Antoine Semenyo has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season, and although a move away from Bournemouth could materialize in the future he revealed he’s happy he stayed put with the Cherries for 2025–26.
Many believed the electrifying attacker was bound to leave Bournemouth. Scoring double-digit goals for the first time in his career a season ago prompted many of the league’s powerhouses to come knocking.
Though a transfer never materialized, talk surrounding his future hasn’t stopped, something he admitted he’s aware of.
“I try to stay present as much as I can,” Semenyo told Sky Sports. “You see the news all the time, I see it as well. I’m not oblivious but I try to stay focused. I don’t think about it too much.”
“I’m enjoying my football here. If I’m not scoring goals, all of that goes away. I try to stay present, do the best I can for the team, score goals and whatever happens in the future happens.”
The Ghana international’s nine Premier League goal involvements this term are the most of any player outside of Erling Haaland. With six goals through 10 appearances, only the prolific Manchester City centre forward has found the back of the net more times than Semenyo this season.
Andoni Iraola Played Key Role in Semenyo Staying With Bournemouth
The 25-year-old garnered plenty of attention during the summer transfer window, with Manchester United even submitting a £50 million ($66.6 million) bid to try to lure him to Old Trafford.
Unlike former Bournemouth teammates Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Illya Zabarnyi—who all secured big-money transfers elsewhere—Semenyo stayed put, admitting a lot of it had to do with his faith in manager Andoni Iraola.
“There was a lot of interest and back-and-fourth with the club [over a potential transfer],” Semenyo said. “But I knew in my head that the manager's got something up his sleeve this year. How we finished off the season last year was so good and we could continue, especially with the players we've bought in as well.”
Semenyo’s trust in Iraola has paid dividends so far. He’s off to the best start of a season in his career and Bournemouth have been one of the main storylines of the campaign so far, currently sitting fourth in the Premier League table.
“He’s unbelievable [Iraola] honestly,” Semenyo told Jamie Redknapp. “As everyone embedded into what his playing style was, it’s just been unbelievable. It’s just relentless and I think everyone’s into it.”
Given his age and how he’s continued to develop, Semenyo has become one of the most sought-after players in England and transfer speculation will only increase moving forward. For now, though, Semenyo has no regrets about opting to stay put at Vitality Stadium.
“I’m glad I committed to staying here because I'm enjoying every moment.”
READ THE LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND GOSSIP
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Antoine Semenyo Responds Directly to Premier League Transfer Speculation.
