Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo’s newly revealed £65M release clause has the rumour mill in full flow, with Liverpool a possible destination for the Ghanaian.
Liverpool have struggled this season, with Arne Slot’s men losing five of their last six Premier League matches, and appear to be looking to the January transfer window to salvage their season.
Semenyo, meanwhile, has been among the Premier League’s best performers this campaign, being integral to Bournemouth’s impressive start, including a brace at Anfield in the season opener.
Liverpool’s left flank has been manned by Cody Gakpo this season, who, although a solid campaign, lacks the level of threat that Semenyo could provide with the Bournemouth man more similar to Luis Diaz, who departed in the summer for Bayern Munich.
Both Gakpo and Semenyo have impressive numbers in the league over the last three seasons, with the Ghanaian edging out Gakpo with 35 goal involvements compared to the Dutchman’s 32.
This, however, doesn’t show the whole picture, as Semenyo has played almost 2000 more minutes than Gakpo, but in a significantly weaker side.
Both players rank highly amongst Premier League wingers in terms of output; however, when looking in more depth at their numbers, a clearer picture emerges as to what Semenyo could offer Liverpool.
Semenyo’s shooting statistics distinguish him from the rest of the top Premier League wingers, being the most efficient finisher and having higher-quality chances.
The reason for Semenyo having higher quality chances than his peers is largely due to his own work, with him being in the 99th percentile for take-ons leading to goals.
He also ranks second in the division for percentage of shots on target (57.1%), with a minimum of 20 attempts, behind only Erling Haaland.
If you compare this with Liverpool’s current wide options, Gakpo finds the target 18.5% of the time, Federico Chiesa 25%, and Mohamed Salah 32%.
Liverpool have struggled with their press this season, with a disjointed approach leading to the defence being repeatedly exposed.
Semenyo would be a significant upgrade on Gakpo when it comes to pressing from the front, as he constantly engages his full back and is one of the best forwards in the league for tackling dribblers.
Gakpo, however, intercepts and clears the ball more often than Semenyo, but this is likely due to the set up of the teams and the tasks assigned to them by their coaches.
Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraiola sets his team up with an aggressive high press, whereas Slot’s approach favours cutting passing lanes and winning the ball back through preying on opponents’ mistakes.
When accounting for all of these factors, it’s clear that Liverpool lack someone with Semenyo’s traits and profile, and explains why Liverpool are firmly in the race for Semenyo’s signature.
