Erling Haaland dominates headlines, breaking records with metronomic regularity. Yet while the Norwegian striker commands centre stage, a quieter revolution is unfolding on the south coast. Antoine Semenyo has transformed Bournemouth from plucky survivors into genuine top-four contenders, delivering performances that rival anything the league’s supposed superstars are producing. Bournemouth sit fourth in the Premier League heading into October’s international break, their best start to a top-flight campaign, and at the heart of this improbable surge stands their Ghanaian winger, operating at a level that demands far more recognition than he’s receiving.
If Haaland is the headline, Semenyo is the plot twist nobody saw coming.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Semenyo has already scored six times and registered three assists this season, meaning he’s been involved in 81.8% of Bournemouth’s 11 goals, the highest proportion of any player for any team. That’s not just impressive; it’s staggering. This is a winger carrying his entire team’s attacking burden while making it look effortless.
But the remarkable form didn’t begin this season. Including a goal against Fulham in mid-April, Semenyo has scored 10 of Bournemouth’s last 18 Premier League goals while assisting four more. Across the last seven months of league action, there’s a 77.7% chance that if Bournemouth have scored, Semenyo has been directly involved. His 10 goals during that period are level with Erling Haaland for the most of any Premier League player, while his 14 goal involvements are the competition’s highest.
When asked whether he was in the best form of his life following Bournemouth’s recent victory over Fulham, Semenyo replied modestly: “I’d like to think so.” The data says it more definitively, he most certainly is.
Directness as an Art Form
What separates Semenyo from conventional wingers is his combination of raw athleticism and technical sophistication. He’s the fastest Bournemouth player, hitting a top speed of 34.2 km/h this season, while only five players in the entire league have made more sprints than his 152. That explosive pace makes him devastating in transition, but pure speed alone doesn’t explain his effectiveness.
His latest masterclass against Fulham showcased the complete package. His first goal saw him glide past two defenders during a slaloming run before slipping a shot through Bernd Leno’s legs from an acute angle. Typical Semenyo, direct, powerful, clinical. His second goal personified Bournemouth’s counter-attacking identity: starting deep inside his own penalty box, Semenyo made a lung-busting sprint the length of the field before finishing a classic breakaway.
| Season | G+A Per 90 |
| 2023/24 | 0.43 |
| 2024/25 | 0.45 |
| 2025/26 | 1.29 |
Semenyo is one of the most two-footed attackers in the Premier League, right now. Of his 17 shots this season, eight came from his right foot, eight from his left, and one was a header. His six goals are split perfectly: three with his right, three with his left. That symmetry makes him totally unpredictable for defenders. They can’t force him onto a weaker foot because neither exists. He’s equally comfortable driving to the byline or cutting inside, meaning full-backs are perpetually guessing wrong.
Perfect Fit for Iraola’s System
Bournemouth’s philosophy is clear: press aggressively, win the ball back, attack fast. They’ve scored four goals from direct attacks this season, effectively counter-attacks, the most of any team. In possession, Bournemouth hold the ball for just 8.7 seconds per sequence and averages only 3.3 passes. This isn’t possession football or intricate build-up play—it’s direct, vertical, ruthless.
Semenyo is the perfect weapon for this approach. He’s received more forward passes (110) and more passes into the final third (41) than any other Bournemouth player. When the Cherries win possession, they look immediately for him, trusting his pace, strength, and technical ability to turn transitions into goals.
He’s also Bournemouth’s most dangerous ball-carrier. Two of his six goals and two of his three assists have come after carries of five meters or more, and he leads the team for average carry length at 13.7 meters. His ability to glide past defenders while maintaining control makes him one of the Premier League’s most efficient transitional threats.
Manager Andoni Iraola spoke proudly about his star: “Antoine has improved every season, even before I came here. We have to encourage him to keep growing. I try to make him not look too much into the numbers…if we are playing well collectively, the numbers will arrive.”
Tactical Versatility
Semenyo’s comfort with both feet has enabled Iraola to deploy him on either wing (Refer to the heat map below), depending on the opponent. He’s not a specialist right-winger or inverted left-footer; he’s genuinely ambidextrous, capable of operating across the entire front line. That versatility gives Bournemouth tactical flexibility while keeping opposition managers guessing about where the primary threat will emerge.
His off-the-ball intelligence is equally impressive. Semenyo finds pockets of space instinctively, making intelligent runs behind defenders that create opportunities even when he’s not directly involved. His movement drags defenders out of position, opening lanes for teammates to exploit.
The Bigger Picture
Manchester United, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Tottenham have all been linked with moves for Semenyo, but he signed a new five-year deal with Bournemouth over the summer, temporarily quashing transfer speculation. The reality, however, is brutal: if he continues performing at this level, holding onto him beyond this season will prove extraordinarily difficult.
The comparison to Haaland isn’t hyperbole. While the Norwegian is a more conventional striker operating in a vastly superior team, Semenyo’s unpredictability, directness, and sheer goal involvement make him arguably the league’s most dangerous winger. In 44 games, Semenyo has registered 26 goal contributions, more than Cole Palmer (25), Bruno Fernandes (21), and Bukayo Saka (19).
| Player | Goals | Conversion Rate |
| Haaland | 9 | 31% |
| Semenyo | 6 | 35% |
Antoine Semenyo isn’t just carrying Bournemouth, he’s making them believe they can challenge the very best. Six goals and three assists by October represent elite-level output that deserves genuine recognition. He embodies the directness, power, and clinical edge that clubs dream of in a modern winger.
If Bournemouth’s form holds and they sustain their improbable top-four challenge, it will be because Semenyo continues doing what he’s done for seven months: scoring goals, creating chances, and proving that sometimes the most dangerous players aren’t the ones grabbing headlines, they’re the ones quietly dismantling defences week after week on the south coast.
The Premier League has a new star. It’s just that most people haven’t realised it yet.
