Liverpool have been tipped to break the bank for yet another exciting forwardplaceholder image
Liverpool have been tipped to break the bank for yet another exciting forward | Getty Images/ Canva
Liverpool have been tipped to break the bank for yet another exciting forward
Premier League champions Liverpool are expected to splash the cash once again this winter as they look to try and revive their faltering Premier League title defence.
The Reds have been beaten six times this term - one more than they recorded throughout the entirety of the 38-game season last time out - and they need a dramatic turnaround if they are to mount a respectable title push.
Arne Slot revolutionised the team with nearly £450m worth of attacking talent. It was the most ever spent by a team in a single transfer window eclipsing the £434.5m spent by Chelsea in the summer of 2023.
However, even when including this bumper 2025 splurge, Liverpool only rank seventh among Premier League clubs for net spend since 2016/17, meaning there could still be room in the transfer kitty for a long-term Mohamed Salah replacement.
And at the moment one name that continues to be mentioned is Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo.
Why Liverpool are interested in Antoine Semenyo
A number of outlets, including The I Paper, have reported that Liverpool hold a strong interest in Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo. Fabrizio Romano has also confirmed there is a lot of interest in the player who has a release clause in his contract.
After his strong start to the season it was almost inevitable that these kinds of reports would come. Semenyo has already registered six goals this season - the third most in the division behind the imperious Erling Haaland and Igor Thiago - while his tally of three assists also puts him joint second in the list of creative players in the division.
Overall, Semenyo has nine goal contributions in 11 matches - again only Haaland has more with 14 but he’s playing in one of the most complete and well-oiled teams in the division as a No.9.
Semenyo, on the other hand, is playing for a Bournemouth team that lost a whole host of star performers over the summer on the wing and is outperforming just about everyone in the division at present.
It looks set to be a career-best campaign for the former Sunderland loanee, who is well on course to eclipse the 11 goals and five assists he managed for the Cherries last term.
Antoine Semenyo is outperforming Mohamed Salah this season
For a long time, Mohamed Salah has been considered the gold standard when it comes to Premier League wingers, and while it’d be foolish to suggest that the Egyptian won’t return to his best in the near future, it’s clear at present that he’s being outperformed by Antoine Semenyo in just about every metric.
Based on statistics from Fbref, Semenyo has 3.28 shot-creating actions per 90 compared to Salah’s 3.11. He’s completed six take-ons leading to a shot attempt compared to Salah’s two. And the Ghanian has recorded 12 shots on target to the Egyptians eight. The standard of those shots are also better from the Bournemouth man, with 57.1% hitting the target compared to Salah’s 32%.
Clearly, this data is based on a shorter period of time, but there’s no doubt that if Semenyo can carry on performing like he is, he’ll get interest from the top club and quite likely Liverpool, who will have a huge task replacing Salah when his contract expires in 18 months time.
Salah has been an incredible part of Liverpool’s success over the course of nearly a decade, and when he does depart there’s no doubt that he’ll be mentioned in a similar bracket to names like Ian Rush, Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard.
However, at 33-years-of-age, it’s inevitable that at some point soon he’ll need to be rested in certain matches if he’s to achieve his optimum levels of performances. And a long-term successor will need to be signed.
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