Jermaine Pennant is not impressed by Liverpool’s decision not to seemingly not rival Man City for Antoine Semenyo
Jermaine Pennant has slammed Liverpool as ‘really stupid’ for not trying to beat Man City to the signing of Antoine Semenyo. The Ghana international has been heavily linked with the Reds in recent months and was previously signed by sporting director Richard Hughes during his time at AFC Bournemouth.
But despite being credited with interest in the forward, Liverpool have not made a move for the 25-year-old with Semenyo instead closing in on a move to the Etihad.
Reports on Tuesday claimed Man City are close to reaching a full agreement with both Bournemouth and the player as they look to activate his £65m release clause.
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The Reds are currently slightly short of options in attack after Alexander Isak suffered a fractured leg when scoring in their victory over Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month.
They opted against signing a replacement for Luis Diaz in the summer, while are currently without the services of Mohamed Salah due to the Africa Cup of Nations.
Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo has only just returned from a muscle injury while Juventus are weighing up making a move to re-sign Federico Chiesa on loan according to reports in Italy.
Liverpool can still call upon the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai, Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong as attacking options. But that had not stopped some supporters from wanting to see the Reds bolster their ranks in January.
And boyhood Liverpool fan Pennant could not hide his disappointment at seeing his former club fail to make a move for Semenyo.
“As a Liverpool fan, I’m really disappointed on the back of (Alexander) Isak getting injured, maybe out for the season,” he said on talkSPORT. “(Mohamed) Salah being in AFCON and we already know the relationship with him, is he going to be leaving?
“So, for £65million in this day and age, a player of Antoine Semenyo’s quality, you’d say it’s kind of a bargain.
“And for them to not be in the conversation or say, ‘We’re interested as well’, and approach Bournemouth on the back of what I’ve mentioned, is really stupid.
“He could be a player that could replace Salah long term as well. So when Salah does decide to leave, if it’s in January or at the end of the season, you’ve got someone who is Premier League proven, which is absolutely vital.
“We’ve seen players come over to this league and they can’t really cut it, but you know that he can.”
