Chelsea FC youngster Dominic Solanke has done great things at the Academy level for the Blues but will he be sent on loan next season? The young striker has absolutely lit up the youth leagues at different age groups and levels. In the past two season, Solanke has scored an incredible 61 goals in 67 matches for the Chelsea U18, U19, and U20 teams.
This past season was his best as he banged in 41 goals in just 39 appearances. This is not just an example of an advanced player simply dominating other players his age as the youngster is dominant at all three age levels at just 17 years old.
Last season, he scored 14 goals in 12 appearances for U18, 12 in 9 for U19, and 15 in 18 for the U21s so it is obvious that he is extremely gifted. It would be one thing if he was feasting on other 16 and 17 year olds but he is dominating players that are three or four years older than him on a consistent basis.
While some may think he is not quite ready for the next level of competition, his performance begs the question of what exactly does he have left to prove at the Academy level? The most important thing for Chelsea FC to decide is what will be best for his long term future. Some players such as Gael Kakuta or Josh McEachran have shown tremendous promise at the youth level but have seen their careers go off the rails once they were sent out on loan.
Whether it was because of a poor fit at the other clubs or some other unknown obstacle, these players just could not get things on track. Kakuta appears to have been sold to Sevilla and McEachran is doing well at Vitesse Arnhem but they have not become the stars that they were projected to be.
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In the case of Dom Solanke, he has dominated the youth leagues for two years now so will playing against boys his age or slightly older help his development or keep him from growing as a footballer? Would sending him to a League One or League Two club where he is playing against grown men be better for his growth and development?
The answer to the latter question is “yes, but” as in yes playing against them would be better, but only if he is actually playing and not wasting away on the bench. If he is indeed sent on loan then it must be to a club that will actually utilize his talents and not just have him train with the senior squad. If training is all he will be doing then he can do that at Cobham and still get to play competitive matches with the youth teams.
An aggressive loan to a Premier League or even Championship club may be out of the question but a step lower could do wonders for the youngster. He could follow in the footsteps of Patrick Bamford who used an excellent season and a half at MK Dons as a springboard to being the Player of the Year in the Sky Bet Championship.
Even after that excellent season with Middlesbrough, Bamford is still one the outside looking in of the Chelsea senior squad. However if he does break through and Solanke develops the way so many fans believe he will then perhaps the dream of having an all Chelsea FC Academy strikeforce may become a reality sooner than we ever thought possible.
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