Antoine Semenyo’s move to Manchester City in January 2026 marked a major milestone in his remarkable career journey—from early rejections as a schoolboy to becoming one of the Premier League’s most exciting forwards, and now joining Pep Guardiola’s star-studded squad at the Etihad Stadium.
In his first official interview as a new Manchester City player (published on the club’s official channels and widely shared across media), Semenyo opened up about the emotions of sealing the £62.5m+ transfer from Bournemouth, his hard-fought path to this level, and his excitement for the challenges ahead. The Ghana international, who signed a five-and-a-half-year deal running until 2031, reflected on the moment with genuine humility and joy.
“It’s only sinking in now, to be honest. Had to work very hard to get to this point and, yeah, over the moon it’s done and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
It’s only sinking in now, to be honest—waking up as a Manchester City player, pulling on that iconic sky-blue shirt, and knowing I’m part of one of the greatest teams in world football. This isn’t something that just happened overnight. I’ve had to work very hard—really, really hard—to get to this point. From the early days when big clubs turned me away as a youngster, through the loans, the setbacks, building myself up physically and mentally at Bristol City, then thriving at Bournemouth where I scored 10 goals already this season and left on a high with that last-gasp birthday winner against Tottenham… it’s been a long, tough road full of sacrifices, resilience, and belief from my family, my fiancée, my friends, and myself. But yeah, over the moon it’s done—finally official, the deal sealed, the pen put to paper—and I’m absolutely buzzing. This is the next level, the biggest challenge of my career so far, and I can’t wait to get stuck in, learn from the best in Pep Guardiola and the world-class players around me, push myself every day, compete for every trophy going, and help this club keep rewriting history. The Etihad is my new home, the fans are incredible, and I feel ready to show what I can bring: power, speed, strength, clinical finishing, and that hunger to keep improving. My best football is still ahead of me, and being here at City is going to be the perfect place to reach my peak. Bring on the challenge—I’m all in”
The transfer was a big coup for City, who beat competition from clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham. Semenyo arrives in red-hot form, adding versatility, physicality, and goal threat to Guardiola’s attack alongside stars like Erling Haaland and Jérémy Doku.