Arsenal know they can’t afford to sleep in the summer. Every detail matters when a team with aspirations to fight at the top faces rivals who are getting better and better at honing their moves every year. One name that was on the table for Mikel Arteta and his team was Antoine Semenyo, a Ghanaian winger who is coming off the back of a remarkable season with Bournemouth.
His performances put him on the radar of several English giants, but while some were waiting to make a move, the player took the lead and secured his future on the south coast. This scenario leaves the Gunners with one question in the air: Did they do enough to convince him?
£70m star has rejected Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham, Newcastle, and has decided to stay at his current club
According to TBR Football, Semenyo did not want to sit still while Arsenal and other giants assessed his next steps. Graeme Bailey, senior correspondent, said clubs such as Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham and Newcastle also sounded out the field. Still, Bournemouth demanded more than £70m to sit down and negotiate.
Talks came to nothing, and Semenyo preferred to renew until 2030 to become the Cherries’ highest-paid player. There was no firm promise from London and no willingness to force an exit. He himself ruled out trying his luck in Saudi Arabia. With 13 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances, the 25-year-old winger felt Bournemouth were really betting on him.
Opinion:
There is no denying that Arsenal were late. The board is very probing but sometimes too hesitant. A player like Semenyo, with room for growth and attacking spark, could offer an interesting plan B on the wing or even as a second striker. However, seventy million seems to be a legitimate stopgap.
It is not a bargain. His path was good, but we are not talking about an established striker. For a club like Arsenal, that need to reinforce several areas and take care of the financial balance, every pound weighs. Some will say that the board was being cautious. Others will see logic in not going all out for a player who was never a top priority.
In my view, Arteta needs to close deals with more determination. You can’t always wait for prices to drop or for a player to force his way out. The market for wingers is still expensive and every name that slips away forces you to look at riskier or less proven options. The fact that Semenyo has decided to stay at Bournemouth reinforces the idea that mid-table clubs can now retain talent without fear.
It complicates matters for the big boys. And it puts pressure. Arsenal will now have to look for alternatives of a similar standard, perhaps younger or with less Premier League minutes. It is not a tragedy to lose Semenyo, but it is a warning that competition no longer gives anything away.
Bournemouth are happy to tie down their star player until 2030. Arsenal, meanwhile, will have to show they have the reflexes to close down those they do consider indispensable. Because if you want to fight for leagues and in the Champions League football, pretty names on the wish list are not enough. You have to go and get them.
