Dominic Solanke has signed for Bournemouth from Liverpool for a fee reported to be in the region of $24.1 million.
[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]
Solanke, 21, didn’t feature this season after becoming a regular off the bench during the 2017-18 campaign. The Chelsea academy product moved to Liverpool in the summer of 2017, hot off the heels of leading England’s U-20 side to World Cup glory.
Speaking about the move to Bournemouth, the English striker is excited to get the opportunity to work with Eddie Howe and the fine young forwards they already possess.
“I think the club is going somewhere. Over the past few years, they have been really good in the Premier League and had some good positional finishes as well. I think it’s a good club to be at, especially for someone of my age,” Solanke said. “I spoke with the manager this morning [Friday]. He is a really nice guy. From playing and watching the Premier League, I know the sort of manager he is. I was excited to meet him and am really looking forward to working with him and seeing what he’s about.”
Solanke is no doubt one of the top English prospects up front (he made his full international debut in November 2017 against Brazil), and this move makes a lot of sense.
At Bournemouth he will get to play in a young, exciting attacking unit where the likes of Ryan Fraser, Josh King and David Brooks have flourished and he can hold the ball up and knit things together in attack. At Liverpool he played a bit-part last season but picked up some great experiences in the UEFA Champions League and in cup competitions.
Does Solanke’s arrival suggest that Callum Wilson is heading to Chelsea, as reported?
We will have to wait and see, but given Jermain Defoe‘s impending loan move to Glasgow Rangers Howe needed reinforcements up front and Solanke suits Bournemouth’s speedy forward play, with a focus on strikers running into wide areas, perfectly.
And Solanke will take Nathaniel Clyne with him to the South Coast from Liverpool, as the right back has arrived on loan for the rest of the season.
The right back has had terrible luck with injuries in recent years, but is back to full fitness now and played extremely well in Liverpool’s victory against Manchester United last month.
However, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez ahead of him in the pecking order at Anfield, Clyne needs regular minutes and he will get that at Bournemouth with regular right back Adam Smith out for another few months with a knee injury and Simon Francis also injured.
At the age of 27, Clyne is in the prime of his career and it is easy to forget he was a regular for England during his days with Southampton and the early part of his Liverpool career.
Two very good, and sensible, pick ups by Bournemouth.
