Manor Solomon will be on the tip of the tongues of many Israeli English Premier League fans this coming season as the winger joined Tottenham Hotspur this week after a debut campaign in the competition with Fulham.
The 23-year-old Sabra inked a five-year deal with the London-based club that will run through the 2028 season after his contract with Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk expired.
“I’m really excited to be here,” Solomon told the club’s official website after the signing. “To come to a big club like Tottenham is a dream come true for me. I feel the excitement here, straight away. I see the players, I see the club, I see what is going on here, everything is at the top, at the highest level. Every football player dreams of playing for a club like Tottenham and now, with the new manager coming in, I think there will be some successful years for this club.”
Tottenham’s new bench boss Ange Postecoglou arrives after spending two seasons at the helm of Celtic, where he won two Scottish league titles, and has been working as a head coach since 1996 primarily in Australia where he was raised after being born in Greece.
“I can’t wait to see the team and to meet the manager,” Solomon continued. “It’s going to be different with the new manager. The football will be more offensive, more attacking, it will entertain our fans. I can’t wait for the season to start.”
From Petah Tikva to London
Solomon began his youth career with Maccabi Petah Tikva and made his first professional appearance when he was 17 years old back in 2016. Just over two years later, the Israeli international moved to Shakhtar, where he won two league titles along with a Ukrainian Cup and a pair of Super Cups. In UEFA Champions League action, Solomon found the back of the goal against Real Madrid in a thrilling 3-2 road win in Spain to go along with many other top performances in continental play.
“Every child that plays football dreams to play in the Premier League one day,” Solomon said. “As a boy from Kfar Saba I played football all of the time and since the age of five this was my dream. School was very important to me as my parents are teachers, but they also pushed me to play football. To leave my parents and leave my family and to go to a new country at the age of 19 was difficult for me, but it was something that I really wanted to improve my football and I knew that there I could fulfill my dreams of making it to the Premier League.”
Last season, Solomon moved to newly promoted Fulham on loan and scored his first Premier League goal early in 2023 against Nottingham Forest in a 2-0 win after returning from injury that he picked up at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign that kept him out for a number of months.
From that point, the goals came fast and furious with markers in four straight matches across league and FA Cup play which saw him nominated for the February Player of the Month award.
“I love football. I think if you ask any football player ‘what’s the best moment?’ they will say to score a goal. The emotions you feel… it’s something you cannot explain in words, especially last season, when I scored in the Premier League for the first time. After the injury I had, after what I’ve gone through, it was something else. Hopefully, I’ll have a lot of moments like this at Tottenham.”
Solomon becomes the second Sabra after Ronny Rosenthal to play for Tottenham after the Haifa native laced up his cleats for Spurs between 1994-1997.
“Ronny was a big player and everyone knows him in Israel. He played for Spurs of course and I am the second Israeli to now play for Spurs. It’s exciting to be here after a great like Ronny.”
Solomon has made 35 appearances for Israel senior National Team and has scored seven goals, with his maiden strike coming in a 1-0 victory over Scotland in UEFA Nations League action back in November 2020.
His experience will no doubt play a big factor as he continues to develop, while also playing an important part in the success for his new club.
“I spoke with the manager and understood what he wants and what he demands from the team, from the wingers in particular. I know he wants to see attacking football, to see pressure, to have the ball, to play really attacking football that will entertain our fans. I think I am suitable for this challenge and I can fit the team. I will do whatever I can to help the team to succeed, to improve as a player and try to improve the team.”
“If you told me this 10 years ago, that at the age of 23 I would be playing for Tottenham, it’s something incredible that I always dreamed of.”