Ireland under-17 and Shamrock Rovers star, Ade Solanke is all set to sign for French side FC Lorient. Solane will sign for Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, Lorients affiliate club, when he turns 18 in January.
Solanke first broke onto the scene in 2023 when he made the Ireland under-17 squad for the European Championships in Hungary, playing two years above his age as the only 2008 born player in the squad.
More recently, Ade shone in the under-17 Euro qualifiers for Ireland in October. Solanke proved himself against some strong opposition and showed himself as one of Ireland’s brightest talents. The Dub had a notable performance against Lithuania and has been a standout for Shamrock Rovers at underage level and even earned himself a place in the senior squad a handful of times.
Ever since Bournemouth were taken over by the Black Knight Group, their investment into the academy has massively risen with Solanke being another notable academy signing. With Bournemouth and Lorient both being owned by the BKG, deals between both clubs are starting to take place.
Eli Junior Kroupi is the standout player that both clubs have benefited from the partnership. Junior Kroupi came through the Lorient academy and in the summer was sold to the English side for €13 million but returned to the affiliate club immediately on loan.
Lorient have five players in the first team from their academy currently. This is a huge opportunity for Ade to get senior minutes if he can impress for the club’s B team. The Rovers talent will join a great pathway club that will hopefully take his game to the next level.
Lorient have produced well known players in the past like Illan Meslier, Enzo Le Fée and Cheick Doumbia.
Ade will be the first Irishman to play for “Les Merlus”.