Antoine Semenyo has continued his good form for Bournemouth and it’s just a matter of time before the Ghanaian international secures a move to one of the Premier League’s big guns.
Undoubtedly one of the hottest wingers in the top flight this season, Semenyo has six goals and three assists in seven matches this season and Only Erling Haaland has found the net more times than the 25-year-old.
The Bournemouth winger rejected a move elsewhere in the summer despite holding talks with another Premier League club but he could be on the move anytime soon.
According to Semenyo’s personal skills coach, Saul Isaksson-Hurst, he will soon be lighting up the Champions League to continue his meteoric rise from the sixth tier of English football.
Antoine Semenyo during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Fulham (Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)
“He’s unbelievable,” Isaksson-Hurst told Mirror Sport. “He’s a Champions League player and was unlucky not to get a move in the summer, but it’s a matter of time before he goes to a big club. There was interest. He’s one of the most electric players in the Premier League at the moment. So there’s no ceiling.
“If you can dominate the Premier League you can dominate any league. He could play for any of the big clubs and make an impact.” Semenyo approached Isaksson-Hurst at the start of the summer and first worked with the specialist technical coach while holidaying in the south of France before intense sessions in London ahead of pre-season.
“I said to him straight away – ‘You should be playing Champions League football’,” Isaksson-Hurst recalled. “That’s got to be the initial target.
“How’s he going to do that? You’ve got to be one of the best players at Bournemouth and help them have a really successful season and ideally be one of the highest for goals and assists in your team and in the league which will give you the platform to do that. It’s a natural progression.”
Andoni Iraola, Manager of AFC Bournemouth, and Antoine Semenyo celebrate following their victory over Fulham (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)
Semenyo has come a long way since joining Bristol City’s academy at 17, despite facing rejections from trials with Premier League clubs, he has now become the face of the league.
“That resilience to work hard. That’s one of the reasons he contacted me,” Isaksson-Hurst said. “He understands that he needs to keep going, that he hasn’t arrived. He wants to be the best player he can be, to keep working on his craft. A lot of footballers approach me but very few are willing to do this stuff regularly and go the extra mile.”
It’s almost hard to believe Semenyo was overlooked by many of the clubs he’s now putting to the sword. “It’s difficult, a bit like [Eberechi] Eze, everyone has got a different journey and progresses differently,” Isaksson-Hurst added. “Maybe he just wasn’t ready then.”
