ANTOINE SEMENYO is the man who could now decide the destination of the Premier League title.
The Ghana forward is set to play one of his final games for Bournemouth today against leaders Arsenal — before heading off to title rivals Manchester City in a £65million deal.
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Antoine Semenyo has already scored nine goals this seasonCredit: Getty
One-to-one coach Saul Isaksson-Hurst has worked with Antoine SemenyoCredit: Saul Isaksson-Hurst
Isaksson-Hurst told SunSport that Semenyo is not yet close to his peakCredit: Saul Isaksson-Hurst
Semenyo is the hottest property in England right now — but ten years ago he was ready to quit football.
Aged 15, he was turned away by Crystal Palace after a trial.
It was the latest in a string of rejections that left Semenyo in tears and ready to focus on just playing basketball with his friends.
Arsenal, Charlton, Chelsea, Fulham, Millwall and Tottenham had all snubbed the chance to sign him before that.
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It is what makes the position 25-year-old Semenyo finds himself in now so remarkable.
All of the Prem’s biggest clubs have been sniffing around the forward owing to his performances for Bournemouth.
Semenyo writes his aims for the season in a journal at the beginning of each campaign and he is already closing in on one of them. The Ghana star wanted to hit double figures for goals this season and is on nine after just 19 games.
No wonder all the big clubs wanted to sign the forward.
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He has a £65m release clause in his contract, which must be activated before this time next week.
Bournemouth, unsurprisingly, want their star forward to stay right up until that deadline.
The Cherries have two big games before then as they host Arsenal today and then Spurs on Wednesday.
Semenyo will want to sign off in style — and City will be hoping he does, too.
What better way for the forward to arrive in Manchester than having just helped Bournemouth ensure league leaders Arsenal drop points.
His red-hot form this season comes off the back of a summer that was full of hard work.
Semenyo began working with Saul Isaksson-Hurst, an individual skills coach, after reaching out to him via Instagram.
Isaksson-Hurst has a number of clients, including Arsenal winger Noni Madueke, but was “blown away” by Semenyo after just a few training sessions.
He told SunSport: “I said to Antoine, ‘You’re a Champions League player. You should be playing in the Champions League’.
“We discussed that and said first he has got to dominate and do the job at Bournemouth. Then those things will take care of themselves.
“He could play for anyone in the world that he wanted to. He has got even more growth, he hasn’t reached his peak yet.”
Semenyo has nine goals and three assists this seasonCredit: Getty
Isaksson-Hurst and Semenyo have kept in close contact throughout this season.
There is limited time for training sessions but Isaksson-Hurst watches Semenyo’s games and sends clips for him to study.
The pair were delighted with Semenyo’s opening goal against Fulham this season, as finishing from a tight angle is a specific area they have been working on.
Isaksson-Hurst believes goals like that underline how Semenyo is “unique and unplayable”.
The forward is able to blend pace and power with a high level of technical skill.
Isaksson-Hurst said: “He’s a ‘wow’ player on the pitch — just like he was in the training sessions. He is sensational. He is so explosive and dynamic but can do everything with the ball, too.
“He’s got quite an unconventional technique — he likes to open his foot — but he is so consistent in how he strikes the ball. His ball striking off both feet is so good.”
Semenyo puts his two-footedness down to dad Larry, who played football in Ghana and hopes to see his son shock England in their World Cup clash in Boston on June 23.
Bournemouth want Semenyo to play against Arsenal and Spurs before joining Man CityCredit: Getty
Isaksson-Hurst has also worked with the likes of Phil FodenCredit: Instagram / myfootballcoach1
Larry would encourage a young Semenyo to kick stuff around the house — even if it was just a piece of paper or a tin can.
The one rule was that London-born Semenyo had to use both feet.
That made Semenyo stand out as a youngster growing up in South London, but countless rejections from academies dented his confidence.
Over the years, Semenyo’s belief has returned and his journey has made him tougher.
Isaksson-Hurst added: “The psychologist Dave Collins calls it ‘The Rocky Road to Success’.
“There is no one way to get to the top. Antoine has resilience after working really hard to get to where he is. He does not take things for granted.”
The turning point for Semenyo’s career came when he was 16.
He went to an open trial at Bisham Abbey hosted by former Forest Green Rovers and Leeds boss Dave Hockaday.
Hockaday convinced Semenyo to move to Swindon and study at a college there, while trying to make it as a footballer.
Within a year, Semenyo had been snapped up by Bristol City’s academy.
Those from his time at the club, such as striker Nahki Wells, remember Semenyo fondly as a raw talent that just needed shaping.
Wells told SunSport: “A lot of people used to say to me, ‘Who is this kid?’.
“He was a bit erratic. He didn’t come through a youth academy, so he was a little rough around the edges.
“But he was quick, he was strong, he had two feet that were equally as good as each other.
“He’s a phenomenal finisher. He is up there with as good a finisher as I’ve seen.”
It was felt that Semenyo just needed time to blossom and so he was sent out on loan.
This January, the forward is hoping to sign for Manchester City — but eight years ago he was off to National League South side Bath City.
Bath play in the sixth tier of English football and it was uncertain how Semenyo would cope with life at a non-league club.
“He’s a phenomenal finisher. He is up there with as good a finisher as I’ve seen.”
Nahki Wells,
But any concerns that Bath’s boss at the time, Jerry Gill, had were quickly quashed.
Gill (left) told SunSport: “He was a man in an 18-year-old’s body.
“We played Gloucester City in a local derby and Robbie Cundy was playing centre-back for them.
“The ball has gone up in the box, Antoine has looked at Robbie and just bumped him to put him on the floor.
“Antoine controlled the ball and stuck it in the bottom corner.
“You just don’t see 18-year-old boys doing that to 6ft 2in centre-backs.”
Gill describes Semenyo as having a “non-league mentality” and being like “a sponge”, such was his hunger to learn.
The talent was there, too, even if the idea of Semenyo climbing to the heights of Manchester City back then seemed unthinkable.
Gill said: “If you had said to me, you are coaching a player that is going to be coached by Pep Guardiola soon, I’d be laughing.
“I’d be laughing and going: ‘How is that going to happen? Really?’.
“But that tells you how lovely football is and how important non-league and the pyramid system is for some of these young lads.”
Semenyo still keeps in touch with Gill and invited him to a Bournemouth game earlier this season.
It is the same with another of the forward’s former managers, Michael Flynn, who coached him at Newport.
Semenyo joined Newport on loan for the 2018-19 season — but Flynn knew he would not be there long.
Semenyo joined Newport on loan for the 2018-19 season, but was recalled in JanuaryCredit: Getty Images – Getty
By January, after Semenyo “tore Leicester City apart” in an FA Cup game, he was being recalled by Bristol City because Chelsea were putting a bid together.
Flynn told SunSport: “You could almost see it happening throughout the Leicester game.
“As every minute went on you were going, ‘Oh no, Antoine’.
“I joked that I half wanted him to get through the game and have an injury for four weeks so the transfer window closed.”
The move to Chelsea never happened and Semenyo returned to Bristol City after what was a key time at Newport.
Before that, he had played as a No 9 or No 10 — but Flynn moved Semenyo out wide.
Flynn (above) said: “He just took to it like a duck to water.
“I did think that he is better with the play in front of him. That’s why we moved him out wide. At that age, he had to improve on his output — his assists and goals — but all the attributes were there. He was so good on either foot. He was so strong at a young age.”
Flynn remembers Semenyo as being a “menace” in training owing to his ability on the ball.
He was sure the forward could go right to the top and is delighted that looks set to be the case.
Flynn added: “He has always had this great smile on his face. He would light up a room with his smile.
“It was amazing to be part of his journey. I am not surprised at how well he has done.”
Flynn’s feelings are shared by all of those who have played a part in Semenyo’s remarkable rise.
The only sadness they have is that he is not joining the clubs they support.
Gill wished he was joining Liverpool and Wells had hoped he would end up at Manchester United.
Wells said: “I would love for him to come to Old Trafford and play for United.
“I don’t want to see him at one of the other top clubs, that’s for sure. He will cause us havoc.”
Additional reporting by ROB STEWART
