Antoine Semenyo’s Move to Manchester City: A Mistake or a Masterstroke?

Kalvin Phillips is probably still regretting his choice to join Manchester City. Only like yesterday, the now 30-year-old Englishman was one of the Premier League’s most sought after midfielders, the heartbeat of Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds side and a regular starter for England.

His move to the Etihad in 2022, worth around £45 million, was meant to take his career to the highest level. Instead, it became a warning story that still echoes today.

Guardiola himself later admitted it was difficult to see where Phillips fit.

According to the Catalan manager, “I visualise some things and visualise the team and things, and I struggle to see him.”

Loans followed, first to West Ham, then to Ipswich. Neither move revived his career in the way many hoped.

Today, he remains a City player only on paper, widely expected to leave permanently.
That context matters now, because Antoine Semenyo is standing at a similar crossroads.

Semenyo at 26, the moment of his life

Semenyo’s rise has been obvious. This season, he has been Bournemouth’s standout attacker, scoring nine league goals and adding three assists. His numbers show a forward who lives around danger areas, taking a high volume of shots, constantly getting touches inside the box, and carrying real threat from wide or central positions.

Bournemouth have leaned on him, and he has delivered.

On 7 January 2026, his 26th birthday, he may have written his own farewell script. Coming on against Tottenham, he scored a late winner that ended Bournemouth’s long winless run.

Reports described the standing ovation, the emotions, and the sense that it was his final act for the club. Within hours, stories followed that Manchester City had triggered his release clause, with a £65 million move all but agreed.

For City, this is a footballer arriving in his physical prime, full of confidence, with momentum behind him. But the question is about fit and opportunity.

Phillips, Rice and the lesson of choice

Phillips’ story is just everything that can go wrong when a player steps into a squad already stacked with specialists. He was not a bad player. He simply had no clear role. Once he fell behind, the system moved on without him.

Recall Declan Rice, now in the big conversation, was faced with moving to either Etihad or Emirates. The 26-year-old opted for the latter, and today, you could say he was right.

Rice joined Arsenal in 2023 for a British record £105 million. City were interested, but Rice chose a project where he would be central, not rotational. At Arsenal, he has evolved from a pure holding midfielder into a complete box-to-box presence, scoring more, creating more, and carrying leadership responsibility.

His growth has been so visible that he finished inside the top 30 of the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings, an unusual achievement for a midfielder who is not a constant headline scorer.

He has become one of the faces of Arsenal’s title push this season, delivering decisive goals and big performances. His decision was not just about money or trophies. It was about minutes, influence, and identity.

That is the comparison Semenyo cannot avoid.

What waits for Semenyo at City

Manchester City are not the unstoppable machine they once were. Their league form has been uneven, Arsenal have opened a gap, and Guardiola’s long term future continues to be a topic of conversation.

This is no longer the City of automatic wins and relaxed rotations. It is a squad under pressure.

Semenyo will walk into fierce competition. Haaland owns the central striker role. Wide positions already contain explosive talents, each fighting for minutes.

Guardiola demands tactical discipline, positional awareness, and constant adaptation. Many have thrived under him. Some have not.

Semenyo’s strengths fit City’s ideas. He presses hard, runs channels, and can operate across the front line. But will he start every week? Will he be given time to learn? Or will he become another expensive option used mainly from the bench, as he slowly fades?

These are practical questions. Phillips went to City and became a squad player. Rice chose Arsenal and became a centrepiece. Both were elite talents. But only one choice truly worked.

Now, Semenyo is making his own. Is Manchester City the platform that turns him into a global star, or the place where he becomes just another name on a deep squad list? What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below.