Opinion: Bournemouth’s Semenyo should be second to £86m attacker for Liverpool | OneFootball

Liverpool’s Next Right-Wing Star? Olise Talk Intensifies

There is something wonderfully inevitable about Liverpool transfer debates. Even when the season is barely underway, focus drifts toward one question: who replaces Mohamed Salah?

Football FanCast have highlighted that “it is Bayern Munich star Michael Olise who must be signed”, and that line alone seems to capture the bubbling sentiment among Liverpool supporters. Antoine Semenyo, Malick Fofana — promising names, no doubt — but when the conversation moves to the highest calibre of right-sided forwards, Michael Olise sits in a different category.

Olise vs Semenyo: Ceiling Matters

The raw numbers supplied by Football FanCast tell their own story. Across the past 12 months, Olise registers 6.56 shot-creating actions per 90, compared to Semenyo’s 3.88. He also boasts 7.50 progressive passes per 90, more than double his counterpart. “Olise is the more clinical player and also the more explosive”, the report states, and there is a certain coolness to his game that feels purpose-built for Anfield’s right flank.

Photo: IMAGO

Antoine Semenyo was “electric throughout, bagging two special goals” when Bournemouth faced Liverpool earlier in the campaign, yet there is a difference between moments of chaos and long-term match-winning consistency.

Salah’s Shadow Demands Bravery

At 33 years of age and with less than two years on his deal, Salah’s situation cannot be ignored. Liverpool have long danced around the subject, but strategic hesitation will not delay reality. His replacement cannot be serviceable, he must be spectacular.

Football FanCast rightly notes that Olise has “notched five goals and six assists from just ten matches in all competitions”. In Germany, he has found efficiency without losing flair. Podcaster Henry Swain calling him “one of the best wingers in the world” may sound bold, but it does not feel far-fetched.

Timing Could Be Everything

Liverpool enjoy an excellent relationship with Bayern Munich. A deal for a player signed for £50m last year and now valued at £86m would require conviction rather than caution. Yet this is exactly the kind of move a Premier League champion should make.

As Football FanCast put it plainly, “Olise is the real deal and would be the perfect profile to ease Salah’s departure when that fateful day comes.” Liverpool can admire Semenyo. They can even consider him. But they can only afford to sign one future star for the right wing.

It has to be Michael Olise.

Our View – Anfield Index Analysis

Liverpool supporters have been here before. The Coutinho exit. The Mane exit. Each time, there was panic before clarity arrived. This feels similar. Some fans will argue to squeeze every last ounce out of Salah’s contract, hoping he ages gracefully like Cristiano Ronaldo. Others would prefer to rip the bandage off now.

Olise represents something rare — a player who already looks elite but openly gives off the feeling that his ceiling might be higher still. Liverpool have made clever signings under Slot and Richard Hughes, but this is not a project signing. This would be a statement.

Some might push back, claiming Olise’s injuries at Crystal Palace make him a risk. Fair. But Liverpool have always thrived with players who demand faith. Remember when Mane arrived from Southampton and the wider league shrugged? Or when Salah joined from Roma and people laughed?

Supporters do not just want another winger. They want a new anthem. A new force of nature cutting inside from the right, sending goalkeepers sprawling and defenders crashing to the turf.