Liverpool passed on the opportunity to sign Antoine Semenyo. Speculation was intense, but Manchester City have won the race for the former Bournemouth forward, who has scored ten goals and supplied three assists in the Premier League this season.
It was a strong performance to draw at Arsenal last time out, but the Reds were blunt in attack. Sure, Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike were all absent, but Cody Gakpo was particularly ineffective on the left wing, given a 6/10 match rating by This Is Anfield, who said he was 'largely anonymous'.
What if we told you Liverpool only chalked up an xG total of 0.37 at the Emirates? For all Arne Slot's side's good work, especially across the second half, much was left to be desired in front of goal.
Expected Goals (xG) is a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal.
It's clear that improvements are needed, and while the Reds opted against signing Semenyo, don't count out a move for another high-profile winger.
Liverpool open talks for world-class winger
Fabrizio Romano revealed that Liverpool called for Semenyo in November, but did not raise their interest to the next level as Manchester City swooped in.
Semenyo Bournemouth stats (timeless)
Having sold Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65.5m in August, the Reds need a replacement, with Slot only using the 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha sparingly.
And according to TEAMtalk, the Colombian's successor could arrive in the form of Bradley Barcola, with the Paris Saint-Germain star having been the centre of talks led by Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes.
bradley-barcola-psg
The France international, 23, is also being chased by Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. The usual suspects. City have signed Semenyo, effectively ruling them out, though Liverpool have a real chance to land one of the most talented wide forwards in the world, who is valued at a whopping £87m.
Why Barcola could be perfect for Liverpool
Barcola has been a prolific force for PSG since signing from Lyon in September 2023. Across 126 matches in all competitions, he has scored 31 goals and supplied 34 assists.
bradley-barcola-france-world-cup-qualifiers
The 25-year-old Semenyo has scored ten goals and supplied three assists in the Premier League this season, but Barcola ostensibly has a higher ceiling, two years his junior and already considered "one of the best wingers in the world" by analyst and scout Ben Mattinson.
Semenyo's multi-facetedness is one of his most attractive facets, but Barcola can rival him even in this, having played across the frontline since making his professional debut way back when.
Bradley Barcola's Career by Position
Position
Left winger
Right winger
Centre-forward
Data via Transfermarkt
Last season, Luis Enrique led PSG to greatness, and Barcola was among the standouts, notching 42 goal involvements in all competitions.
It's been a slower term this time around, but that's true for the Parisians on a wider scale, suffering form a hangover after such incredible fortunes last year.
Still, he's got the world at his feet, with data-driven platform FBref ranking him among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe for pass completion, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for progressive carries and the top 10% for interceptions per 90.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent's goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
This kind of roundedness underlines Semenyo's own skillset, and so it's clear to see why there is such a fervour in the FSG offices for a player who has the potential to far outstrip the Ghana international, who Mattinson has hailed as a "workhorse off the ball" and a "duel monster".
antoine-semenyo-bournemouth
Semenyo might be the talk of the town right now, but it's worth noting that Omar Marmoush was considered an earth-shattering threat when he swapped Eintracht Frankfurt for the Etihad, and the Egyptian has since faded away.
Liverpool could land a winger of a different calibre in Barcola, one of the best in the world. FSG opted against bidding for Semenyo for a reason, perhaps this is it.
antoine-semenyo-bournemouth Related
[Better buy than Semenyo: Liverpool making "calls" to sign "world-class" star](https://www.footballfancast.com/better-buy-than-semenyo-liverpool-making-calls-marc-guehi/ "Better buy than Semenyo: Liverpool making "calls" to sign "world-class" star")
Liverpool could pick up a better signing than their failed pursuit of Antoine Semenyo by landing this world-class star.