Why Liverpool Ace Dominic Solanke Would Be A Gamble Worth Taking For Celtic
A lot has been written about Liverpool forward Dominic Solanke of late, following Aston Villa manager’s outburst on the youngster’s situation at Anfield.
“If you play when you are 18 and you are successful, you need the next step.
“At the moment, we’ve got the ludicrous situation of Solanke playing for England when he’s hardly had a game with Liverpool. That can’t be right,” the former Manchester United defender said (as quoted by Liverpool Echo), before urging the striker to consider a loan move away from the Reds in January.
When the £4.5m rated Solanke left Chelsea to join Liverpool on a free transfer in the summer, one could see and understand the thought process behind his move. He was considering manager Jurgen Klopp’s rich history of backing young players and giving them regular opportunities at the top level. And that was very much visible during the Reds’ pre-season campaign when Solanke was heavily involved with the senior squad and played some very good games as well.
However, that hasn’t translated into regular footballing action for the 20-year old once the season began. Until now, Solanke has featured in only 7 Premier League games for the Reds, all of which have been from the bench, totalling up to 84 minutes of action. He has had two more substitute appearances in Europe, while his only start came in the 2-0 loss to Leicester City in the EFL Cup.
With his situation unlikely to improve, there could be a strong case made for him to seek a temporary move away from Anfield. Scottish champions Celtic should definitely pounce to sign him if the opportunity does present itself.
Brendan Rodgers’ side were heavily interested in making a move for the talented 20-year old in the summer, as per reports from the Daily Record, but were beaten to his signing by Rodgers’ former employers. If Solanke is made available for a loan spell in January, they should consider making a move.
The Bhoys have relied on French star Moussa Dembele and Scottish international Leigh Griffiths for goals this season. Paris Saint-Germain loanee Odsonne Edouard seems to have fallen out of favour after a promising start to life in Scotland, leaving Rodgers short on numbers in front of goal. This has led to Celtic being linked to a number of striking options of late.
Solanke could prove to be the perfect addition to the ranks at the Parkhead. The 20-year old may not have played a lot under Klopp this season, but was still handed his international debut for England by the Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate earlier this month in the friendly against Brazil, which highlights how highly he is regarded.
Throughout his youth career, the former Chelsea man has been a prolific goal-scorer and had done well in his loan spells away during his Chelsea days as well. A natural finisher with great goal-scoring instincts, he is a great talent with a lot of untapped potential and Rodgers and Celtic could get a lot out of him by bringing him on a temporary spell.
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