The curse of the most transferred-in Fantasy Premier League player could strike again after Dominic Solanke missed Bournemouth‘s FA Cup fifth-round defeat to Leicester on Tuesday due to a knee injury.
At the time of writing Solanke has been bought by over 300,000 FPL managers this week ahead of Bournemouth’s promising fixtures against Burnley (a) in Gameweek 28 and both Sheffield United (h) and Luton (h) in 29.
Those who moved early for the Cherries frontman will hope that he doesn’t suffer a similar fate to last week’s top signing Rasmus Hojlund who was ruled out for “two to three weeks” by Erik ten Hag and missed Saturday’s defeat to Fulham.
Here’s what we know about Solanke’s availability ahead of Bournemouth’s meeting with Burnley.
What Andoni Iraola has said
“Dom wasn’t feeling well in his knee,” Bournemouth’s head coach Andoni Iraola said after their 1-0 loss to the Championship leaders.
“We have to assess him and we hope it’s not something big and he can help us this weekend.”
Solanke has been virtually ever-present for Bournemouth this season, featuring in 29 of their 31 matches in all competitions including all 25 of their Premier League fixtures.
To compound matters Solanke’s replacement Enes Unal, a January signing from Getafe, had to come off at half-time against Leicester due to a collarbone injury and is set to miss the trip to Turf Moor.
“Enes has gone to the hospital because he felt something in the clavicle,” Iraola said.
“We have to see if it’s something worse but I think it will be more difficult to have Enes for the weekend.”
Iraola will be asked about Solanke’s availability when he addresses the media again on Friday.
Potential FPL replacements
If Solanke is only ruled out against Burnley it is probably worth sticking him on your bench and hoping he is able to recover in time for Bournemouth’s double gameweek. If he is unavailable for all three games, though, FPL managers should look to move him on.
Solanke is at an awkward price point meaning you may have to make multiple transfers in order to upgrade him to a more expensive asset like Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) or Ivan Toney (£8.2m).
If you have the available funds and don’t currently possess Watkins, it is a no-brainer. The Villa frontman has enjoyed the best campaign of his career, combining 14 goals with 15 assists to soar to the top of the FPL leaderboard.
He faces Luton (a) next followed by Spurs (h) and West Ham (a) in Gameweek 29, which could feature less than a handful of matches due to the FA Cup quarter-final taking place over the same weekend.
Brentford’s short-term run is less appealing which reduces Toney’s appeal, although they arguably have the stronger fixture in 29. The Bees play Chelsea (h), Arsenal (a) and Burnley (a) in their next three.
There are some intriguing options at the lower scale of the transfer market to consider too.
Luton are the only other team to have a double gameweek in 28 and Carlton Morris (£5.1m) will spearhead their attack with Elijah Adebayo currently sidelined. Morris’s form has flown under the radar of late considering he has scored four goals and set up a further two in his previous six outings.
Fulham’s Rodrigo Muniz (£4.4m) is also in good form having seized his chance to impress in Raul Jimenez’s injury-enforced absence by scoring four goals in his last four matches. The young Brazilian has attempted 18 shots on goal since Gameweek 23, a total that only Erling Haaland (with 26) can better among forwards.
Finally, if you are eager to add a Bournemouth attacker to your ranks for their upcoming run, the budget-friendly Antoine Semenyo (£4.5m) could be a shrewd punt. The Ghanaian has combined four goals with three assists this season and may be moved into a central position if both Solanke and Unal are unavailable.
How important is Solanke to Bournemouth?
Solanke is one of Bournemouth’s longest-serving players having joined from Liverpool for £19m in January 2019 and after enduring a difficult start on the south coast has gradually evolved to become their talisman.
The 26-year-old has finally dispelled doubts over his ability to score in the Premier League this campaign by scoring a career-high 14 goals in the top-flight, a total that only Erling Haaland (17) and Mo Salah (15) can top.
Solanke has also weighed in with three assists, meaning he has had a direct hand in 17 of Bournemouth’s 33 league goals in 2023-24. No player in the league has been involved in a greater share of their team’s goals than Solanke.
His form for the Cherries has led to reported interest from Arsenal, Newcastle, Tottenham and West Ham and whispers that he could force his way into Gareth Southgate’s reckoning for England’s Euro 2026 squad.
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