Spurs have seven players definitely ruled out of the midweek trip to the south coast.
Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke is set to return to training ahead of Thursday’s trip to old club Bournemouth
Tottenham forward Dominic Solanke is set to return to training ahead of Thursday’s trip to old club Bournemouth (PA Wire)
Tottenham will make a late call on forward Dominic Solanke ahead of a potential first return to Bournemouth on Thursday night.
Solanke missed Sunday’s 1-1 draw at home to Fulham through illness, but is set to resume training later on Wednesday and could be in contention to take on his old club.
Archie Gray is also available after he suffered a dead leg last weekend but Ange Postecoglou will remain without Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Cristian Romero (toe), Rodrigo Bentancur (suspended), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Mikey Moore (virus) and Richarlison (hamstring).
“Archie obviously got a knock but he’s recovered well,” head coach Postecoglou said at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday.
“Dom’s due to train today. He’s still not 100 per cent but he’s definitely improved from the weekend, so we’ll see how he goes through training today. The other injured guys are inching closer but not available.
“Obviously they (Bournemouth) have beaten (Manchester) City and Arsenal at their place, so a good challenge. We had a tough game up there last year, we did well and we had a tough game against them here.
“One of those sides where there’s a real consistency in performance and approach. You know that you’re in for a battle, so I’m looking forward to it.”
Postecoglou has limited options at his disposal, especially in forward areas given the absentee list.
Richarlison has only managed to make seven appearances this season and picked up another muscle problem last month.
With the Brazil international not set to return until January at the earliest, Postecoglou admitted the club will look to bolster their attacking options over the next couple of transfer windows.
He added: “With Richy, it has been frustrating because I see the potential in him and to be fair when he’s been fit, he’s always made an impact, for me anyway.
“I think back to the start of last year and when he came back into the team during the year he went on a scoring run. Even the little games he’s played this year, he’s made an impact.
“So, you know, that’s what you hold on to, but there’s no doubt we need some bolstering in that front third over the next couple of transfer windows.
“It’s something we’re aware of and need to plan for.”
The absence of Richarlison and Odobert opened the door for Moore to catch the eye, but the 17-year-old attacker has been missing over the past four weeks after he was hit by an energy-sapping virus.
Postecoglou was reluctant to give a comprehensive update on his fitness but did confirm it was not a serious issue.
“I come out here and I want to be as transparent as I can, but this is a 17-year-old boy,” Postecoglou said.
“It’s nothing serious. It’s nothing long term. It’s just that he’s a young lad and he’s only 17. He’s a big part of this football club and we will protect him.
“We’ll be guided by how he feels, how he recovers from an illness. Like I said, young people will recover at different rates.
“He’ll be back in the next few weeks, but again he’s missed a lot of football. So, whether we bring him back for the first team or he needs to play (under-21s), we’ve got to bear in mind that he’s 17.”