6 months ago
111 Ian Wright has now been hailing a forward that Liverpool decided to sell after a 27-appearance stint back in 2019.
It can’t be said that Jurgen Klopp has often got it wrong in the transfer market during his time at Anfield, a manager who made the most of the funds he had available.
The deal to bring Mohamed Salah to the club in 2017 will always be remembered as one of the greatest of the German’s tenure, a duo that go hand-in-hand.
And although both Virgil van Dijk and Alisson commanded big fees to arrive on Merseyside, they are deals that are also so intrinsically linked to all of Jurgen Klopp’s success.
Of course, there were also a few bargains along the way too, such as Andy Robertson who eventually redefined the way we think about left-backs in the Premier League.
The four names mentioned would be very high up on any list ranking Klopp’s best signings, but perhaps Dominic Solanke’s name wouldn’t quite be remembered in the same vein.
Signing for the club in 2017, Solanke made the switch from Chelsea, eventually then joining Bournemouth for £19m a couple of years later.
Ian Wright hails former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke as one of the league’s best
Speaking on the ‘Wrighty’s House’ podcast, Ian Wright has actually been recalling that Liverpool move when praising Dominic Solanke now.
The English striker didn’t necessarily enjoy the progress he had hoped at Liverpool, but the club did still pocket a sizable profit when he moved on.
And when asked who he wanted to credit after this Premier League season, Wright chose Solanke, and admitted he could see why Liverpool previously signed him.
He explained: “I’m going to go with Dominic Solanke, his rise. From a young age he was a goalscoring phenomenon, in that Chelsea side.
“And he got his move, leaving Chelsea to go Liverpool is almost like Cole Palmer leaving Man City to come to Chelsea.
“I think they thought what they have seen of him and what he has grown into, you could see what Liverpool saw in the vision.
“Whether he would have carried on to be doing what he’s doing now is a whole different thing but you could see the qualities he had.
“And at a club like Bournemouth who stuck with him, even when he wasn’t scoring, but when he isn’t scoring what is so good about Solanke when you watch him is that his hold up, link play and channel running is off the chain brilliant because he’s honed those things.
“All he needs to do now is start scoring some goals. It’s no surprise to me his name is mentioned with England because he’s one of the best number nines in the league at the moment with the way he plays.”
Would Arne Slot benefit from a striker like Dominic Solanke at Liverpool now?
One of the most intriguing aspects of Arne Slot’s early management at Liverpool will be his attempts to derive more consistency out of Darwin Nunez.
Any incoming manager at Anfield would surely make that a priority, a player who still does have so much to offer but isn’t quite fulfilling his promise.
Of course, it is interesting to consider if a more natural finisher like Dominic Solanke would actually now be a better fit at the club.
Solanke netted 19 Premier League goals this season and at 26-years-old there’s definitely still reason to believe he can give it another go at a top club.
The striker is probably quite content under Andoni Iraola’s management right now in truth, but must still have lofty ambitions.
That being said, Liverpool are now said to have their eyes on a £50m Brazilian this summer.
