Antoine Semenyo is closing in on a transfer to Manchester City, but Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola claims he’s expecting the winger to face Arsenal first.
Many believed Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo to be playing his final game for the club away to Chelsea on Tuesday night, amid strong links to Manchester City.
It was a chaotic match for the winger, as he conceded a penalty in the first 15 minutes but made amends when his long throw was stabbed home for an equaliser later in the half.
Afterwards, despite all the rumours of a departure, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola told the media he doesn’t believe it was Semenyo’s last game.
“He is a massive player for us and he will still be with us,” Iraola said. “It is not the last game he has played for us, definitely not.”
Yet many outside the club aren’t so sure. Sky Sports News reported earlier on Tuesday that Manchester City are closing in on a full agreement to sign Semenyo, with talks progressing quickly and reaching an advanced stage.
City are sorting the final details of Semenyo’s £65m release clause and are also close to finalising personal terms, so the transfer could be made official before long.
BBC pundit Danny Murphy suggested to Match of the Day that he’s dubious of Iraola’s comments.
In response to the claim it might not have been Semenyo’s final match, Murphy joked: “Maybe they’ve got a practice match tomorrow! I very rarely see scenes at the end where someone’s saying goodbyes and even hugging his teammates (only to stay).
“But it’s hard for the manager to come out and say ‘yes, he’s on his way’.”
Bournemouth face Arsenal on Saturday, so Semenyo’s involvement in the fixture will depend on whether or not City can finalise the deal before then.
Whilst City might like the idea of Semenyo playing for Bournemouth against title-rivals Arsenal, they do have to think about their own game against Chelsea the same weekend.