Dominic Solanke has had a long and challenging journey before becoming Tottenham Hotspur's record signing of £65 million. From a bright young talent at Chelsea's training ground, the 27-year-old striker has experienced many events. While still training at Cobham, Solanke was expected to become one of the best strikers in the Premier League. He scored many goals while training with legends such as Didier Drogba and Diego Costa.
However, the English star's journey was not as smooth as expected. Solanke only played 1 match for The Blues. Then when he moved to Liverpool, he also could not find a place.
Solanke has relaunched his career at Bournemouth, where he has become a key player. Tottenham put their faith in the 1997-born striker last summer when they signed him to replace Harry Kane. Captain Ange Postecoglou hopes Solanke will become an important link in the revolution of his team.
Any player who moves to a new club has to face some difficulties and needs time to adapt, and Solanke is no exception. When he debuted against Leicester City, the new Spurs player did not perform as expected. In addition, bad luck continued to follow him when he suffered an injury and had to sit out the next two matches. However, the good news is that Solanke has returned to training and is ready to play against Arsenal on Sunday.
The 2020-2021 season was a turning point in Solanke's career. Under the guidance of coach Scott Parker, he scored 29 goals and contributed 7 assists, helping Bournemouth return to the Premier League.
Solanke’s skill and versatility in his playing style have caught the eye of Postecoglou. In the 2023-2024 season, Solanke is one of the few strikers to top the distance covered on the pitch, with an impressive 396.9 km. This proves the 27-year-old’s ability to play with endurance and enthusiasm.
Under the guidance of Andoni Iraola in the 2023-2024 season, Solanke continued to show remarkable progress. The English striker scored 19 goals in 38 games and became one of the most complete strikers in the Premier League. Postecoglou had high expectations for Solanke and affirmed that his student would be promoted at a bigger team like Tottenham.
For Solanke, replacing Harry Kane is no easy task. However, with his proven track record, experience and resilience, he is expected to face this challenge with the utmost confidence. If he can maintain his impressive goalscoring form from last season, Solanke will play a key role for Tottenham and could return to the England squad in the near future.
