Semenyo has lit the Premier League alight this season. Whilst other African stars jet off to Morocco for the Africa cup of nations, Ghana's failure to qualify leaves the Bournemouth winger in England.
It is hard to describe Antoine Semenyo as anything other than incredible for Bournemouth this season. Scoring seven goals in fifteen games puts him joint third in the Premier League goal scoring charts. He netted a goal against Manchester United, the final league match before players left for AFCON. He also scored an impressive brace against current Premier League title holders Liverpool back in August.
All of this has left the stock of Semenyo incredibly high, being linked with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool. It is possible that we will see a move for the winger during the January transfer window.
Despite the ups of Semenyo's season, there is one massive down. The Ghanaian national team failed to qualify for this year's AFCON failing to win any of there qualifying matches. Being bottom of their group behind Angola, Sudan and Niger.
This is despite a strong side, comprising of Semenyo himself but also Tottenham's Kudus, Leicester City's Fatawu and Ayew in the attack. Former Brighton player Lamptey was also in the squad. This leaves Semenyo unable to fight for a trophy for his national team.
Bournemouth are currently sitting in the midtable of the top division. Whilst other teams though, lose key players to AFCON, the Cherries will keep their star man. Andoni Iraola will be thankful of this as Bournemouth look to put together a strong second half of the season. During the AFCON period Bournemouth will play three of the traditional Big Six in a row: Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham.
Semenyo's role in these fixtures will be vital. Not just for Bournemouth but for Semenyo himself as he looks to make up for his nations lack of qualification. It is also a chance for him to prove his quality, and perhaps bring in more interest from teams higher in the division. Whether this be in January or the Summer, the once Bristol City man is likely to make up for lack of a chance at the AFCON trophy by competing for other trophies in seasons to come.
