Dominic Solanke has left AFC Bournemouth for Tottenham (Picture: @SpursOfficial)
Tottenham have officially announced the £65m signing of AFC Bournemouth striker Dominic Solanke with a brilliant anime-themed video on social media.
The Cherries are gutted to lose their top striker – who scored 19 Premier League goals last season – but they have urged their own fans not to ‘cry’ over the sale.
Solanke, 26, will look to walk in the footsteps of Harry Kane and establish himself as a world-class forward after enjoying a career resurgence on the south coast.
The ex-Chelsea and Liverpool star played 216 games for Bournemouth – conjuring up 77 goals and 31 assists – becoming a massive fan-favourite in the process.
‘Don’t cry because it’s over,’ Bournemouth posted on their X account. ‘Smile because it happened.’
Spurs, meanwhile, posted an anime-themed video to announce Solanke’s arrival in tribute to his deep love of the Japanese art form.
Solanke has frequently mentioned how much he loves anime in his interviews and has dedicated a number of goal celebrations to it.
‘We are delighted to announce the signing of Dominic Solanke from Bournemouth,’ Spurs posted on their website. ‘The 26-year-old striker has agreed a deal that will run until 2030. Dominic began his career with Chelsea and progressed through the ranks to play a key role in multiple youth team successes.
‘His impressive performances earned him his first team debut in October, 2014, against NK Maribor in the UEFA Champions League, becoming Chelsea’s youngest ever player to feature in the competition.
‘In August, 2015, he headed out on loan to Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem, where he made 26 appearances in all competitions, scoring seven times.
Dominic Solanke enjoyed a career resurgence at AFC Bournemouth (Picture: Getty)
‘A clinical and imposing attacker, Dominic returned to Chelsea following his loan and joined Liverpool ahead of the 2017/18 campaign, making his debut for the Merseyside club the following month.
‘During his spell at Anfield, he made 27 senior appearances in all competitions and scored his first Premier League goal in May, 2018, against Brighton.
‘In January, 2019, he moved to Bournemouth and made 10 appearances across the second half of the season. Dominic featured regularly for the Cherries the following campaign and in 2020/21 he finished the season as the club’s joint top goalscorer in the Championship.
‘The 2021/22 season saw Dominic enjoy his most prolific campaign, scoring 29 goals in 46 appearances, topping the Championship’s goalscorer chart.
‘In addition to helping his side earn promotion back to the Premier League, he was also named in the 2021/22 EFL Championship Team of the Year and the PFA Championship Team of the Year.
‘During his time on the south coast, he made 216 appearances in all competitions, scoring 77 goals and last term, he featured for Bournemouth in every one of their 38 Premier League games, finishing as joint fourth highest goalscorer in the division, netting 19 goals across the campaign.
‘His impressive form continued, as he scored his first senior hat-trick against Nottingham Forest, which helped him claim the Premier League Player of the Month Award for December, 2023.
‘On the international stage, Dominic has featured for England across numerous age categories and in 2014 helped the Young Lions claim the Under-17 UEFA European Championship, finishing the tournament as joint top scorer with four goals.
‘Three years later at the Under-20 FIFA World Cup, he played a vital role in England’s success and his notable performances saw him claim the Golden Ball and named as the Player of the Tournament. Dominic made his senior England debut in November, 2017, coming on as a substitute in a friendly against Brazil at Wembley.’