When Dominic Solanke joined AFC Bournemouth for Liverpool in January 2019, the former England Under-21 striker, who had also earned a cap for the full England side, came with high promise and a high price tag.
At the time of the signing, AFCB Vital dubbed it “a surprise” as the reported £17.5million was spent on an area of the pitch that the Cherries had both quality and quantity, particularly in the form of former Cherries strikers Callum Wilson and Joshua King.
What maybe wasn’t a surprise then, was Solanke’s struggles over the next 18 months in the Premier League.
His first half a season ended goalless, with just 2 starts and 342 minutes of top-flight English football under his belt.
His first full season on the south coast was the 2019/20 campaign, otherwise remembered as the Covid hit, a prolonged campaign which ultimately ended in the Cherries relegation from the Premier League.
Solanke made 17 Premier League starts and added a further 15 appearances to his tally from the substitutes bench. He played 1,645 minutes, scoring 3 goals, all of which came following “operation re-start”, ending a run of 18 months without a league goal.
Solanke told the Daily Echo…
“For sure, I didn’t do what I wanted to do last time I was there in the Premier League.
“But I’m a different player now, mentally and physically. I’m looking forward to it.
“I’m looking forward to playing in the Prem next season.”
Solanke’s confidence comes from the form he has shown across two campaigns in the second tier of English football.
No longer third in the pecking order, Solanke became the Cherries first-choice attacking threat under former managers Jason Tindall and Jonathan Woodgate during 2020/21 “behind closed doors” season and then kicked on even further under current Cherries head coach Scott Parker during the 2021/22 promotion-winning season.
Over the course of 88 games (86 starts) and 7,616 minutes, Solanke notched 59 goal contributions (44 goals and 15 assists).
On his form in the Championship, Solanke added…
“The runs of games – I’ve played in pretty much every game I’ve been able to over the past two seasons.
“That definitely helped me. Scoring goals and staying fit – obviously, a run of games, especially when you’re a striker, getting goals really helps.
“My only goal was to get promotion. I built on last season and I feel like I’m in the best shape of my career, playing my best football.”
3️⃣0️⃣ goals across the season 🔥🔥
Every. Single. @DomSolanke. Strike. 🎬 pic.twitter.com/U6k5bWHNes
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) May 16, 2022
Your say…
Def_II_Royalz wrote…
A class act all round, Dom has laid claim to being one of the best strikers for us in the modern era. The fact that he’s lit up the scoring charts quietly and unassumingly is a testament to his character – a team player who resists the temptation to make it all about him. Much respect to the guy. – Join the conversation, click here.
