6.27 penalty area touches per 90: The Bristol City player with links to Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton | OneFootball

6.27 penalty area touches per 90: The Bristol City player with links to Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton | OneFootball

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Football League World

·26 January 2023

6.27 penalty area touches per 90: The Bristol City player with links to Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton

Article image:6.27 penalty area touches per 90: The Bristol City player with links to Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton

It could be a busy end to the January transfer window for Bristol City as forward Antoine Semenyo continues to draw links to the Premier League.

The Championship club rejected two offers from Bournemouth earlier in the month but long-term admirers Crystal Palace are reportedly weighing up a move while Southampton are also said to be interested as they look to give Nathan Jones more forward firepower.


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City triggered the one-year extension in Semenyo’s contract in December but there are still only 18 months left on his current deal, which means they’ll likely feel they have to consider any bids near their valuation – thought to be in the region of £12 million.

But what would those top flight sides be getting for a potential eight-figure fee? We’ve taken a look at Semenyo’s stats in 2022/23 to find out…

It’s been a much-interrupted season for the Ghana international, who missed a large section of the first half due to injuries before heading to the World Cup in Qatar.

Since his return, Semenyo has rediscovered the form that saw him bag eight goals and 12 assists for the Robins last term – and is currently on a run of four goals in four games in all competitions.

That’s taken his tally for 2022/23 to eight goals (outperforming his 6.96 xG) and two assists in 27 appearances – though it is worth remembering that 13 of those have seen him impact the game from the bench.

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Article image:6.27 penalty area touches per 90: The Bristol City player with links to Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Southampton

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As per FBREF, Semenyo sits in the top fifth of Championship forwards when it comes to goal contributions. He averages 0.43 non-penalty goals (putting him in the top 19%) and 0.22 assists (top 17%) per 90.

While he averages 2.74 shots (top 33%) and 1.15 shots on target (top 16%) per 90.

He is a real nuisance for opposition sides – making probing runs and picking up dangerous positions – as his final third and penalty area stats show.

Semenyo is among the top 12% of Championship forwards in terms of touches in the final third per 90, the top 5% in touches in the opposition penalty area, and the top 3% in terms of progressive passes received per 90.

His passing stats are not particularly notable – 14.7 passes completed per 90 (top 40%) at a lowly completion rate of 65.6% (bottom 50%) – but he can do real damage as a ball carrier.

The City player averages 1.59 completed dribbles per 90 (top 6%) and has a dribble success rate of 52.4% (top 3%) while he is among the top 24% of second tier forwards in terms of successful dribbles that lead to shot attempts.

However, his direct approach with the ball at his feet can lead to frustration as he averages 4.90 miscontrols (more than 95% of Championship forwards) and 2.16 dispossessions (more than 87%).

The City attacker is not terrible in the air but as his aerial success rate of 36.9% shows, it is far from his strong point.

The Ghana international is willing to run hard without possession but his defensive statistics – 0.22 tackles won (bottom 23%), 0.22 clearances (bottom 9%), 1.3 blocks (top 9%), 0.36 interceptions (top 28%) and 2.95 ball recoveries (top 37%) – are not eye-catching.

Semenyo is one of the most explosive players in the Championship and, on his day, few defenders at second tier level are able to keep a lid on him.

That’s reflected by his statistics and though he’s not the finished product, with a bit of patience the 22-year-old could become a dangerous player in the Premier League.

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