How Man City will get huge boost in Premier League title race with "incredible" £65m January signing

“Unique” footballer Antoine Semenyo has a plethora of key attributes that will benefit Premier League title hopefuls Manchester City going forward, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole.

The 25-year-old Bournemouth star appears to be on the verge of completing a £65m transfer to the Etihad Stadium despite reported interest from Premier League rivals Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Semenyo is set to make his final appearance for Bournemouth in Wednesday’s top-flight clash with Spurs before undergoing a medical on Thursday ahead of finalising his switch to the blue side of Manchester.

The versatile attacker has elevated his game to new heights at Bournemouth this season, scoring nine Premier League goals, and his impressive performances have persuaded title hopefuls Man City to make a big-money move for the Ghana international this month.

Semenyo is set to join a Citizens side who currently sit second in the Premier League table and six points behind leaders Arsenal with 18 games left to play, including a home encounter with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.

“He's fit, he's a winger, he can play Premier League football and he can actually score goals from out wide, which none of our forward players can do from out wide,” McInerney told Sports Mole.

“Semenyo is a proven, aggressive, versatile, two-footed, explosive forward who’s decent at creating, can beat his man. He's not an absurd creator, he's not an absurd dribbler like [Jeremy] Doku is, he's not going to get you whipping crosses like Kevin De Bruyne, but he's good at most things and he's incredibly effective at most things.

How “unique” Semenyo will “massively help” Man City

“He's got this incredible skillset of being weirdly good at defensive duels and aerial headers while also being one of the best finishers in the Premier League.

“He's such a unique mix of footballer, a very modern, unique mix of footballer where in the Premier League these days, it's not just good enough to score a few goals and beat your man.

“You have to be able to work really hard too. You have to be able to deal with pressing like an absolute beast and running intensely, and Semenyo comes in with the highest credentials on that.

“We've all seen the goals he scored this season, they're really high-quality finishes. He's been poor the last couple of games, maybe his head's been at City or elsewhere... but City have experienced Semenyo at his very best. He scored a couple of goals against us in one game.

“He'll massively help with the very, very intense press that Man City do. City run more than anyone else in the league right now. They are incredibly hard working, even by Bournemouth standards, and I don't think that's a coincidence with all the injuries either.

“I think City are being pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed, and if [you're asking] players to do that, you're going to need players who are capable of doing that. That's what Semenyo is. He will bring goals and hopefully he'll bring versatility.”

“Incredibly experienced” Semenyo would be a “smart” signing for Man City

McInerney believes that the addition of Semenyo is “smart” business by Man City considering that he already boasts plenty of experience in English football, including three-and-a-half years in the Premier League with Bournemouth.

Prior to joining the Cherries, Semenyo was born in Chelsea, London and began his career at Bristol City before being loaned out to non-league side Bath City as a teenager.

Semenyo then experienced temporary spells with EFL clubs Newport County and Sunderland before eventually establishing himself as a star player in the Championship at Ashton Gate.

“He's incredibly experienced in English football, he understands the seasonal shifts, he understands the winter schedules, he plays intense football, he scores goals at a high level and he's hungry,” said McInerney. “He looks like a smart signing.

“I don't know if he'll end up being a genius footballer. I don't know if that's even necessary. Not every player has to end up truly world class, but if you get a player who can come in and score 15-20 goals from out wide, but play 40 games a season, while also filling in as a centre forward, or left or right wing when you need him, for £60m these days, that's the going fee.”

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