Ghana international Antoine Semenyo has revealed that former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s vision for his development was the decisive factor behind his move to the Premier League champions, despite interest from several top English clubs.
The Black Stars forward completed a £65 million transfer from Bournemouth to City during the January transfer window after attracting interest from Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.
Speaking about the move, Semenyo disclosed that talks with City began in early December before he made the final decision to join the Etihad outfit a month later.
“I think for me, I just wanted the next step to be the big one and Manchester City was the option,” Semenyo said.
“Pep spoke to me beforehand and he said, ‘Look, when you come, I am going to make you a better player.'”
The 26-year-old also paid tribute to Bournemouth for helping shape his Premier League career.
“I owe them everything, to be honest. They helped my Premier League career flourish and obviously the management, the staff behind the scenes, they were all amazing. They made everything so smooth,” he added.
Semenyo arrived at City after enjoying the most productive season of his career, scoring 21 goals for club and country before sealing his high-profile move. He made an immediate impact in Manchester, scoring in City’s FA Cup final victory over Chelsea and helping the club lift both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup during the second half of the campaign.
Reflecting on Guardiola’s influence, Semenyo admitted the Spaniard fulfilled his promise by helping him elevate his game.
“You want to get better, you want to improve every season and he definitely helped me with that in the first five months, but obviously sad for him to leave,” he said.
Now working under new head coach Enzo Maresca, the Ghanaian has already shown encouraging signs ahead of the 2026/27 campaign, providing an assist in Manchester City’s pre-season match against Inter Milan in Hong Kong.
Semenyo has made 27 appearances for Manchester City since his January arrival, quickly establishing himself as an important member of the squad as he looks to build on an impressive debut spell with the Premier League champions.
