Dominic Solanke was one of the standout forwards in the Premier League season, scoring 19 goals to help Bournemouth secure a 12th place finish. He also turned out to be an excellent pick in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) as a results, producing an impressive return for his value.
Solanke ended up acquiring a whopping 175 points at the end of the 2023/23 Premier League campaign, the fourth-highest for any forward in the game.
The 28-year-old’s heroics in the previous campaign is probably why he’s currently picked by over 11% of the FPL managers and this might only keep increasing if he’s able to complete his ambitious move to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Englishman is being strongly linked to a move to North London as the potential heir to Harry Kane’s no.9 role. Last season, Ange Postecoglou mostly played Son Heung-min in that role, but the South Korean sensation is not a genuine no.9.
The English forward is quite confident about his chances of getting even better in the upcoming Premier League campaign and being a success story wherever he plays.
In a recent interview with the Premier League media, he was asked to give advice to FPL managers on picking him in their team and answered: “Fantasy Premier League managers could pick me because I think I’m going to score a lot of goals this season. I had 19 last season, 1 away from 20. That’s definitely my target this season.”
He also made a comment on the FPL team valuing him at around £7.5 million in the game, stating: “I think it’s (my price) £6.5 million or £7.5 million. I haven’t played it for a while so I don’t know how expensive that is, but, I’d imagine it was more expensive than I was last year. For sure (people will be rewarded for putting me in their FPL teams). “
Despite whatever debate might be raging about his price on FPL, there is no doubt whatsoever that Bournemouth will not let their prized asset leave for anything cheap – especially to Tottenham Hotspur.
The Athletic have recently reported that the Cherries have agreed to sell Solanke for a ‘club record fee’ and that the Lilywhites are now working hard to finalize the transfer before the beginning of their Premier League campaign.
Solanke reportedly has a £65 million release clause in his contract. Spurs are reportedly close to agreeing a deal to pay around £60 million to sign him. One thing that might be of note for FPL managers, however, is that is the Englishman completes a move to Tottenham – he might not exactly be the best selection for the first few game-weeks.
That is because Ange Posteocoglou will take his time helping the forward adjust to his new surroundings at Spurs. The Australian gaffer worked with a set system in pre-season and is unlikely to stray away from that in the first few matches. This could mean Solanke might be used as an impact substitute for the first few matches, with either Son or someone like Richarlison starting as the no.9 instead.
Irrespective, Solanke should be a solid FPL pick once he picks up his momentum in the 2024/25 Premier League campaign. As he proved last season, the striker can be a ruthless finisher and score goals in a string of consecutive matches – resulting in big points return for FPL managers.
So even if one can be excused for not picking him in the first few game-weeks, ignoring Solanke for the long-term could be a big mistake that can come back to haunt an FPL manager.