Antoine Semenyo Poised for Explosive Man City Debut Against Exeter
Antoine Semenyo's outstanding performances throughout the last 18 months have culminated in a well-deserved reward as the striker completed his £64 million ($85.9 million) transfer to Manchester City on Friday.
The Ghanaian international has contributed 23 goals and nine assists for Bournemouth since the start of the previous campaign and has drawn attention from all of England's top clubs, with City successfully beating competition from Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United.
Semenyo joins an impressive array of wide attacking options at the Etihad Stadium, where he'll compete for playing time alongside Jérémy Doku, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Oscar Bobb in the upcoming months and seasons.
The 26-year-old should require minimal adaptation time at City due to his extensive Premier League background, and Pep Guardiola could deploy him straight away—particularly with injuries and international call-ups reducing his available squad.
Therefore, will Semenyo feature in his first appearance for the Citizens this weekend when Exeter City travels to the Etihad for the FA Cup third round clash?
Will Antoine Semenyo Make Debut in FA Cup Third Round?
City face numerous injury concerns ahead of their forthcoming encounter against League One side Exeter City, but Semenyo's arrival provides Guardiola with additional options. The former Bournemouth player is eligible to participate in some form against the third-tier opponents.
Guardiola has confirmed that Semenyo will be included in City's matchday roster on Saturday, though he declined to specify whether the player would be in the starting eleven.
"He will be selected," stated the Spanish manager during his pre-match media briefing. "I'm uncertain if he'll start but he will definitely be selected as we have limited player availability."
"Everyone recognizes his ability. We've witnessed his performances at Bournemouth," Guardiola continued. "He's versatile on both flanks, right and left. His two-footed ability is exceptional. He's an attacker who utilizes his speed effectively. He understands the Premier League. Multiple clubs pursued him but he chose to join us, so I can only express gratitude. Very excited for the coming years."
With Savinho and Bobb sidelined, Marmoush away on international service and Doku possibly being rested, Semenyo has a genuine opportunity to make his debut this weekend—even if initially as a substitute.
Nevertheless, considering the forward played the full 90 minutes in Wednesday evening's match for Bournemouth against Tottenham Hotspur, where he netted the decisive goal in added time, Guardiola may want to manage his playing time carefully against Exeter.
Man City Predicted Lineup vs. Exeter
Guardiola will undoubtedly make changes from the midweek stalemate against Brighton & Hove Albion for the third round fixture, with youth academy players like Reigan Heskey, Divine Mukasa, Ryan McAidoo and Charlie Gray all potentially receiving opportunities.
Defensive injuries may compel Guardiola to field Nico O'Reilly, who was substituted midweek, and Abdukodir Khusanov alongside Max Alleyne, with Rico Lewis and James Trafford getting uncommon starts in other defensive positions.
Mateo Kovačić's unavailability means either Rodri or Nico González will feature in the holding midfield role—probably the latter as Rodri's minutes continue to be carefully monitored—while Rayan Cherki could be the only established first-team player in the attacking line.
Semenyo may be deployed as a substitute rather than starting the match.
