Nigel Pearson admits he won’t stand in Antoine Semenyo’s way should a Premier League club make an offer for the Bristol City forward this summer but any attempts to prise the 22-year-old away from Ashton Gate will have to be expensive and in the Robins interest.
Semenyo’s fantastic season for the Robins has sufficiently enhanced his reputation throughout the Championship and above with an extensive list of top-flight clubs who have scouted him, leading towards the distinct possibility that approaches will be made.
City turned down a bid from Nottingham Forest in the January window, but that fell well below their value and was ultimately, at least at the time, to a fellow Championship side.
Semenyo has never displayed any indication that he wants to necessarily leave City, albeit with a contract offer remaining unsigned, but if he does it will almost certainly be to a Premier League club.
To date, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Brighton & Hove Albion, plus newly promoted Bournemouth and Fulham - who Semenyo tore to shreds in a sensational first half display at Craven Cottage in January - have also watched the forward extensively and the sheer volume of clubs looking at him will surely result in at least one credible offer over the course of the next three months.
However, it also puts City in a strong position - not dissimilar to Adam Webster in the summer of 2019, as up to half the Premier League were considering him as a target - as they can demand and drive a maximum price for one of their prized assets, given the fact they also hold a 12-month option on his deal which expires next summer.
It seems highly unlikely that Semenyo will actively push for a move, meaning, quite simply, if no one reaches an acceptable figure - and the price understood to have been quoted in January was towards the £20m mark - he will remain a City player, at least for the first half of next season.
“I don’t spend too much time worrying about that. I think we will, in time, have decisions to make on him but hopefully he’ll be here this year,” Pearson told BBC Radio Bristol.
“Would I stand in his way of going to top a Premier League side? Absolutely not. But it would have to be the right deal for us, as a team. As a football club, the financial offset for losing someone like Antoine is going to be considerable and people need to be aware of that.
“We don’t want to be a selling club, we want to keep our best player, of course we do, but the reality of where we are is there are times when that stance will be stretched and it will be questioned, and what we have to do is make the right decision for us as a football club.
"We’ll have a better chance of succeeding next year if Antoine is here.“But if he goes somewhere he’s going to be expensive for somebody.”
Semenyo’s form has trended sharply upwards after being moved into a central striker’s role under Pearson, rewarding his manager’s faith with eight goals, 12 assists and some blistering performances in which he has bullied some of the Championship’s finest defenders.
His season was delayed by persistent knee injuries, following surgery last May, but that time away from first-team duties allowed the former SGS College student to study his game and work on his flaws.
That determination to seek self-improvement and also work on it at the training ground, reveals a player possessing a high football IQ that too many, unfairly, didn’t think existed in Semenyo when he first made his debut for City back in 2019, believing his talent was purely pace and power with precious thought for efficiency and execution.
Now, as his international debut beckons with the forward expected to be called up again by Ghana for their forthcoming African Cup of Nations qualifiers, he’s progressing into becoming as close to a complete striker as is possible, with only two full professional campaigns under his belt.
“Let’s be honest about this, the reason he’s developed as quickly as he has: he’s a listener, he’s very self-aware, he wants to play at the top end, he has aspirations to play in the Premier League and international football,” Pearson added.
“He studies his own game. He is a player who doesn’t waste time and energy when he’s out injured. He’s very interested in making adjustments to his game, he’s receptive.
“Our job as staff - we give you the opportunity, we’ll help you but effectively players have to help themselves and bright players are able to do that. He’s one of those players who has the natural ability, he has the profile in terms of pace and power, he’s improved his finishing, but he practises well, he’s not lazy when he practises, he practises in a very professional way, and practice makes permanent.
“He’s a player making progress because he wants to and he’s very ambitious. I’d be disappointed if we weren’t worried about losing him.”
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