Sport

New Man City signing Antoine Semenyo is already proving himself as the perfect Pep Guardiola winger

Some players need time to adjust to Pep Guardiola’s methods. Not Antoine Semenyo, though. Fresh from joining Manchester City in a £65m transfer from Bournemouth, the Ghanaian winger has found his feet quickly for his new team, registering four goal contributions in his first four games.

 

Semenyo’s performance in the 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday might have been his best performance for City to date. Indeed, the 26-year-old scored one of City’s two goals and would have scored another had it not been for the crossbar. Semenyo was a threat throughout.

 

Of course, Guardiola already had one of the deepest attacks in the Premier League. Rayan Cherki is improving all the time after joining Manchester City from Lyon in the summer while Erling Haaland is the best penalty box finisher of his generation. There’s also Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Omar Marmoush, Savinho and Oscar Bobb as final third options.

 

In Semenyo, though, Manchester City have signed the perfect Guardiola winger. The Ghanaian is naturally two-footed, meaning he can play on either side. For Bournemouth, he predominantly operated on the left. Since joining City, though, Semenyo has been deployed on the right.

 

Not only this, Semenyo possesses the ability to quicken his game at any moment. The 26-year-old is deceptively fast and doesn’t need much of a run-up to accelerate at an opposition defender. This is something that makes him a nightmare to face up against. Semenyo can beat an opponent without even trying.

 

“Antoine Semenyo came with a lot of energy and numbers. Strikers are a question of numbers, and since he arrived has been unbelievable,” said Guardiola after the victory over Wolves. “He made a good goal… it looks easy but the control is perfect, passing the ball in the net. He made another chance, had another.”

 

Manchester City are in the midst of a generational transition. It became apparent last season that Guardiola had to lower the age of his squad and that process has taken place over the last three transfer windows in which the Etihad Stadium club has spent over £400m on new, younger players.

 

Some of those players have taken root more quickly than others. Cherki’s start to the season was stunted by injury, but the French international is now a key figure for Manchester City, giving them a different dimension on the ball. Marmosuh, however, has gone in the other direction, starting strongly before losing his place in the lineup.

 

Competition is stiff for City’s attackers. Only Haaland is truly assured of his place in Guardiola’s strongest lineup and even he was rested for Saturday’s win over Wolves. Semenyo has been dropped into the team immediately after joining from Bournemouth, but there will be times when he is on the bench. He must prepare himself for that.

 

This season might have come too early in Manchester City’s development for them to win another Premier League title, but the signs are there that Guardiola is building something special. Semenyo is a genuine difference-maker and he will produce his fair share of special moments in sky blue.

 

Guardiola’s coaching of attackers – wingers in particular – has been questioned in the past. Many look at Jack Grealish as proof of how the Catalan sometimes blunts the natural creativity of attacking players. Semenyo, however, has given the Manchester City manager a whole set of new tools to use.

 

At 26 years old, Semenyo is entering the best years of his career. He has earned this opportunity and has started at Manchester City like he fully intends to grasp it. £65m was a lot of money to pay for the Ghanaian, but the early signs are that this will ultimately be a bargain.