The clamour for Antoine Semenyo comes all the way down to greater than merely a intelligent escape clause in his Bournemouth contract.
The 25-year-old Londoner is a ahead for these occasions. He fits trendy tactical traits and methods. He works laborious out of possession and wins the ball in harmful areas of the pitch.
All of this on high of plentiful expertise. There’s the harmful tempo and a uncommon potential to run with the ball, going previous opponents on both aspect, scoring unbelievable targets just like the second of his two at Liverpool on the opening night time of this season.
Semenyo picked up possession deep inside his personal half and drove ahead via the centre of the pitch, driving Ibrahima Konate again in the direction of his personal aim.
‘That has at all times been in his locker,’ remembers Dean Holden, now assistant head coach at Hull Metropolis and in command of Bristol Metropolis when Semenyo was establishing himself within the first staff at Ashton Gate.
‘He didn’t come into the membership till he was 18, however he got here with the uncooked energy you’ll be able to see right this moment. He would push it and run and located it straightforward to manhandle defenders and make up for a foul contact along with his tempo.
‘We at all times thought he might go on to the Premier League, so we spent loads of time making an attempt to refine these strengths, engaged on the issues he wanted when he got here up in opposition to higher, faster defenders, taking smaller touches, the consolation contact as we are saying in teaching, hooking defenders in so that they decide to the deal with and would possibly dangle a leg.’
That day at Anfield, when Semenyo had compelled Konate again to the fringes of his personal penalty space, Holden recognised how far the Bournemouth ahead had superior when his shut management tipped the skilled Liverpool defender off steadiness, left him with a change of tempo within the different route and hammered a shot low into the web.
Antoine Semenyo’s opening-night brace at Anfield in August showcased his expertise in model
… and Liverpool boss Arne Slot confirmed his respect for Semenyo’s show after the sport
These are the refinements to spark alert the perfect coaches within the Premier League, they usually have grow to be a recurring theme of his season. Teasing and tormenting full backs, sending panic ripping via defensive quarters, setting game-plans ablaze.
Holden was up within the stands at Previous Trafford earlier this month when Semenyo scored within the thrilling 4-4 draw in opposition to Manchester United.
On this event, he gathered the ball able broad on the fitting and set off for the penalty space on a diagonal run, direct and simply too fast for these scrambling again to land any restoration tackles. His end was one other low and exact drive.
Semenyo continues so as to add layers to boost his pure presents and since he doesn’t have the whole academy background as a result of his dad and mom wished to see him full his faculty training there stays a component of the ‘uncoached’ about him.
He has unpredictability, a uncommon and elusive high quality within the trendy recreation. He has a wonderful health file, hardly ever lacking via harm, and has two sturdy ft.
‘Even Antoine isn’t certain of his greatest foot,’ says Holden, who can even attest to his exemplary angle. ‘Huge smile, likeable, comfy in his personal pores and skin, only a regular lad.’
Semenyo has 9 Premier League targets for Bournemouth this time period, crushed solely by Igor Thiago of Brentford and Manchester Metropolis’s Erling Haaland
He’s prepared to hear and study. And has advanced via the EFL with mortgage spells at Tub Metropolis, Newport County and Sunderland earlier than making his mark at Bristol Metropolis.
In terms of temperament, there was one other instance from Liverpool in August when he was so spectacular in his dealing with of racist abuse from one fan and channelled his feelings.
One other prized high quality is Semenyo’s versatility. Maybe it’s linked to his evolution within the decrease leagues the place everybody mucks in for the trigger and takes the job they’re requested to do, moderately than declares they’ll solely play as a quantity 10.
He’s efficient anyplace throughout the entrance line. One thing these teaching the most important groups adore as a result of it provides them scope to tinker and tweak the form of the staff and rotate gamers via the extreme workload of various competitions.
‘I believed he may very well be a No 9,’ Holden tells Day by day Mail Sport. Once more, at Bristol Metropolis, they arrange coaching workout routines for Semenyo to study to play along with his again to aim, holding up the ball, bringing others into play, changing into used to bodily consideration and growing the artwork of ‘pinning’ the centre half.
Gary O’Neil, Bournemouth boss once they signed Semenyo for £10.5million in January 2023, was one other who might see him maturing right into a centre ahead.
Semenyo loved a profitable mortgage spell at Newport from Bristol Metropolis in 2018-19
Maybe he’ll, however for now Holden considers his greatest place to be broad on the left.
From there, he can roll inside and threaten the aim or go previous on the skin even when he’s tight to the road as a result of he has developed the flexibility to create from intricate areas.
This shall be important when he strikes away from Bournemouth.
He has matured and progressed shortly below Andoni Iraola, integral to a staff that’s ultra-aggressive within the press and fast in transition, ready to be a frontrunner within the assault and shoulder a burden of duty for targets.
With 9 targets and three assists, solely Erling Haaland has greater than his 12 aim involvements within the Premier League this season.
Many respect Bournemouth’s qualities and but only a few set as much as deny them house and make life troublesome.
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been instrumental in Semenyo’s rise
When Semenyo lands among the many elite although, he’ll discover fewer of these open areas during which he thrives. As a substitute, he’ll spend extra time making an attempt to unpick deep-lying, bolstered defensive items in congested areas across the confines of the penalty field
It can demand one other adjustment. There shall be intense scrutiny, expectation and fierce competitors for locations.
He is not going to be a sure starter, which is able to problem him in one other manner and there shall be a deluge of recent tactical instruction. Ideas will flicker to Jack Grealish if he finally ends up at Manchester Metropolis.
All a part of the territory, however Semenyo has navigated his manner via each problem to date. There is no such thing as a cause to doubt he can do it once more.
