West Ham United: David Moyes must sign Dominic Solanke after what Thierry Henry said about him
James Murray is a lifelong West Ham fan and a current season ticket holder in the Billy Bonds Stand. He’s seen some incredible talents – as well as several forgettable names – don the famous claret and blue shirt since his first game 25 years ago. He’s now putting his passion for West Ham into words with a regular fan view for West Ham Zone…
The form of Dominic Solanke simply can’t be ignored.
The Bournemouth forward has scored a mightily impressive 12 goals in just 19 Premier League appearances this season in what looks set to be a breakout year for him at the top level.
The 26-year-old has been on the Hammers’ radar for some time, with the Sunday People reporting in its print edition on 19 November that the club are set to revive their interest in signing him after having a £40million bid rejected over the summer.
The one-cap England international came in for some high praise recently when Thierry Henry named him as a player who has impressed him the most this season when speaking on Amazon Prime during the Hammers’ 2-0 victory over Arsenal on 28 December (via the Metro).
“Dominic Solanke, the way he is playing at Bournemouth,” said Henry. “Not only him, the team is doing extremely well, but we have been waiting for him to be that player.
“I guess it was a bit too much when he was younger. But what he is doing right now is brilliant. I am happy for him because he did struggle for a little bit. Now he is looking good.”
The Irons’ desperate need for a new forward option was clearly on display in their 0-0 draw with Brighton on Tuesday (2 January), where they were without key attackers Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus.
While the absence of Michail Antonio hasn’t been felt as much as many thought it would be due to the scintillating form of Jarrod Bowen, bringing in a long-term successor to lead the forward line is now a must.
Over the past few years, we’ve been burned by the big-money signings of Sebastian Haller and Gianluca Scamacca, who both failed to adapt to life in East London.
That has made the club’s board and David Moyes apprehensive about splashing the cash on another player who hasn’t proven they can cut it in the Premier League.
That is where Solanke is different. Although the forward’s previous record in the top flight isn’t exactly great, scoring goals for Bournemouth is never going to be easy.
His record this season – alongside the 29 Championship strikes he registered in helping the Cherries back up to the big time in 2021/22 – shows he is a confidence player.
And that is exactly what the Englishman is right now – confident. He’s the most in-form striker in the league and there could still be plenty more to come from him.
His pace, power and ability to run in behind make him the perfect player to fit into Moyes’ system, so it’s time for us to get the chequebook out and make this deal happen before someone else snaps him up.
In other West Ham news, a Premier League manager has made a decision on a player the Hammers want to sign.