Alan Shearer says there is no guarantee of Antoine Semenyo being able to replicate the same form he has shown at Bournemouth if he joins Liverpool.
Semenyo has picked up where he left off after a strong end to the season with the Cherries last term, racking up six goals and three assists in his first 11 appearances of the campaign.
The 25-year-old forward has received widespread praise for his eye-catching performances under the tutelage of Andoni Iraola and he was deservedly named PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for September.
Only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Brentford’s Igor Thiago have outscored Semenyo after eight games and there is no question he is now Bournemouth’s most important attacking outlet.
But recent reports have fueled speculation that Semenyo’s days at the Vitality Stadium could be numbered, with the Premier League’s elite beginning to circle for the Ghana international.
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It’s understood Semenyo has a £65million release clause in his contract on the south coast and the likes of Manchester United, Tottenham and Liverpool are said to be keeping tabs on the situation.
Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Milos Kerkez all left Bournemouth to complete big-money moves in the summer – and there’s a growing sense amongst the fanbase that Semenyo could soon be destined for the exit door.
But addressing the rumours in his latest Betfair column, Shearer issued a word of warning to Liverpool over their reported interest in Semenyo, highlighting Kerkez’s early-season struggles on the back of his £40m transfer from Bournemouth.
‘Antoine Semenyo has been linked with a move to Anfield. I don’t know what Liverpool’s plans will be for next season but there will be a huge list of Premier League clubs that have already enquired about him and would love him in the team because of the ability that he has,’ the legendary ex-England and Newcastle striker said.
‘As we’ve seen with Kerkez, it’s alright playing well at Bournemouth where it’s a great football club, but in terms of size it’s tiny compared to someone like Liverpool. I guess you can say that with most players.
‘These clubs invest a lot of money into players, so they’ll know everything they need to about the player already.’
Turning his attention to Liverpool’s big-name summer signing Florian Wirtz, Shearer said he was confident the German would come good ‘sooner rather than later’.
According to Shearer, the all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League, Wirtz simply has ‘too much ability’ for the £116m move to be a failure.
‘It’s not just Florian Wirtz that hasn’t hit the ground running for Liverpool,’ he wrote.
‘He’s taken the brunt of it because he’s been fit and playing but they paid a lot of money for ]Alexander] Isak and haven’t seen him, a lot of money for [Jeremie] Frimpong and Kerkez but the noise around those hasn’t been as loud as around Wirtz.
‘I think Wirtz is a really talented footballer. I don’t know him mentally, but I guess he’s going through a bit of a tough time mentally, as is the whole football club. You know as well as I do, the only way to get through it is to keep going and hopefully something will change.
‘My guess is that he has that much ability that it can only be a matter of time. For his sake, I hope it’s sooner rather than later. I do see too much ability in Wirtz for his move to Liverpool not to work.’
This weekend, the Premier League champions return to action at home to Nottingham Forest, looking to return to winning ways after a heavy defeat to Manchester City before the international break.
Liverpool’s latest setback – their fifth loss of the top-flight campaign – left the club languishing down in eighth and eight points adrift of league leaders Arsenal.
‘It’s a big game for Liverpool against Nottingham Forest. Particularly when a new manager has gone in there and will be looking to sure things up and keep it tight,’ Shearer said on Saturday’s contest at Anfield.
‘Liverpool at home at Anfield and will be expected to win but I think Forest will make it tough for them.
‘You can already hear Sean Dyche’s team talk telling them to keep it tight and frustrate Liverpool.
‘It’s a huge, huge game for Liverpool. They have to bounce back.’
Should Liverpool spend £65m on Semenyo?
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Yes
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No
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