A penny for Manor Solomon’s thoughts. He will have been watching on from afar as parent club Tottenham Hotspur ended their 17-year trophy drought on Wednesday with little clarity over whether he will play for them again.
The Israeli, of course, got his own hands on silverware this season and wrote himself into the folklore of another team who wear white. Spurs and Leeds United will face each other in the Premier League next season, by which time it will be intriguing to know which side Solomon is on – if any.
With the United hierarchy drawing up blueprint plans for the current promotion scenario some time ago, it is almost certain they have got their intentions set over Solomon as to whether to pursue a permanent deal or not.
The ball is in Tottenham’s court, though. Solomon’s agent has pinned his client’s future on Daniel Levy but says the 25-year-old would prefer to stay in the Premier League. “Manor is having [sic] a great time at Leeds, but he’s under contract with Spurs,” said representative Shlomi Ben Ezra.
“He likes the Premier League, but in football, you never know… It all depends on what Daniel Levy wants to do. Manor likes English football and he’ll prefer the Premier League… But in football, you never know what might happen.”
Overseas clubs will have taken note of Solomon’s resurgence at Leeds, including Marseille. However, the French club have ruled themselves out of a move for “political reasons”.
Marseille could have offered Champions League football, a lure United will struggle to compete with should a rival of similar stature come to Solomon’s door. But the biggest risk lies in Tottenham themselves.
Now qualified for the Champions League, the sixth English club that will do so for next season, Solomon has yet more temptation at his door. Spurs will need a bigger squad next term to cope with the demands of the competition and Solomon would be like a new signing.
He was one of Ange Postecoglou’s first signings as Tottenham manager in 2023 but only played six times under the Australian coach before suffering a long-term and serious knee injury that ruled him out of the rest of that season.
His return to top form at Elland Road is what Leeds will have to reiterate in their mission to persuade Solomon to join permanently, if that is indeed their aim. United would be able to offer more guaranteed top-flight game time than Spurs could.
There is also a potential change of manager to factor in. Despite delivering on his promise of a trophy, Tottenham analysts remain sceptical about Postecoglou’s future. He was the man who brought Solomon in and so a change of coach throws up a number of questions for the player.
Does the winger stay and try to impress the new manager? Does he cut his losses and look elsewhere to secure game time? Does he stay at Spurs for pre-season and if things don’t look great, then look for a move? Does the new manager even want to keep him?
There are so many variables that it’s no wonder Solomon did not know what the future held when speaking to Leeds Live at the end of the season. “Honestly, I really don’t know what’s going to happen in the summer,” he said.
“I still have three years left on my contract with Tottenham, so at the moment we really don’t know. I’ve really enjoyed it so far. I enjoy the fans, the city of Leeds. Me and my missus, we really enjoy the life here.”
At least one thing has become clear. Daniel Farke will stay on as United boss into next season and Solomon said this would be a consideration when weighing up his next steps.
“Daniel was one of the decisions [sic] why I joined Leeds, so definitely it could be one of the reasons why I will join Leeds in the summer, why or not,” he added.
That’s a big tick in the Leeds camp, then. But then there is now another big tick in the Spurs box – the lure of Champions League football. That, plus the already ambiguous future of Postecoglou, just adds more haze over the situation.
Solomon’s agent is right – the ball is in Tottenham’s court. If they tell him he is free to leave then that’s a step forward for Leeds. If they leave the door open, with his contract not expiring until 2028, then who knows what decision Solomon will ultimately make.
OPINION: Manor Solomon faces fresh Tottenham Hotspur decision as Leeds United weigh up transfer
