Antoine Semenyo’s recently-revealed release clause makes a January move far more likely - we break down the Bournemouth star’s options.
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Ever since Antoine Semenyo started the season with a brilliant brace against Liverpool, there has been speculation surrounding his future. His scintillating form and continued improvement at Bournemouth has made links with wealthier clubs inevitable, even if it all felt thoroughly speculative – until now, at least.
BBC Sport reported this week that Semenyo has a release clause worth £65m in the contract he signed this summer which activates for part of January. All of a sudden, those reports hinting at interest from Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and others seemed entirely realistic in a way that they hadn’t before.
It’s far from certain that he leaves in January. The negotiating window is small, his release clause reportedly drops and reactivates next summer, and more teams will have more cash to burn then – but the offers may well come in as teams search for ways to bolster their attacks heading into the home straight. But of the teams linked with a bid for Semenyo, which are actually likely to make a move this winter? And at which clubs might Semenyo truly thrive were he to leave?
Why Manchester United, Chelsea & Arsenal are unlikely to sign Antoine Semenyo
It would almost be quicker to list the teams which haven’t been linked with a move for Semenyo than to discuss all of those that have been individually – every team in the Premier League that’s noted as being a significant player in the transfer market has found their name crop up in the gossip columns with regularity, and it isn’t easy to discern which teams are seriously interested and which are merely being thrown into the rumours to add some heft.
No doubt all of the top flight’s biggest spenders have at least some passing interest, but a combination of financial realities and footballing factors are likely to rule some out, at least in January.
Chelsea are one of them. Not only have they invested heavily in Alejandro Garnacho (who is starting to find some form at Stamford Bridge) but they are expected to be cutting it fine financially in relation to UEFA’s spending rules, and that’s likely to reduce their financial flexibility in the near future.
The Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules won’t be a problem for Chelsea, with their sale of the women’s team to their owners’ company buying them a large amount of breathing room, but UEFA’s rules don’t allow the club to make use of that same loophole and there are already worries that they are at risk of sanctions from European football’s governing body. Clubs can always amortise their spending to some degree, but they are unlikely to have the breathing room to spend as much as £65m this winter.
Manchester United and Arsenal have slightly more financial breathing room, but not an immense amount – and both spent significant sums over the summer improving the same areas which Semenyo might.
United are looking at signing a new midfielder and a centre-forward with whatever funds they have available and with Mateus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo on the books, a move for Semenyo would be a luxury. Arsenal, meanwhile, may have questions over the long-term future of Gabriel Martinelli but with Eberechi Eze brought in and Leandro Trossard’s contact extended, a winger is not a priority addition – indeed, it would be unsurprising if Arsenal made no signings whatsoever this January.
All three of these teams are being linked with the Ghanaian on the rumour mill, but none are likely to be in position to make a move until next summer. If Semenyo remains at the Vitality Stadium in the short term, then they may become candidates for his signature down the line – for now, it would be a surprise if any of these three teams were involved in the bidding.
Liverpool, Manchester City & Spurs could be serious suitors
Sky Sports recently reported that the three teams they believed to be in the running for Semenyo were Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur – and here the rumours start to become more plausible.
All three teams in question should have the PSR headroom to make a £65m move (depending on how they chose to amortise their summer expenditure) and all three have good sporting reasons to want to add a new wide forward – although Spurs, who have plenty of PSR space to play with, are reported to be less replete with ready cash due in part to the ongoing costs of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In Spurs’ case, however, the biggest issue may be whether spending £65m on a winger is really the best use of funds. Like United, their priorities are a striker and a central midfielder, and it is likely that the development of players like Mathys Tel and Wilson Odobert comes first, especially with Dejan Kulusevski set to return to fitness in December. Semenyo would be a fine addition to the team, but perhaps not an essential one. In any case, they may find it tricky to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool were all three teams to enter the fray.
That probably puts City and Liverpool at the front of the queue. Liverpool may have spent record-breaking sums on attacking additions already and Pep Guardiola may have kicked up a fuss about wanting to reduce his squad size over the summer, but both have issues in the final third that a player on Semenyo’s form could help to clear up.
Liverpool, in particular, have been out of sorts up front and may view themselves as being in something of a sunk-cost situation with regards to the lavish spending that was involved in bringing Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké to the club over the summer – if that hasn’t worked out, then another (relatively unspectacular) splash on Semenyo might make sense.
City, similarly, don’t have a pressing need for attacking reinforcements on paper but have found themselves far too dependent on Erling Haaland for goals – three months into the season, their second-highest scorer in the league is still Burnley’s Maxime Estève after his own goals for them. Semenyo, who has scored six in 11 games in the Premier League, could offer an answer to that issue.
The question Guardiola and his transfer team would have to answer is whether signing Semenyo would stand in the way of the progress of their young corps of wide forwards, many of whom are starting to hit their stride – Jérémy Doku has been excellent of late, Rayan Cherki has the potential to be a hugely productive member of the squad and Savinho is highly promising. If Guardiola is still concerned by his own squad size, he may well be wary of adding Semenyo into the mix.
Which perhaps makes Liverpool not only the most likely candidate to sign Semenyo this January but also the club who would offer him the best landing spot. Cody Gakpo is their only ‘true’ left winger, while Semenyo’s versatility could also make him a natural long-term successor to Mohamed Salah, with whom age finally appears to be catching up. He may make the biggest difference there and have the least impact on starting minutes for other players clubs are keen to develop – although Rio Ngumoha may feel slightly differently.
As it stands, no teams appear to have launched a bid or started discussions with Bournemouth or Semenyo’s representatives. This is still a speculative point in the story, and there is every chance that Semenyo prefers to wait until the summer to leave the south coast, when he may have more options available to him. But don’t be surprised if he’s wearing a red shirt by the middle of January, either. If he maintains his form and scoring rate over the next six weeks, then several sides will be salivating at the chance to sign him.