After making his senior debut for Chelsea as a Champions League sub last season, teenage forward Dominic Solanke enjoyed a solid loan spell with Vitesse Arnhem this year and superb play with the Chelsea Reserves. The highly-touted English youngster only has 12 months left on his contract though, and with interest from teams willing to give him significant first-team reps immediately, Solanke is looking to cash in quickly.
According to the Telegraph, Solanke is demanding guaranteed first-team reps and £50,000-a-week wages in order to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge. Per the source, Solanke is concerned that he won’t have the same pathway to first-team stardom that Tottenham Hotspur ace Harry Kane received when the Spurs striker was his age with multiple loan spells at well-established English clubs.
Solanke helped the Chelsea Reserves win back-to-back FA Youth Cups in 2014 and 2015, along with the UEFA Youth League in the 2014-15 season. He finished as the Youth League’s top scorer and was named Chelsea Academy Player of the Year.
Chelsea have struggled to produce a top-flight homegrown player over the last few years, with former manager Jose Mourinho earning stiff criticism for his reluctance to give reps to academy products.
With Chelsea’s recent history of not giving chances to players his age, it’s understandable that Solanke is willing to go ‘first team or bust’ at Stamford Bridge.
Follow Jonathan Machlin on Twitter @jtmlovessports
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