"Antoine Semenyo, it seems likely, will soon join Manchester City from Bournemouth for a fee of 65m. Given how well Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden have played from the right this season, it is not immediately obvious why City need him, but the modern game is the modern game, the rammed calendar makes large and flexible squads essential and Pep Guardiola may have some esoteric plan for the Ghanaian anyway."
"But perhaps what is most striking about the deal is the fee or, more precisely, how little attention it has drawn. English football has become inured to big transfers. The fee feels about right. Semenyo is 25. He has four and a half years left on his contract. He is quick, skilful, intelligent and works hard. He is disciplined, but has the capacity to do the unexpected. Of course a player of his ability costs that much."
"Only nine non-English clubs have paid a fee higher than that. Even in Premier League terms, Semenyo sneaks into the top 25. Perhaps that's fine. As anybody who has raised any qualms about World Cup ticket prices recently has found out from online Americans passionately committed to being ripped off because that's what capitalism demands, the market is what it is. Value is what people are prepared to pay."
Antoine Semenyo is expected to join Manchester City for £65m. City already have strong right-sided options in Rayan Cherki and Phil Foden, but squad depth and fixture congestion justify further signings and Guardiola may have tactical plans. Semenyo is 25 with four-and-a-half years left on his contract, noted for speed, skilful play, intelligence, work-rate and occasional unpredictability. The fee ranks him among expensive signings across major European leagues and within the Premier League top 25. The transfer exemplifies inflated market values driven by supply and demand and interest from several top clubs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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