Newcastle United have been linked with signing Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth, but former Toon boss Alan Pardew is not fully convinced.
The 26-year-old recently emerged as a target for the Magpies when it was reported that Eddie Howe’s side had launched an enquiry for the England international.
It came as a surprise to Toon fans, while Bournemouth turned down Newcastle’s advances and made them aware that Dominic Solanke was going nowhere.
He is a player who has been on Newcastle’s radar in the past, while Eddie Howe knows him from his time at the Vitality Stadium. In fact, he was the manager that signed him from Liverpool back in 2019.
The Toon boss has since praised Solanke, but denied claims that Newcastle were trying to sign him during the January transfer window.
Solanke is a man in demand after scoring 12 Premier League goals this season, but Alan Pardew is not convinced about him moving up the footballing ladder just yet.
Alan Pardew unsure about Dominic Solanke
Pardew has spoke about Solanke on the TalkSPORT YouTube channel, and explained why he does not think he is ready to join a major Premier League club.
“I don’t think he has done enough to warrant that,“ he said.
“I have had great strikers in the past who have had great spells in the Premier League – Marlon Harewood got 16 goals for me but I don’t think he was ever going to get to a top club. Bobby Zamora, people like that.
“I can’t see it. But if there was a club like that [in the top six] that bid for him, he would want to go but the ownership at Bournemouth are quite strong. They are financially stable.
“So I think that would be a difficult one for anyone to prise him out of there.“
Unclear if Solanke would be a good fit for Newcastle United
Of course, Newcastle are not in the top six right now. They are 10th, but do have long-term ambitions of being up there.
To get there, they will need signings that can take the club to the next level. Pardew’s comments suggest that he does not think Solanke falls into that bracket.
He might have a point, as there are no guarantees that this is not just a bright run of form for Solanke. This is the first time that he has hit double figures in the top flight of English football, after all.
One selling point that Solanke does have is that he is reliable. He is rarely injured, which is a complete contrast to Callum Wilson, who is once again struggling for fitness.
Personally, I think Solanke would be a good back up option for Newcastle. At the end of the day, Alexander Isak is the main man on Tyneside, and it is going to take someone really special to remove him from Howe’s starting XI.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
