Roberto De Zerbi to hope Dominic Solanke risk pays off in Tottenham vs Everton amid poor record

Dominic Solanke has been handed his first start for Tottenham of the 2026-2027 Premier League season.

Roberto De Zerbi and Tottenham are awaiting their first win of the Premier League season.

Performances have been far from what is expected with the Italian certainly under early pressure in N17.

There have been Premier League goals scored by the Lilywhites, and with that you would expect the manager to chop and change to find solutions.

And that is what De Zerbi has done with his decision on Solanke against Everton.

And that has handed Solanke a chance to change his early fortunes in N17 under the Italian manager.

Why Dominic Solanke must take chance against Everton

Solanke has started the season as second-choice for Tottenham, and that is shown by just minimal minutes handed to him off the bench.

The Englishman has played just 49 minutes in total across three Premier League appearances as per Sofascore.

Since joining from Bournemouth, Solanke has struggled to live up to his expectations.

He has failed to hit double digit goals for the Spurs in the Premier League in any of his seasons - his highest being nine in his first campaign in North London.

And while he has been marred with injury issues, this does feel like his final chance to prove he belongs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

With his lack of goals over the years, De Zerbi is certainly taking a risk by turning to him to solve the goal drought currently plauging his side.

But it is one that is needed with recent weeks proving so.

Let's hope it is a decision that pays off in the end.

It could also help unlock Omar Marmoush's qualities up top, with the Egyptian much better playing off another forward rather than being a lone striker.

Why signs point to a Tottenham win against Everton

Tottenham have all the pre-match positive omens in their favour, with Tottenham only losing one of their last 17 home matches against the Toffees.

Additionally, last season, Spurs managed an aggregate score over Everton of 4-0 in both Premier League fixtures.

However, Tottenham are yet to score this season and the North London side need to improve in the forward department as quickly as possible.

And perhaps the decision to start Solanke could help the Lilywhites turn things around.

However, Solanke's record against Everton is not the greatest either. As he has only scored two goals in nine appearances against the Merseyside outfit.