£75m man back in form, now has Haaland looking over his shoulder | OneFootball

Manchester City shelled out a hefty 75 million euros to AFC Bournemouth for Antoine Semenyo just a week ago. Antoine—who? Here in Germany, only die-hard Premier League fans were previously aware of Semenyo's qualities.

Then his name made headlines worldwide as the most expensive transfer of the current winter window, and the striker promptly followed up with a dream start for the Skyblues. It’s the provisional high point of an extraordinary career path that is slowly but surely starting to make even Erling Haaland nervous.

The End of the Beginning

One shake of the head was enough for Larry Semenyo to know: the dream for my son would end here too. His 15-year-old son had just missed a scoring chance in a trial match for Crystal Palace. The disapproval of the coach did not escape the trained eyes of the ex-pro. He was right—after the match, the Eagles, with whom Antoine had already trained for two weeks, also turned him down.

Trials at Arsenal, Tottenham, and Fulham had already ended unsuccessfully, and now it was supposed to be over. According to his own account, he didn’t do any sports at all the following year and gained weight. 

The devout Christian focused on school during this time, but soon enough, he felt the itch in his feet again. Shortly thereafter, the teenager joined the football program at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College, where he caught the eye of David Hockaday. The Englishman had once played professionally himself and took the stocky boy under his wing. 

📸 Pete Norton - 2019 Getty Images

He encouraged Semenyo to believe in his strengths. And lo and behold: as his confidence grew, so did the body of the now 1.85-meter-tall man. At 18, the self-proclaimed late bloomer got a chance at Bristol City, where, after initial difficulties and several loan spells, he finally made his breakthrough in the 2021/22 season.

Eight goals and twelve assists earned the Ghana international a World Cup nomination and attracted the interest of AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries swooped in that same winter for just under ten million euros, convinced not least by Semenyo’s exciting profile.

A Mistake as a Feature

Because in addition to his cleverly used physicality and lightning-fast acceleration, the attacker has impressed since childhood with his two-footedness. “My father used to make me kick everything with both feet—whether it was paper, a can, or anything else. By the age of six, I could already shoot with both feet. Today, it feels completely natural,” he once told 'Sky', describing a quality that makes him unpredictable for opposing defenders.

Moreover, his successful playing style is characterized by a feature that should actually be a flaw: Semenyo learned to play football outside the PL academies. “Antoine is different. He basically came in through the back door. He was able to develop step by step,” explained Dean Holden, Semenyo’s coach at Bristol City, recently on 'Sky', revealing the secret to his former protégé’s success.

The rocky path has shaped him into a hard worker. Before each season, the new City signing writes down how many goal contributions he wants to achieve in the coming campaign and constantly looks for scenes to improve in his own video analyses.

(Not) Another False Start

A determination that paid off year after year. Because Semenyo’s first season at Bournemouth was also bumpy. In the first half-year after his transfer, he managed only a single goal. Mostly coming on late as a substitute, he even completely lost touch with the team towards the end of the season.

But just as he did in Bristol, the versatile striker showed resilience and worked on his game. Since the start of the 2023/2024 season, his form curve has been sharply rising. Eleven PL goal contributions were followed by 17 in 2024/2025, and before the start of 2026, he already had twelve goal involvements in his stats. Manchester City had seen enough and, as is well known, reached deep into the well-lined pockets of their wealthy owners.

An investment that paid off immediately. Because Semenyo simply continued where he left off in his last game for Bournemouth: he led his team to victory. After his first two appearances, the new signing already has two goals and one assist to his name.

For Now, Haaland Can Still Laugh About It

Today is the city derby against United, a duel where heroes can be born. Whoever delivers in such games recommends themselves for football’s biggest honors. Of course, Norwegian goal machine Erling Haaland also has his eyes on those—and is increasingly seeing his new teammate as a serious competitor. 

On Tuesday, Semenyo was on the verge of scoring a brace in the EFL Cup against Newcastle. But Haaland “prevented” his second goal because he was just barely offside when deflecting his strike partner’s shot. The former Dortmund player later commented on the scene with humor in a club media video: “Semenyo wants to snatch my golden boot, he doesn’t pass to me!”

Haaland doesn’t really have to feel threatened just yet. With 20 goals, he comfortably leads the race for the Premier League’s top scorer award, while Semenyo is on ten. But the chaser responded to the leader’s “accusations” quite seriously: “I will do it.” Maybe he’ll start today—then Haaland’s laughter might slowly but surely fade.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 OLI SCARFF - AFP or licensors