'I have had Mo Salah and Didier Drogba as teammates - but I know a better finisher'

Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke has played alongside some of football's biggest names - but has hailed Harry Kane as the best finisher he's ever seen.

The forward, who broke Spurs' transfer record, is no stranger to the limelight, having had stints at Chelsea and Liverpool. Solanke was once dubbed the next big thing by Jose Mourinho during his days in Chelsea's youth ranks. He made a solitary appearance for the Blues before he moved on to Liverpool, where he played 27 times under Jurgen Klopp but found the net just once.

After a slow start at Bournemouth, Solanke eventually found his stride, doubtless drawing from experiences gained at Premier League winners Chelsea and Champions League runners-up Liverpool. This culminated in the 27-year-old scoring 19 league goals for the Cherries last term and prompting his big-money move to Spurs.

Solanke could name a star-studded combined XI of all his former teammates, having trained alongside plenty of world-class players. However, the striker rates Harry Kane above all his illustrious colleagues for his level of finishing.

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In an interview with Sky Sports, Solanke didn't hesitate to single out the England captain: "Obviously Harry Kane. His finishing is just one of the best-ever. We see that all the time and his finishing is just incredible."

This praise speaks volumes, especially considering Solanke's former teammates include Liverpool's scoring sensation Mohamed Salah and other heavyweights like Eden Hazard, Didier Drogba, and Diego Costa from his Chelsea days.

Solanke is now tasked with replicating Harry Kane's prolific goal record for Tottenham - 280 goals in 435 games - as well as helping to inspire Ange Postecoglou's side to lift a trophy. Meanwhile, when asked about his colleagues. the forward sang the praises of Spurs captain Son Heung-min.

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"It's something so rare to be that good on right foot and left foot, not many players in the world can do that," Solanke said. "To be that two-footed and be great at finishing with both of them is incredible. He's a great leader, one of the nicest guys I've met, to be honest. On the pitch, you see what he does on the weekends and it's exactly the same in training."

Conversely, at the defensive end, Solanke puts his ex-Liverpool colleague Virgil van Dijk on a pedestal as the most formidable defender he's battled with. His striker instincts were sharpened through duels with John Terry in Chelsea training, but Solanke believes that Van Dijk stands alone.

"He's just got everything, big, strong, good on the ball, aggressive," Solanke praised. "I think he's definitely one of the best defenders in our time and I'd say he's probably the most difficult."

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