How Antoine Semenyo feels about joining Tottenham - this could be bad news for Bristol City | OneFootball

The former Robins striker has been heavily linked with some of the Premier League's top clubs as his old side hold a sell-on clause

The Robins are hoping to be playing their football in the same division as the Cherries and Tottenham next season as they mount a second successive promotion bid under the management of Gerhard Struber, who was appointed as head coach in pre-season following the departure of Liam Manning.

City have resided outside of English football's top tier for 45 years now, meaning that the club have always been vulnerable to losing some of the top talent which has either progressed through the Ashton Gate ranks or been sold on for a major profit after being imported to BS3 at a relatively low cost.

It has been well-documented that two of the club's most talked-about stars during their current decade-long spell in the Championship have gone on to make great strides of individual progress at the Vitality Stadium under Gary O'Neil and Andoni Iraola, with Semenyo making plenty of headlines alongside Alex Scott, who recently received his first call-up to Thomas Tuchel's senior England side after moving from the West Country to Dorset in August 2023.

The aforementioned Ghanaian forward was the first to make said journey, though, as Bournemouth agreed a £10.5m package with the Robins in January 2023 for his services as they looked to initially reconsolidate their position in the Premier League after gaining promotion under Scott Parker in the previous season.

Semenyo has since gone on from strength to strength under Iraola, though, and the side with the smallest stadium in the top-flight are now also vulnerable to losing his firepower despite the fact a hefty profit is expected to be made, whilst Bristol City continue to monitor developments themselves as a result of their prior agreement.

Semenyo initially gained plenty of attention after breaking into the first-team fold at Ashton Gate under the management of Dean Holden and Nigel Pearson respectively.

Throughout an individual tally of 125 senior appearances for the Reds, the London-born man would score 21 times and post as many assists between 2020 and 2023, although his major breakthrough would come in the 2021/22 campaign, where he posted 20 of his 42 collective goals and assists.

After seeing a £9m bid rejected for his services from an unknown club in July 2022, Semenyo would move to Bournemouth for the aforementioned £10.5m fee after scoring six times in his final 23 league appearances for the club.

The 32-time Ghanaian international has since helped Bournemouth become one of the most pleasing sides to watch in the Premier League, being at the forefront of a young side which operate in a fluid system under the watchful eye of the Spanish tactician, Iraola.

A tally of 13 goals and seven assists across 42 games across all competitions was enough to spark interest from the likes of Premier League champions, Liverpool, before Semenyo netted two of his six goals so far this season against the Merseyside club in a dramatic 4-2 defeat at Anfield on August 15th.

Bournemouth were said to previously value the forward in excess of £75m after he was tied down to a new long-term deal, with it now being claimed that Tottenham are the latest club to express an interest in signing the 25-year-old in the upcoming transfer window.

However, a new report from the Sun has claimed that Semenyo, who has a release clause of £65m which can be triggered before January 10th, is hesitant to join the UEFA Europa League holders, and would much rather sign for one of Liverpool, Manchester City or Arsenal.

This, of course, impacts Bristol City's potential transfer plans as a 20 percent sell-on clause agreed within the deal with Bournemouth would see the Championship side bank approximately £11m, which could be reinvested into Struber's playing squad amid a recent injury crisis.

Bristol City will hope to net Antoine Semenyo cash windfall amid play-off push

City, of course, are amongst a clutch of sides in the thick of a tight play-off race heading towards the Christmas and New Year period, meaning activity in the upcoming window could prove decisive.

The funding which could come their way may allow Struber more leeway in terms of transfer funds and wage costs, meaning, in turn, a higher calibre of player could be attracted to Ashton Gate.

Semenyo, of course, will not have such developments at the forefront of his mind, as he hopes to take the correct next step, from a personal perspective, in order to win as many major honours as possible, meaning a transfer saga full of drama could soon ensue.