Dominic Solanke to Arsenal: Gunners could capitalise on striker's £50,000-a-week stand-off with Chelsea
Both clubs are reluctant to meet his excessive wage demands but Arsenal would be able to offer him more first-team opportunities
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Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea may not have to meet the staggering £50,000-a-week demanded by teenager Dominic Solanke after reports linked Arsenal with a move for the talented forward.
The Blues are reported to be facing the possibility of losing 18-year-old Solanke unless they give him a substantial pay rise and meet his demand of £50,000-a-week, despite the academy product yet to make a single appearance for the club in the Premier League.
Solanke’s sole match for the Chelsea first-team came in a substitute appearance in the 6-0 Champions League victory over Maribor in the 2014/15 group stage, and he has since been sent on loan to Vitesse Arnhem – one of Chelsea’s feeder clubs where he is joined this season by Lewis Baker, Isaiah Brown, Nathan and Danilo Pantic – where he has scored seven goals in the Eredivisie.
Talks between Chelsea and Solanke’s representatives have reached a stalling point due to the player’s excessive wage demands, and according to The Sun, Arsenal could be prepared to capitalise on that by launching a surprise move for the youngster.
Arsenal are understood to be reluctant to meet Solanke’s wage rise but would be willing to guarantee his demand for first-team opportunities, and with the club’s reputation for developing younger players into Premier League regulars, the appeal of joining the Gunners could tempt Solanke.
Alex Iwobi has shone this season after being handed the chance to impress in the first team, and is currently keeping the likes of Theo Walcott, Olivier Giroud and Joel Campbell out of the side. Iwobi is far from an anomaly though, as he follows in the footsteps of Hector Bellerin, Jack Wilshere and Francis Coquelin among many others.
Chelsea, on the other hand, have struggled to give young players a chance – especially under former manager Jose Mourinho. Up until this season, John Terry remained the last player to tie down a regular starting role more than a decade ago, although Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s promotion following Mourinho’s departure has at least hinted that the English midfielder could see regular action next season once Antonio Conte takes over.
In Solanke, they have the 2014 England Youth Player of the Year and a talented individual who has already helped Chelsea’s youth team win two FA Youth Cups and the Uefa Youth League last season – having not been a part of this season’s retention of the title. Solanke has also impressed in the international set-up, having top scored for his country in England’s successful Uefa European Under-17s Championship in 2014.
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