Dom Solanke — Not the signing LFC need
Liverpool have made their first signing of the summer. They signed Dominic Solanke from Chelsea. The 19 year old did not make a start for the Blues in the Premier League but did make his only senior Chelsea appearance in the Champions League in 2014. He has featured at every level for the English Youth National Team. Solanke is expected to have a bright future but he isn’t the signing that Liverpool need this summer.
Solanke comes from a very talented youth set up at Chelsea. During his tenure he won two youth FA Cups, the youth Champions League, and won young player of the year in 14/15. He’s a talented young striker who Klopp can hopefully develop into a star. Mourinho handed him his debut and was a big fan of his. Mourinho said that if Solanke and two other Chelsea youngsters, Lewis Baker and Isiah Brown, didn’t make the English National Team he would feel personally responsible. High praise from one of the top managers in world football.
I asked my co host and Chelsea expert, Alex Moss, to give me the rundown on Solanke. Here’s what he said:
Q: What is his best position
A: He’s been more familiar in his senior club career with the lone central striker role, but worked well with Chelsea’s other biggest striking prospect, Tammy Abraham, up front during his last full season in the Academy. I guess the real answer is no one really knows yet, as his size and athleticism caused many to peg him as a lone central striker, yet the glimpses of his ability on the ball has opened up the options of what he could yet become.
Q: Is he better at hold up play or goal scoring?
A: Based off what we know now I would have to say his hold up play. The only track record of goal scoring young Dom has at the moment comes from his aforementioned last full season in the academy back in 2014–2015, where both he and Abraham scored 41 goals apiece. While Abraham’s gone on to largely impress during his first loan at Bristol City, Solanke’s year in Arnhem left a lot to be desired from a goal scoring perspective.
Meanwhile, in possession Solanke could prove to be a real weapon for Liverpool. His technical ability on the ball and link-up play — especially on the counter — are what made him so desirable to then-Vitesse-now-Ajax manager Peter Bosz in his extremely attacking, typically dutch 4–3–3 for that one loan year.
Q: Why couldn’t he break in at Chelsea?
A: Now that’s a question that isn’t entirely fair to the youngster, seeing as many greater prospects than he have tried and failed as well. The short answer though is that he simply wasn’t good enough in the limited opportunities that raised themselves. For a player of Dom’s caliber to even be given the chance at making the matchday XI at Chelsea he would’ve had to be A. a generational talent (i.e. Hazard, Courtois), B. a specific type of player capable of doing a single job/role excellently (i.e. Ola Aina) or C. a proven young player who’s exceeded expectations over a series of loans (i.e. Nathaniel Chalobah, Nathan Ake). Dom’s one season on loan was nowhere close to meeting expectations nevermind exceed them. Even Tammy Abraham will probably have to prove last season wasn’t a bluff by either returning to the Championship or taking the step up to a Premier League loan. Solanke simply didn’t want to follow that career path, which is completely respectable.
Q: Is he capable of playing first team football outside of cup games this season?
A: Capable? Yes. But if we see him out on the pitch for any Premier League games I’d understand if Liverpool fans were tense. If the opportunity arises and Klopp has to throw him out there though, I have no doubt he’d be able to perform at Anfield in one of the less high-profile fixtures.
Q:Are there any major health concerns?
A: None that I know of. If this is in reference to his lack of action this past season then that was believed to be due to a contract dispute and a hesitance on the part of the player to go out on another loan more than any injury.
I think Solanke has a bright future and under the right manager he absolutely can thrive. He is expected to play with the U-23’s this season for Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp has a very good history of developing youth and Solanke could be a great at Liverpool. However Liverpool don’t have the time right now to take on a development project. They need signings that are ready to start in the Premier League and the Champions League now. The last few seasons Liverpool have signed players like Solanke as one of their first transfers. Guys like Joe Gomez, Marko Grujic, Luis Alberto, Divock Origi, Tiago Ilori, Joao Teixira, etc. Young players who are available for a relatively cheap price and need some work to get them into the first team. Of that list only Divock Origi has been able to play consistently for Liverpool. I fear that he will become just another expensive youth player who doesn’t reach his full potential at Anfield.
The big concern for me about this signing isn’t exactly Solanke. Its that Liverpool need to add quality depth at striker and he isn’t exactly quality yet. There were plenty of games this past season where Liverpool didn’t have senior players ready to come off the bench in the vital moments. At times youngsters like Harry Wilson & Ben Woodburn were all Liverpool had to change the game. Solanke is closer to Woodburn & Wilson than he is to a Daniel Sturridge at this point in his career. They need to add depth that can come in on the biggest games and this signing doesn’t fix that. This team needs a starting striker who is in their prime ready to go and score 20 goals this season in the Premier League. Solanke isn’t that guy.
This upcoming season will be only the second time in eight seasons that Liverpool are playing in the Champions League. Manchester United & Manchester City will both spend close to 250 million pounds this summer. Liverpool will need to spend on quality to keep pace with those rivals. Time will tell if Solanke is that type of quality that Liverpool need. At the end of the day Liverpool still need to bring in a senior striker if they want to continue to progress and stay in contention for major silverware this season.
