Two and a half years ago, Dominic Solanke was the young darling of Stamford Bridge.
Having led England to an Under 20 World Cup title in June 2017, which came just after a moderately successful season-long loan move at Vitesse Arnhem, Chelsea fans were starting to see the potential of a real star capable of performing on the big stage.
Yet a not-so-prosperous two-year spell at Liverpool, followed by an uninspiring first calendar year at Bournemouth means that potential is slowly wavering.
The 22-year-old returns to Stamford Bridge this weekend a far cry from what his time at Chelsea promised.
After making 21 appearances in his first season at Anfield and scoring on the final day of the 2017-18 season, many thought that Solanke would kick on in the following campaign.
Yet the young England striker failed to appear for Jurgen Klopp’s side the following term, and was moved on to Bournemouth last January for a reported £19million fee.
Despite the considerable fee for a then-21-year-old, Eddie Howe and Bournemouth are still waiting for that value to be met. Solanke is still waiting for his first Premier League goal in a Cherries shirt, with the former Chelsea man appearing in all but two of their matches so far this season.
Solanke’s gradual decrease in promise is further emphasised by the rise to form of former youth team-mate Tammy Abraham, who has 16 times as many goals as Solanke despite this year being only his second season playing for a top-flight club.
Solanke and Abraham have been joined at the hip ever since their youth days. The pair scored a combined total of 41 goals for Chelsea’s academy sides during the 2014-15 season, a year in which they won both the FA Youth Cup and UEFA Youth League.
They have also risen through the international set-up together, featuring for the England U18s, U19s, U20s and U21s at the same time. They also made their senior England debut in the same week, and Solanke’s Three Lions bow against Brazil in November 2017 saw him come off the substitutes’ bench with Abraham alongside him.
Yet despite their identical footballing upbringing, it will be Abraham who lines-up as one of the league’s in-form goal scorers, with Solanke still looking for a first Premier League goal since May 2018.
This difference between the young strikers has not gone unnoticed by the football community. Rio Ferdinand said on BT Sport in September of this year that he was surprised that Abraham has been the one that has thrived.
The former England defender said: ‘I’d heard about Tammy Abraham for many a year, when he was in the youth team and the school boys.
‘Everyone was talking about him and Solanke and Solanke looked the more polished player.
‘Abraham was a bit rough on the edges but he’s gone on loan, he’s done it the hard way and he’s come through to the first team. He’s got the opportunity and now he’s taking it and running with it.’
It may be harsh on Solanke to say that had he stayed at Stamford Bridge, as the more ‘polished player’, he would currently be featuring for one of the country’s top sides instead of scrambling for shots on target at the Vitality Stadium.
After all, how was he meant to know that Chelsea’s free-spending transfer activity would stop at the hands of a transfer ban? That clearly would have presented him with more minutes and a release from the infamous Chelsea ‘loan club’.
Either way, if Solanke features at Stamford Bridge this weekend, he will not just be looking to prove a point to his manager and team-mates – but also to the club he represented when his stock was at its highest.