to fully prove himself in the Premier League, he could have been a better fit than Marmoush in De Zerbi’s system.