Antoine Semenyo on the wing for Bournemouth is one the hottest Premier League prospects. At only 25 years old, he really is the complete package, blending freaky power with incredible athleticism and dexterity. His incredible ability really puts him head and shoulders above his peers on the ball. Whether it’s playing on the left or right flank, Semenyo can perform effectively and will be a shrewd addition to dark horses, Bristol City. The path that brought him to professional football was anything but conventional. Above all, he has experienced a cycle of failures and successes that forged his strength and grit.
Unlike most of his fellow west country academy products, Semenyo didn’t take the traditional route through the academy. He joined Bristol City after impressing at a 5v5 tournament, having played college football aged 17. Under Dean Holden’s tutelage, Semenyo developed his game further at Bristol, particularly by playing as a wide forward and stretching defenses. He learned to play the game’s crafty tricks, the so-called “dark arts” of centre-halves, as Holden put it to me. During his time at Bristol City, he enjoyed loan spells with Newport County and Bath City. However, these experiences were priceless to his development.
Even after repeatedly facing rejection at the hands of a number of professional clubs, including Crystal Palace, Semenyo did not give up. In his pursuit of excellence, he decided to enlist the help of an expert specific position coach for targeted one-on-one skill development sessions. This dedication to improving his craft is a wonderful testimony to his elite resilience and self-drive.
Semenyo’s physical presence, technical skills combined with great effort to be the best player on the pitch. What I always thought was his best quality was how skillful he is with both feet. In each of the last two Premier League seasons, he had more left-footed shots (71) than right-footed (62). It’s this short-range ambidexterity that contributes to his fear-inducing unpredictability on the pitch. He had scored the match-winning penalty against Brighton—again with his right foot. This moment was just one demonstration of his confidence in high-stakes moments.
In fact, since the start of the current 2024/25 season, Semenyo has divided his minutes almost equally between each side at Bournemouth. His versatility allows the coaching staff to have so many more tactical options, but he’s just such a valuable component to whatever your strategy is going to be.
Holden extols Semenyo’s raw talent and work ethic. He adds, “I’ve never seen anyone do that before—in such a disciplined way and with such profound impact. His technique is obviously unorthodox, he opens his foot like a knuckleball and produces incredible dip. The consensus among the keepers I work with is that it’s just unplayable.”
“His mindset is one of the biggest things that he has going for him. He is just so balanced. He does not get bogged down by missing a chance or giving the ball away.” – Dean Holden
Semenyo’s journey is a testament to what can be achieved through hard work and dedication. Holden noted how Semenyo’s background contributed to his development: “His parents wanted him to focus on his studies, but I just could not believe that he had not been picked up because of the size of him. He has come through the back door really. He has been able just to progress.”
The technical director at Bristol City, Brian Tinnion, played an important role in Semenyo’s development. He consistently ensured that young players were put in environments that fostered their development. Holden commended Tinnion’s tactic. He is one of the best I have seen at putting young players into the correct environment at the proper time!
Though his path was not without some challenges in the beginning of his career, Semenyo’s focus has been key to his breakthrough success. Through an ongoing desire to get better, he was able to develop a premium resilience mindset. The best quality Semenyo showed was his attitude to training, according to Isaksson-Hurst. It has imprinted on him the persistence, if not obstinacy, to continue fighting and working hard.
Having already proven himself as a game changer with plenty more room to grow and further hone his skills, Semenyo’s future looks incredibly bright. Holden believes he has the potential to impact top teams in the Premier League: “I genuinely mean it, I think he could go and affect one of the top teams in the Premier League. He is still young enough to do it because he has got all the credentials that you need.”
Semenyo’s extraordinary knack for fitting into and flourishing different molds tells you everything you need to know about him as a player and a person. His experiences from college football to the CFL really shows how talented this guy is. More importantly, though, it shows his unyielding desire to be the best.
“You can have things coached out of you. Antoine is different.” – Dean Holden
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