Dominic Solanke explains reasons behind leaving Chelsea for Liverpool

The striker started his career in West London at Chelsea but struggled to make the breakthrough and made a controversial switch to Anfield in the summer of 2017

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Dom Solanke shows of his finishing ability

Dominic Solanke says he swapped Chelsea for Liverpool because he thought young players were more likely to be given opportunities there.

Solanke arrived in the summer of 2017 with Liverpool only paying a nominal fee for the striker, who was 19 at the time.

He was highly-rated within the Chelsea set-up but had struggled to break through into the senior side. Indeed, his only experience of the Blues’ first team was a 17-minute cameo off the bench in a Champions League group game.

Solanke allowed his contract to run down and opted to move to Anfield. Although he would go on to appear 27 times for the Reds, he scored just once and started just six times.

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He was eventually moved on, 18 months after arriving, for a sizeable eight-figure fee to Bournemouth in early 2019.

Solanke has been reflecting on the original decision to swap one Premier League giant for another.

Speaking to goal.com he said: “My contract at Chelsea finished and I was just looking at my options. Liverpool came in.

“They’re such a big club and I knew they wanted to give young players opportunities.

“I think that’s what drove me to go there.”

Despite being happy at the move, Solanke quickly discovered he would have his work cut out to displace the star-studded front three of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

He added: “Nothing’s a given in football and the front three when I was there were just phenomenal.

“I don’t think anyone would have got in ahead of them.

“I wasn’t as prolific as I am now, so that played a part as well, but it was always going to be difficult to break into a top team with quality players like that.”

A star graduate of the Blues academy, Solanke helped the club win the FA Youth Cup in consecutive years, playing alongside the likes of current Stamford Bridge regulars Andreas Christensen and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Reflecting on his time there, he said: “I loved it. There was so much talent in all of the age groups.

“That period was when we first got to compete for something valuable.

“With the squad we had, it would have been a disaster if we didn’t win. They were enjoyable moments. There really wasn’t a weakness in the side.”

As he mentions, Solanke has now become a prolific striker compared to his struggles when at Chelsea and Liverpool.

He has 13 goals already in the Championship – just two shy of his entire total for last season – as he chases promotion back to the Premier League with the Cherries.