Tottenham signed Dominic Solanke over Roma’s £26M star – now he could dent their Europa League hopes

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Tottenham Hotspur return to action on Thursday against AS Roma in the Europa League and one of their former transfer targets will be bidding to dent their European hopes.

Spurs are coming off the back of their emphatic 4-0 win over Manchester City on the weekend as the Lilywhites sent shockwaves around the Premier League.

However, in Europe, their last outing was not quite such a success as they were beaten 3-2 away at Galatasaray leaving them in need of a result against the Italian side.

Ahead of the match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the attacker who they overlooked to sign Dominic Solanke instead will be looking to add to his goal tally for the season.

Tottenham looked at Artem Dovbyk before signing Solanke

Artem Dovbyk will line up against Tottenham on Thursday knowing that he came quite close to wearing their colours last summer. TBR Football reported that Tottenham looked at signing Dovbyk before instead opting for Solanke.

Spurs will likely be pleased with their decision to move for Solanke who despite a lack of goals has been a key player for Ange Postecoglou. The striker’s all-round game has been of great benefit to the team and is quickly making him a fan favourite in North London.

Meanwhile, in the Italian capital, Dovbyk is also proving his worth after joining Roma from Girona in a deal worth around £26 million. The 27-year-old is enjoying a strong campaign despite being in a Roma side who have really struggled this season.

The Ukrainian forward has six goals and one assist in all competitions for Roma which isn’t bad at all considering how poor his teammates have been. The Giallorossi recently changed managers as they sacked Ivan Juric and brought back Claudio Ranieri to the club.

Ranieri has fond memories of coming against Tottenham having famously beaten them to the Premier League title with Leicester City back in 2015. Now, he will be hoping to inflict more misery on them and have Dovbyk show them what they missed out on.

How have Roma done in the Europa League this season?

Roma have struggled in the Europa League so far this season they are sat 20th in the group stage with one win, two draws and a defeat.

Their last European outing saw them held to a 1-1 draw away at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The Italian side’s other away trip saw them beaten by Swedish club IF Elfsborg 1-0.

Dovbyk has started just twice for Roma in Europe scoring on both occasions including the winner against Dynamo Kyiv last month.