Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo opens up on difficult Bournemouth contract negotiations

Ghana national team forward Antoine Semenyo has opened up on the challenges that came with extending his contract at Bournemouth.

The 25-year-old attacker signed a new long-term deal that will keep him at the Vitality Stadium until 2030. Semenyo joined Bournemouth from Bristol City in January 2023 and has gone on to become a big hit with the Cherries.

Speaking exclusively to Ghanasoccernet at the MetLife Stadium, Semenyo revealed the process behind his decision.

“It wasn’t the smoothest of negotiations, I should say,” he said. “I felt like it didn’t go the way I wanted it, and it wasn’t smooth enough for me. Yeah, I chose to stay. Like I said, I’ve been saying in a lot of interviews, a feeling of being wanted. Bournemouth were behind me; they supported me with any decision I made, and they made it very clear and obvious that they wanted me to stay. I feel like it’s the right decision.”

Semenyo had a standout 2024/25 league campaign, scoring 13 goals and helping Bournemouth to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League.

His contract extension comes as a good news for manager Andoni Iraola, who has seen key players Milos Kerkez and Dean Huijsen depart for Liverpool and Real Madrid, respectively. Semenyo has made 89 appearances for Bournemouth, scoring 22 goals in total.