Zero to hero – Antoine Semenyo’s journey from Sunderland flop to Bournemouth great
Believe it or not, Sunderland once had one of the Premier League’s best players, and he will be playing against them this weekend.
Sunderland’s return to the Premier League has been met with a lot of optimism, and with 19 points from the frist 12 games, it has certainly exceeded expectations.
However, it has also opened my eyes as to just how much quality the top flight really has to offer, and I won’t be alone in that.
Of course, the likes of Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah are usually the ones who take all the headlines, but there are some world-class players at what many would class as the so-called lesser clubs that the division has to offer.
Antoine Semenyo at Bournemouth is one of them, and it still blows my mind that he once played for Sunderland.
Did Sunderland have the real Antoine Semenyo?
Last month, Bournemouth posted a highlight reel of Semenyo’s goals and assists from the current campaign, and it is three minutes long.
Bearing in mind, we are 12 games into the season.
The same video from his time at Sunderland would be somewhat shorter, given the fact that he failed to register a goal or an assist while playing for the Black Cats in League One.
Semenyo featured seven times on loan from Bristol City, playing just 184 minutes of football.
Some of his stats stood out, though, with FotMob having recorded him with a 71.4 per cent dribble completion rate and a 66.7 per cent aerial duel win rate.
He was immediately written off as a flop, before returning to Bristol City, where his career would take a huge turn, and it’s fair to say that it was for the better.
Sunderland exit really was the start for Antoine Semenyo
The season after he failed to offer anything in League One for Sunderland, he registered 11 goal contributions in the Championship for Bristol City.
He bettered that again the following season, with eight goals and 12 assists, before earning his move to Bournemouth.
Given this move arrived just two years after his failed spell at the Stadium of Light, it was quite baffling at the time, but looking back, it wasn’t a bad deal in all honesty.
Semenyo went on to score just one goal for the Cherries in his first season at the Vitality, but months of perseverance paid off, with the Ghana international now widely regarded as the best winger in the Premier League.
The 25-year-old is just one goal contribution away from hitting double figures for the current campaign, with a big-money move to Liverpool mooted for January.
From what he showcased on Wearside, not one supporter would have forecasted this career for Semenyo, and he will no doubt be looking to inflict hurt on his former club when they host Bournemouth on Saturday.
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