It came as no surprise to hear Andoni Iraola describe Antoine Semenyo as “one of the best I have coached” after the forward scored a 95th minute winner on his final appearance for Bournemouth.The ...
It came as no surprise to hear Andoni Iraola describe Antoine Semenyo as “one of the best I have coached” after the forward scored a 95th minute winner on his final appearance for Bournemouth.
The Cherries boss spent years working alongside the Ghanian but less than 24 hours after that goal in a 3-2 win over Tottenham, Semenyo finally joined Manchester City after months of speculation and interest from other Premier League outfits.
His influence on Bournemouth has been phenomenal and one that generates bottomless excitement from a Manchester City perspective, more so due to the imagination of him, Erling Haaland and Jeremy Doku leading an attacking line with Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden just behind.
But it may take the forward some time to integrate himself into the City line-up for varying reasons, the first being the difference – and equally the challenge – between Iraola and Pep Guardiola’s strengths, weaknesses and styles.
As we know, Guardiola’s side aren’t strangers to playing with controlled possession; they are masters at it. The 54-year-old likes his players occupying specific zones to ensure spacing and timing for tackles is absolutely perfect.
However, Iraola previously spoke in an interview with The Independent about how that way of playing requires being ‘very, very, very good’. Not only that but Guardiola’s philosophy also prioritises a relentless press when City lose the ball.
In contrast, Iraola tends to favour a more direct and aggressive style of football. At present, Bournemouth lead the Premier League in counter-pressures and shots following turnovers, meaning their press is just as intense as their on-ball movement.
So why is this important when taking Semenyo’s move to City in consideration?
A versatile and fascinating attacker, Semenyo has many attributes that make him a £65 million superstar but his most valuable asset is his ability to run with the ball and stretch defensive lines. This provides City with a new dimension, supports Guardiola’s counter-pressing philosophy and allows them to attack much quicker in transition.
As shown at Bournemouth in recent seasons, he is comfortable operating on either wing and up front, which gives Guardiola an array of options when it comes to selecting an attacking line. There is also the choice to rest Haaland when needs be and field Semenyo in a more central role.
The 26-year-old’s experience in Iraola’s high-pressing system means he possesses the relentless out-of-possession intensity and defensive courage that is crucial to thrive under Guardiola.
So far this season, he has proven to be one of the best players in England and is second behind Haaland on Premier League goals and assists combined, has scored 12 goals and provided four assists in 23 games across all competitions.
It casts a much different image to that of his earlier years in football. After taking part in unsuccessful trials with Arsenal, Tottenham and Millwall as a 15-year-old, Semenyo was also rejected by Crystal Palace after an eight-week trial that same year.
And although failure can sometimes teach people things about themselves, the way in which Semenyo reacted was to quit football momentarily. That was until Dave Hockaday, Head of Male Football at South Gloucestershire and Shroud College, convinced him to return to the game, a decision he would forever be grateful for.
Semenyo would eventually return and has been met with frequent improvement ever since his career restarted when he joined Bristol City’s academy in 2017. Following a short spell in the club’s youth system, he eventually signed his first professional contract at the start of 2018 before being sent out on loan to varying clubs.
Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland all experienced Semenyo’s excellence in differing durations before the winger broke through the first-team at Ashton Gate but by January 2023 – five years after signing his professional contract – he was scoring for fun.
As a result of his impressive form, Bournemouth were twice rejected before he joined them in a deal worth £10 million in the 2023 January transfer window, while Premier League sides Southampton and Crystal Palace both showed interest.
During the 2024-25 season, Semenyo helped the Cherries achieve a record-breaking 56 point tally and a ninth place finish before maintaining his elite form into early 2026 despite Bournemouth’s drop in form of late.
But even with the Cherries at 15th in the English top-flight, Semenyo’s talent has only strengthened. One of his best showings came in the 4-2 loss to Liverpool four months ago – when the Ghana international ran from just outside his own penalty area before striking powerfully into the bottom right corner at the other end.
Having now joined Manchester City, Semenyo has a unique role to play that will be pivotal to the Blues’ title ambitions as they look to cut down a six point gap to Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Whether he will be another option on the wings or the deputy to Haaland’s dominance is yet to be seen, but Semenyo is another addition by Hugo Viana that takes City’s overall spending across the last 12 months to £425 million; more importantly he is a talent that indefinitely bolsters City’s chances of winning more silverware in the future.
Category: General Sports
