Bournemouth returned to the English Premier League for the 2022-23 season after an absence of two years from the top flight. Before the start of the last season, everyone thought that the Cherries were going down just after one spell in the top flight. They managed to survive and finished 15th in the league table. Many teams, including Bournemouth, will be fighting for their survival this season.
The Cherries have a lot of talented players in their squad, including former Chelsea and Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke. The 26-year-old striker graduated from Chelsea’s academy and has represented England at every possible youth level. He joined the Cherries in 2019 and played a key role in their promotion season. This season, the player has started positively and is likely to surpass his best tally in the top division. Let’s examine why Bournemouth depends on their English talent to get results.
Return to the Premier League
Dominic Solanke scored 29 goals in 46 EFL Championship games for Bournemouth in their promotion-winning season. He returned to the Premier League and scored six goals in 2022-23. The forward averaged 2.01 shots per 90 minutes and had 43.5% of the shots on target.
This season, Solanke has already netted six goals in 12 games. His most recent goal came in a 2-0 win over Newcastle United, where he scored a brace. The Englishman has an average of 2.19 shots per 90 minutes in the current season, and 41.4% of these have been on target. Solanke has found space in and around the six-yard box and averages around four touches inside the penalty box per 90 minutes. He will look to convert more such opportunities and reach double figures for the first time in the top flight.
The teams battling for survival need their frontmen to score and create goals. Solanke has delivered every time since the team returned to the top division. He created six goals for his team last season and is yet to create one this season.
Last season, Solanke provided 15 shot assists. He averaged more than a pass per 90 minutes to the penalty box and had a decent accuracy rate of 70%. In the current season, the striker attempts 0.9 passes to the final third and has a high accuracy of 83%.
Other contributions
Dominik Solanke is a forward who likes to drive with the ball from wide zones. His dribbling hasn’t been that effective but has been sufficient to help him penetrate the opposition’s penalty box.
One area where the striker needs to stay active is in recovering the ball in dangerous attacking areas. Solanke has made his presence felt and made a few dangerous recoveries in and around the penalty box.
Dominic Solanke is establishing himself in the top division. He will aim to show more consistency in front of the goal and improve his scoring record in the Premier League.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine