Mohamed Salah wasn't the only forward to join Liverpool in the summer 2017 transfer window
MUNICH, GERMANY - JULY 28: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Ryan Kent, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez and Dominic Solanke of Liverpool during a training session at Rottach-Egern on July 28, 2017 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Mo Salah and Dominic Solanke joined Liverpool in the same month(Image: Andrew Powell, Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Liverpool hero Mohamed Salah will leave Anfield as one of his club's best ever forwards and one of the leading lights from the Premier League era. Given this context, a forward who struggled for minutes in the same team shouldn't have to use it as the only benchmark to judge his own career.
Dominic Solanke arrived in the same summer window as Salah after progressing through Chelsea's academy, costing the Reds around £3million in compensation. However, he would ultimately feature in only 27 Liverpool matches before departing for Bournemouth in January 2019, deciding his future lay elsewhere - and he could be rewarded this summer with a World Cup opportunity.
As Salah prepares to bring down the curtain on his Liverpool career at the season's end, it's evident that it would have required an exceptional talent to even run him close. Solanke may not have reached that standard as a young player - he was still in his teens when he moved to Merseyside - but he has subsequently proven he possesses considerable quality at the top level.
"It feels amazing and everyone has made me feel welcome already," Solanke said upon joining the Reds in July 2017, the same month in which Salah arrived from Roma. "Even just pulling on the training top, I was over the moon. Hopefully I can put on the shirt in the near future and make some good history here."
The forward got his first competitive run-out as a substitute against Hoffenheim in a Champions League qualifier and earned his first Premier League action in a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. However, regular minutes were harder to come by.
The Reds' formidable front trio of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane were backed up by the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi. Salah might not have played centrally but his role within the front-line made it hard for anyone else to get a look-in and the Reds' new English forward would score just one league goal for the club.
Interestingly, then-manager Jurgen Klopp opted for a 4-2-4 formation on the day Solanke opened his account. While Salah may not have directly hindered his young team-mate's progress, he left Klopp deciding a three-up-front strategy was the best fit for the squad, and that was always going to make it difficult for anyone not named Roberto or Sadio to rack up the minutes.
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 27: Dominic Solanke of England during the international friendly match between England and Uruguay at Wembley Stadium on March 27, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Solanke is targeting a spot in Thomas Tuchel's World Cup squad(Image: Justin Setterfield, Getty Images)
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Initially, Solanke's performance at Bournemouth suggested that Liverpool had done an excellent job securing £19million for him. He scored a mere three league goals as the Cherries dropped down to the Championship at the end of the 2019/20 season and ended up with six the next time he played Premier League football, suggesting the top end of the second tier might be more his speed.
However, it was a different when Andoni Iraola took the reins as Bournemouth manager. Solanke scored 19 league goals - only three players managed more in the Premier League - helping Iraola's team finish comfortably mid-table and prompting Tottenham to table a bid worth up to £65m including add-ons.
Things have been more mixed for the forward in North London. He impressed in last season's run to Europa League glory but injury has derailed his second campaign as a Spurs player.
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Solanke has yet to clock up 1,000 minutes on the pitch this season following ankle surgery but scored in each of his three Champions League outings. He also produced a memorable brace in a 2-2 draw with Manchester City and secured a first ever England start against Uruguay, more than eight years since he earned his first international minutes while on Liverpool's books.
His next aim is a spot in England's World Cup squad. "[It's] the last camp before the US and the last chance also, for me, to get to know new players and to learn about new players," manager Thomas Tuchel said.
Some senior players were rested for the Uruguay game only to be recalled for a second friendly against Japan. On Tuesday, Solanke may have another chance to demonstrate how much has altered since those early days at Liverpool and make his case to be part of Tuchel's plans this summer.