Tottenham ready for 'battle' with 'aggressive' Dominic Solanke replacement at Bournemouth | OneFootball

Spurs face huge challenge against Evanilson and formidable Cherries press

Tottenham may have nabbed the hard-running Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth but the Cherries' capacity to press from the front remains undiminished after replacing the England international with Evanilson in the summer.

The Brazilian has only scored four times since joining the Cherries from Portuguese side Porto in a £40million deal, but the 25-year-old's modest goal-return belies his true impact.

In Saturday's 4-2 win over Wolves, Justin Kluivert made headlines by becoming the first player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick of penalties but he owed an enormous debt of gratitude to Evanilson, who won all three spot-kicks.

It was the first time a single player has won three penalties in a single game in the Premier League era, taking Evanilson’s tally of spot-kicks won this season to five.

Evanilson will pose a big threat when Spurs travel to the south coast

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For inconsistent Spurs, who will again be without goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario (ankle) and first-choice centre-backs Cristian Romero (foot) and Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Bournemouth's ability to apply pressure in the final third promises to pose a huge challenge at the Vitality Stadium.

Fraser Forster will deputise in goal, with Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies expected to continue in the heart of defence, leaving Spurs potentially more susceptible to the press than if the sure-footed Vicario, Romero and van de Ven were available.

“They’re going to press from the front, they’re going to be aggressive,” warned Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou. “It’s not about Fraser, it’s about when you’re playing a team like Bournemouth, you know what you’re going to get.

“If Evanilson was injured and they played with Kluivert or whoever else up front, that would be the instructions. You’ve got to be wary of it. It comes down to providing information for the team as to what to expect. We definitely expect they’re going to be aggressive.

Solanke, who trained on Wednesday after missing Sunday's 1-1 draw with Fulham through illness and is hoping to be available against his former club, was statistically the best presser in the top-flight last season, ranking higher than every other player for pressures in the final third resulting in a turnover (142).

For Postecoglou, Bournemouth's smooth transition to the equally-unselfish and energetic Evanilson underlines the value of having a clearly defined philosophy.

“I think that’s the beauty of having an identity,” Postecoglou added. “We talk a lot about clubs having an identity and a philosophy and people scoff at it.

“But it does help you when you’re trying to identify players.

“I think they knew exactly what they were looking for when they lost Dom.

“It makes it easier. You look at Evanilson and his profile, he’s obviously someone who is well known. You know when you’re playing Bournemouth now that irrespective of who they sign, they’re going to have those attributes.”

Like Spurs, Bournemouth's form has been up and down this season but they have beaten last season's top two Manchester City and Arsenal at home since late October, and Postecoglou expects a real "battle" on the south coast after beating Andoni Iraola's side home and away last term.

“Tough challenge and not just of late but last year. Obviously [they had a] new manager coming in and they're really aggressive with their football," he said.

“Obviously they've beaten City and Arsenal at their place, so a good challenge.

Postecoglou is short of options with Wilson Odobert, Richarlison (both hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (suspended) and Mikey Moore (ill) also unavailable.

Archie Gray, 18, is pushing for his first Premier League start.