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Antoine Semenyo – The Wrong Signing at the Wrong Time

In a season where Liverpool has staggered out of the blocks and into something resembling a structural crisis, it feels as though every match exposes the same set of problems: no control, no defensive security, and no stability in transition. This international break should be less about recharging legs and more about rewiring a team that looks tactically scrambled and emotionally drained.

The root issues are no longer up for debate, as form continues to regress against front-footed adversaries. Liverpool cannot progress the ball consistently from deep, which points to the decision not to target fullbacks who are comfortable on the ball.

This current stable loses second balls at an alarming rate, which is spilling blood into the water for scouts’ dissections ahead of encounters.

And the midfield, somehow assembled at great cost without a single natural No. 6, has become the Premier League’s busiest through-road for transitional counter-attacking. Every opponent knows the formula now: play forward early, collapse the middle, and wait for the chaos which often leads to a big chance.

The ongoing cycle of pairing adventurous eights without any genuine defensive anchor has left the team exposed, fragile, and far too easy to slice open. It’s why my preferred January signing remains Elliott Anderson — someone who can actually defend space, drive through contact, and reintroduce the kind of midfield presence that used to define Liverpool.

But while that conversation can wait until the window opens, the loudest transfer noise right now surrounds Bournemouth’s outstanding wide attacker, Antoine Semenyo.

Why Semenyo? And Why the Timing Feels Wrong

Let’s be clear: Antoine Semenyo is a superb footballer. He’s powerful, explosive, direct, and disruptive. He can play wide or inside, he presses like a demon, and he suits the long-term evolution of Liverpool’s attack. There’s a reason the club continues to monitor him closely and with intent.

This move is about the future — not the present.

Semenyo profiles as the natural successor to Mohamed Salah when the Egyptian eventually departs. He’s Premier League-ready, he’s entering his peak, and his tactical flexibility aligns with what Arne Slot wants to build. On paper, it’s smart business and is absolutely someone who should be welcomed, just not yet. Smart business is also about timing, and the timing for this one feels completely off.

Liverpool does not need another attacker in January. They need a spine. They need organisation. They need a midfielder who actually wins the ball, protects the back line, and offers an escape route under pressure. The robust requirements that are glaring should push anything else to the warmer months, as this colder season needs something more acclimatised to the harsh conditions.

Spending £60 million in mid-season on a forward, when the squad’s biggest weaknesses are structural, would be another symptom of a recruitment department that has already spent hundreds of millions without addressing the most essential areas of the pitch.

The Pressure on Liverpool’s Transfer Department

This is the first genuine heat Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have felt since their ascendancy to power. When you spend nearly half a billion pounds and the team looks worse, not better, the scrutiny becomes unavoidable to the fanbase and ownership alike. Supporters can live with the transition. They can even live with short-term pain. What they cannot tolerate is a squad that feels expensive yet incomplete, talented yet incoherent.

This January window is no longer a luxury.

It is a test of making and correcting the missteps of last August. A defining moment for a recruitment department that must show it understands the team’s tactical and physical deficiencies, with ego set aside for logical thinking.

Signing Semenyo in the summer?

That’s planning.

Signing him in January?

That’s misalignment and should be avoided.

Salah’s Future and the Successor Plan

This all leads back to Salah. There is a slim chance he leaves in January if the Saudi Pro League goes aggressive after the Champions League qualification round is decided. But the far more likely scenario is a summer 2026 exit — when he will have a year left on his deal and Liverpool can still command a premium fee. That fee will almost certainly fund his replacement in full.

And that’s where the Semenyo conversation becomes meaningful again.

Antoine Semenyo or Michael Olise.

The next great wide creator.

The heir to the most productive winger in Liverpool’s modern history, something that deserves thoughtful consideration and is perhaps the biggest replacement signing since Luis Suarez departed.

Semenyo is a long-term answer, just not a short-term fix. And right now, Liverpool desperately needs the latter.

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