Former Premier League star Johnson claims not many teams 'would be afraid of' Solanke

FORMER England international Glen Johnson claims not “many teams would be afraid of Dominic Solanke”, imploring his former club Chelsea to avoid signing the striker.

After scoring 19 goals in 38 Premier League appearances for AFC Bournemouth last term, Solanke is reportedly wanted by a host of top-flight clubs, including Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Cherries’ talisman reportedly has a release clause in his contract worth £65million, but it is believed that only the top six in England can activate it.

Like Johnson, Solanke has previously played for both Liverpool and Chelsea, with the latter credited in taking an interest in the striker.

However, latest reports suggest that Chelsea have balked at the release clause, which Johnson believes does not reflect Solanke’s value.

• EXCLUSIVE|Dominic Solanke happy at AFC Bournemouth amidst transfer speculation

Having started his career at Chelsea, Solanke moved to Liverpool at the expiry of his contract in 2017, with Liverpool paying a £3million fee at a tribunal.

In January 2019, Cherries paid Liverpool a reported £19million fee to sign the striker, with Liverpool also supposedly inserting a sell-on clause worth 20 per cent of any profit generated from a future sale.

The former right-back believes that Chelsea do not need a striker of Solanke’s profile, claiming that sides are not scared of the forward.

Speaking to Betfred, Johnson shared: “If Chelsea want to start competing, then they need strikers that are going to put fear into the opposition and I don’t believe many teams would be afraid of Dominic Solanke.”

“I don’t believe he’s worth £65 million. I certainly wouldn’t pay it. He’s had a good season at Bournemouth, but I don’t believe he has the right profile for a club like Chelsea.”

Johnson did concede that Solanke deserved some credit for his goalscoring record last term, but does not believe the 26-year-old has proven himself as a £65million player.

Last campaign was the first season Solanke reached double digits for Premier League goals, but the former Vitesse loanee did grab 44 goals in 86 Championship appearances, including 29 strikes during the 2021/22 season to fire Cherries to promotion.

Johnson continued: “He’s deserved his acclaim as he’s had a good season with Bournemouth, but we’ve been waiting for him to do this for four or five years and a £65 million player doesn’t need to take that much time to show what they can do.”

In total, Solanke has 29 goals and 13 assists in 134 Premier League appearances, having scored a total of 77 times in 216 matches for Cherries.