Bristol City should join Birmingham and Coventry race after Antoine Semenyo departure: Opinion | OneFootball

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Football League World

·27 January 2023

Bristol City should join Birmingham and Coventry race after Antoine Semenyo departure: Opinion

Article image:Bristol City should join Birmingham and Coventry race after Antoine Semenyo departure: Opinion

Bristol City always looked likely to lose at least one of their rising stars this month and so it is no surprise to see Antoine Semenyo’s move to Bournemouth materialise.

The 22-year-old has been in fantastic form since returning from the World Cup – scoring four goals in his last four games – and has looked back to his best.


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With just 18 months left on his City contract, the Championship club were always likely to entertain significant bids for the Ghana international and after rejecting two offers a third, reportedly worth £9 million plus add-ons, has been accepted.

It’s gutting to see such an exciting player depart but the Robins now need to move quickly to strengthen.

Luton Town forward Harry Cornick has been named as a potential replacement for Semenyo by Bristol Live but City should also consider joining the race for Danel Sinani.

Football Insider has reported that the 25-year-old could be available this month as his Norwich City contract is up in the summer.

The attacker was hugely impressive while on loan for Huddersfield Town last season – scoring six times and providing four assists as he helped the Terriers reach the play-off final – but has been little more than a bit-part player for the Canaries this term.

He showed his ability to impact Championship games regularly last term so it’s no surprise that both Birmingham and Coventry are said to have enquired.

If there’s a cut-price deal to be agreed, which there may well be, then City should look to use some of its newly freed-up funds to sign the Luxembourg international.

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Article image:Bristol City should join Birmingham and Coventry race after Antoine Semenyo departure: Opinion

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Sinani would not be a direct replacement for Semenyo but rather would help to fill the void left by his departure.

Capable of playing off either flank or in attacking midfield, he would slot into the 4-3-3 that Nigel Pearson is favouring at the moment really well.

The Norwich man is a direct runner and good ball carrier while he’s got the vision and technical ability to create opportunities for teammates and has shown quality in front of goal.

It’s unrealistic to think that the Robins will be able to bring in one player of Semenyo’s quality but landing both Cornick and Sinani would help fill the attacking void left in their squad.

Given he is just 25, the latter is a player with resale value and could be sold for a profit if they’re able to capitalise on his contract situation and strike a cut-price deal.

With Tommy Conway still weeks away from a return, it’s important that Pearson gets adequate attacking reinforcements before the window closes.

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