It’s no stretch to suggest that 2022 didn’t really turn out the way Antoine Semenyo may have envisaged when enjoying such an impressive start to the calendar year.
The Bristol City forward, some 12 months ago, attacked the New Year with all the aggression and enthusiasm of a tiger shark locking his jaws around a chunk of juicy flesh. He was the Championship’s Player of the Month for January 2022, found himself on the radar of one of Britain’s biggest clubs and, according to some reports, saw his price-tag rise to around £20 million.
“I had a conversation with (Celtic scout Craig) Strachan,” Semenyo’s agent told Football Scotland at the time.
“(He) rang up to ask little bits of info on the player and what he’s like as a lad. It’s nice to know that his talents are going as far as Scotland. (Celtic are) one of great institutions in world football.”
Now, Semenyo could still be on his way out of Ashton Gate in the near future. Per Bristol Post, there is plenty of interest; albeit not from clubs capable of offering a project as exciting as Celtic. Bournemouth can give Semenyo an opportunity to make his mark in the Premier League. Burnley, meanwhile, are soaring towards promotion under Vincent Kompany.
Celtic, though, are likely to be a Champions League team once again in 2023. In Ange Postecoglou, the Hoops also have a head coach who would have relished harnessing and honing Semenyo’s fearsome physical gifts and improving end-product.
Celtic appear to have moved on from Bristol City striker Antoine Semenyo
Had Semenyo joined Celtic 12 months ago, for instance, he might already have played Champions League football. He would certainly have a Scottish Premiership winners medal on his CV. Who knows, perhaps he’d have featured more regularly for Ghana at the 2022 World Cup too.
In the end, Semenyo was handed just 19 minutes in Qatar. And while some may have argued that another year of first-team football at Bristol City would do Semenyo good, the reality paints a rather different picture. Nigel Pearson’s relegation-threatened Robins have won just three of their last 17 games, sliding rapidly towards the Championship drop zone. Semenyo, in that time, has scored just one goal. His form, like that of his team, has nosedived since the summer.
From dreaming of the Champions League to nightmares about League One. And it’s notable that, with Celtic cashing their net far and wide in search of a potential Giorgios Giakoumakis replacement, Semenyo’s name has not come up. At least, not recently.
Celtic is not an opportunity that comes around all too often. And tally of one goal in four months won’t have ‘one of great institutions in world football’ rushing to pick up where they left off in January 2022.
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