Tottenham Hotspur have announced the signing of Israel attacker Manor Solomon on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk.
The 23-year-old joins the Lilywhites on a five-year contract until the end of the 2027-28 campaign and becomes the fourth signing of the Ange Postecoglou era.
Solomon follows Dejan Kulusevski, Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having made his mark in the Premier League during a loan spell with Fulham last year.
Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, players based in the Ukrainian divisions were allowed to suspend their contracts by FIFA, and Solomon subsequently joined Fulham for the 2022-23 campaign.
The Israel international made his debut for Marco Silva’s side in their opening 2-2 draw with Liverpool, but a knee injury and subsequent operation forced him to sit on the sidelines for five months.
Solomon completed his recovery in time for the start of 2023, and while he struggled for regular starts at Craven Cottage, he made his presence felt as a substitute with five goals in 24 games.
Solomon came off the bench to score in three successive Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, Brighton & Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers, before starting and netting in an FA Cup fifth-round win over Leeds United.
The former Maccabi Petah Tikva youngster stretched his scoring streak to five games in a 3-2 defeat to Brentford on March 6, which would prove to be his final goal contribution in a Fulham shirt.
Solomon was set to return to Shakhtar this summer, and his contract with the Ukrainian giants was due to expire in December, but FIFA recently extended their ruling on allowing Ukraine-based players to suspend their contracts.
As a result, the winger was able to leave Shakhtar on a free transfer during the current window, and a permanent move to Fulham was briefly mooted before Tottenham made their move amid the threat of legal action from Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin.
Palkin had claimed that he would be prepared to take Tottenham to court for “unjust enrichment” should they complete the signing of Solomon on a free transfer, and it remains to be seen what ramifications – if any – the deal could still have on the
Solomon leaves Shakhtar after scoring 22 goals and setting up nine more in 106 matches for the Miners, winning two Ukrainian top-flight titles, one Ukrainian Cup and one Ukrainian Super Cup.
The 5ft 7in attacker also boasts seven goals and nine assists from 35 appearances in an Israel shirt, most recently netting in a 2-1 Euro 2024 qualifying win over Andorra on June 19.
Solomon could be in line for his friendly debut for Tottenham against West Ham United in Perth on July 18, which forms part of the Lilywhites’ pre-season tour of Asia and Australia.
Postecoglou’s side will also face Leicester City in Thailand on July 23 and Roma in Singapore on July 26, before hosting Solomon’s former club Shakhtar in a charity friendly on August 6.
