
"Something like that being said by a top manager like Mourinho was a nice thing to hear. The Bournemouth striker is the only one who's done it, back in 2017. In the summer of 2014, Jose Mourinho said that he would blame himself if Solanke, Izzy Brown and Lewis Baker didn’t become England internationals. There really wasn’t a weakness in the side,” reflects the 24-year-old.Įven amongst such talented company, he stood out.

With the squad we had, it would have been a disaster if we didn’t win. That period was when we first got to compete for something valuable. There was so much talent in all of the age groups. That’s what he hoped to do at Bournemouth after feeling trapped on the fringes at Chelsea and Liverpool.Ī star graduate of the Blues academy, he helped the Londoners win the FA Youth Cup in consecutive years, playing alongside the likes of Andreas Christensen, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham. The game we lost was a bit annoying because we always back ourselves at home, but the most important thing was getting back on track straightaway and that’s what we did.”Īlthough Solanke is happy to be silencing the doubters with some clinical performances, he knows that he still needs to deliver at the top level. We went unbeaten for 15 games, which was really good. We’re definitely going in the right direction,” Solanke says. We go into games expecting to win and everyone’s fighting for each other, which we lacked a bit last year. “We had quite a good team, but we just didn’t quite have the winning mentality that we do this year. Under Scott Parker, they seem more ruthless. After losing out to Brentford in the play-off semi-finals last season, the Cherries are top of the table and have automatic promotion in their sights. I think that’s what I’m doing now and I’m looking to keep progressing.”

“When we got relegated, I saw this as an opportunity to get my confidence back, play week in, week out, and get that flow back. That was the main thing that kept me going. It was a tough time for me and a tough time for them. “The fans are a big part of football, but it’s for yourself and your family as well," he explains. He’s rediscovered his best form since dropping down to the second tier with a point to prove. Solanke could have crumbled under the pressure, but he used the club’s relegation to his advantage instead. His lack of goals attracted a lot of scrutiny. That’s probably what caused me to have that moment in my career.” I think I’ve got the talent and the work-rate to play in the Premier League, but I didn’t quite get that bit of confidence and rhythm. “I wouldn’t say there were any doubts about being good enough, because I think I am. It was obviously such a tough time, but I look back now and I can use that to make sure I carry on how I’m going,” he says. There were quite high expectations, which probably made it a bit harder. It took him 39 games to finally break his Premier League duck for Bournemouth.
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He was full of effort and endeavour but lacked that all-important cutting edge. When he first arrived from Liverpool for £19 million ($25.5m) in January 2019, Solanke struggled. This wasn’t always the case, though, far from it.

It’s all just clicked, and I think you can see that with the goals I’m getting.”

The style of play, the new manager and his staff coming in has definitely helped me. “Last season was decent for me, and I just wanted to build on that.
