Dominic Solanke

Dominic Solanke

Solanke on his debut against NK Maribor
Personal information
Full name Dominic Ayodele Solanke-Mitchell[1]
Date of birth (1997-09-14) 14 September 1997
Place of birth Basingstoke, England
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Playing position Forward
Club information
Current team
 Chelsea
Number 41
Youth career
2004–2015 Chelsea
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014– Chelsea 0 (0)
2015–2016 → Vitesse (loan) 25 (7)
National team‡
2012–2013 England U16 6 (1)
2013–2014 England U17 14 (11)
2014–2015 England U18 7 (3)
2015–2016 England U19 10 (3)
2016 England U20 5 (4)
2015– England U21 3 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:46, 1 May 2016 (UTC).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 21:02, 12 November 2016 (UTC)

Dominic Ayodele "Dom" Solanke-Mitchell (born 14 September 1997) is an English professional footballer who plays for Chelsea. Although Solanke prefers playing as a striker, he can also play as a winger on either side and as an attacking midfielder. He has represented England up to under-21 level.

Club career

Chelsea

During the 2013–14 season, Solanke scored 20 goals in 25 games for Chelsea under-18s.[3] On 29 July 2014, Jose Mourinho stated a belief that he should blame himself were Solanke not to become a senior England international under his management, and indicated that the player would train with the first-team squad during the 2014–15 season.[4]

2014–15 season

Due to the injury of Diego Costa, on 18 October 2014, Solanke was named on the bench for a Premier League match against Crystal Palace.[5] Later the same week, on 21 October, he made his professional debut as a substitute for Oscar in the 73rd minute of a 6–0 win over NK Maribor in the Champions League. This made him the youngest player to debut in the Champions League for Chelsea.[6]

At youth level, Solanke continued to score at a prolific rate scoring 15 goals in 16 games before Christmas and finishing as top scorer in the group stages of the UEFA Youth League after a hat trick in the final group stage match against Sporting CP.[7][8] On 10 April 2015, Solanke scored a brace in the semifinal of the 2014–15 UEFA Youth League against A.S. Roma to send Chelsea into the final.[9] Solanke scored again against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Youth league final ending the tournament with 12 goals in 9 games as Chelsea won the title.[10] On 20 April, Solanke scored a late goal to give his side a 3–1 win in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup final against Manchester City.[11] With this goal, Solanke reached the 35-goal mark this season.[12] On 7 May, Solanke reached 41 goals for the season after scoring a hat-trick in a 4-3 victory over Liverpool U21.[13]

On 30 May 2015, Solanke clinched the only goal of the game in a post-season friendly against Thailand All-Stars, therefore scoring his first senior goal of his career.[14]

Loan to Vitesse

On 4 August 2015, Solanke joined Dutch club Vitesse on a season-long loan to gain first team experience.[15] He was the fifth Chelsea youngster to be lent to the Arnhem-based club that summer, after Lewis Baker, Isaiah Brown, Nathan and Danilo Pantić.[16] After the departure of Uroš Đurđević to Palermo [17] Solanke was handed the number 9 shirt.

After getting approval to play in the Netherlands from FIFA, Solanke made his debut on 23 August 2015 coming off the bench in the 79th minute against Feyenoord, the match ended in a 2–0 defeat for Vitesse.[18] On 30 August 2015, Solanke scored his first senior goal in a 4–1 victory over SC Cambuur coming in off the bench with 15 minutes to go.[19] On 4 October, Scored scored his second goal of the season in a 5–0 victory over FC Groningen.[20] On 18 October, Solanke converted a penalty conceded by Thomas Lam in a 5–1 victory over PEC Zwolle.[21] On 31 October, Solanke converted another penalty in a 3–0 victory over S.B.V. Excelsior.[22] Solanke scored his fifth goal of the season in a 5–1 victory over FC Twente on December 18.[23] On March 20, 2016, in the match against FC Groningen, Solanke came off the bench in the 65th minute and scored a brace as Vitesse went on to win 3–0.[24]

Solanke ended the season with 7 goals in 25 appearances, just three behind top scorer Valeri Qazaishvili and one behind runner-up Milot Rashica.[25]

International career

Solanke has represented England at under-16, under-17, and under-18 levels.[26]

In May 2014, Solanke was part of the England squad that won the 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He was the tournament's joint top scorer with four goals in four appearances, a brace against Turkey, a goal in the semi-final secured a place in the final, and England's goal in the final.[27][28]

In January 2015, Solanke was named England Men's Youth Player of the Year 2014.[29] On 25 March 2015, Solanke collected his YPOTY trophy and was invited to train with the senior England squad.[30]

Solanke was named in the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship squad, alongside fellow Chelsea players, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham, and Isaiah Brown.[31]

Style of play

Solanke primarily plays as a striker, however can also operate as either an attacking midfielder or a Winger. Former Chelsea striker Tore Andre Flo has said that Solanke "works really hard", has "got very good physique" and "a great touch on the ball". He went on to say: "He's quick but often what impresses me the most is when he looks like he’s lost the ball, he somehow manages to get out with the ball, no matter how tight the situation is or how difficult it looks".[32]

Club statistics

As of match played 1 May 2016.[33]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chelsea 2014–15[34] Premier League 000010—10
2016–17[35] Premier League 0000——00
Total 0000100010
Vitesse Arnhem (loan) 2015–16[36] Eredivisie 2571000—267
Career totals 2571010—277

Honours

Club

Chelsea Reserves[37]

International

England U16
England U17

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Barclays Premier League Squad Lists 2013/14 are revealed" (PDF). Premier League. Retrieved October 2014. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  2. ↑ "Dominic Solanke". http://www.premierleague.com/. Retrieved 8 June 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  3. ↑ http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/10/18/five-facts-about-chelsea-player-dominic-solanke/
  4. ↑ "Mourinho: Our bright blue future". Chelsea FC. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  5. ↑ "Crystal Palace 1 – 2 Chelsea". BBC. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  6. ↑ "Chelsea 6 – 0 Maribor". http://www.bbc.co.uk/. BBC. Retrieved 21 October 2014. External link in |work= (help)
  7. ↑ http://www.uefa.com/under17/news/newsid=2197705.html
  8. ↑ http://www.chelseafc.com/teams/development-squad/under-21s/u21-player-profiles/dominic-solanke.html
  9. ↑ "A.S. Roma 0–4 Chelsea". Uefa. 10 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  10. ↑ http://www.uefa.com/uefayouthleague/news/newsid=2232130.html#solanke+crowned+uefa+youth+league+scorer
  11. ↑ Chelsea beat Manchester City 3-1 in FA Youth Cup first leg, 20 April 2015
  12. ↑ Chelsea duo Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham have scored 71 goals between them this season, 21 April 2015
  13. ↑ http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/chelsea-under-21s-4-liverpool-fc-9205993
  14. ↑ Chelsea F.C. "Match report: Thailand All-Stars 0 Chelsea 1". Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  15. ↑ "Solanke loaned to Vitesse". Chelsea F.C. 4 August 2015.
  16. ↑ "Dominic Solanke Joins Vitesse on Loan". Kicknews24.com. 4 August 2015.
  17. ↑ http://www.goal.com/it/news/7/calciomercato/2015/08/18/14544592/nuovo-rinforzo-per-il-palermo-ufficiale-larrivo-di
  18. ↑ "Feyenoord vs. Vitesse 2 - 0". Soccerway. 23 August 2015.
  19. ↑ "Vitesse-SC Cambuur 4-1". LC. 30 August 2015.
  20. ↑ "Vitesse 5-0 Groningen". Soccerway. 4 October 2015.
  21. ↑ "PEC Zwolle 1-5 Vitesse". Sky Sports. 18 October 2015.
  22. ↑ "Excelsior Vitesse". Soccerway. 31 October 2015.
  23. ↑ "Vitesse 5-1 Twente". Sky Sports. 18 December 2015.
  24. ↑ "Groningen 0 - 3 Vitesse". Sky Sports. 20 March 2016.
  25. ↑ "Vitesse: 2015-16 (Eredivisie) Top Scorer". SportsMole. 20 March 2016.
  26. ↑ "Dominic Solanke". http://www.thefa.com/. The FA. Retrieved 21 October 2014. External link in |work= (help)
  27. ↑ "2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship – technical report" (PDF). UEFA. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  28. ↑ "Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Joshua Onomah helped England win Under-17 European Championship against the Netherlands tonight". Croydon Guardian. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  29. ↑ "Solanke wins England award". Chelsea FC. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
  30. ↑ http://www.thefa.com/news/england/development/2015/mar/dominic-solanke-on-winning-young-england-poty-and-training-with-the-senior-squad-240315
  31. ↑ "England Under-19s squad named for Euro Finals challenge" (in French). FA. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  32. ↑ "Dominic Solanke backed to succeed at Chelsea by Tore Andre Flo". SkySports. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  33. ↑ Dominic Solanke profile at Soccerway
  34. ↑ "Games played by Dominic Solanke in 2014/2015". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
  35. ↑ "Games played by Dominic Solanke in 2016/2017". Soccerbase. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  36. ↑ "Games played by Dominic Solanke in 2015/2016". Soccerbase. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
  37. ↑ Dominic Solanke's Profile, 18 July 2016
  38. ↑ http://www.safib.org/competitions/SkySportsVictoryShield.aspx
  39. ↑ Dominic Solanke profile at Soccerway
  40. ↑ "Hazard at the double". Retrieved 15 August 2016.
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