Ghana striker, Antoine Semenyo has revealed how he was rejected by Premier League giants, Arsenal and Chelsea which almost forced him to quit playing.
The 24-year-old started his professional career at Bristol City but was loaned to six-tier side Bath City before spending another loan spell at four-tier club Newport County.
The striker had a third successive loan stint with Championship outfit Sunderland in 2020 before finally getting a chance with his parent club Bristol City.
However, Semenyo’s dream was materialized when he joined Premier League side AFC Bournemouth from Bristol City in January 2023 in a deal worth £10 million and has since developed into a key player for Andoni Iraola’s side.
Reflecting on his career trajectory, Semenyo revealed that he was rejected by Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Millwall during his formative years.
According to him, he nearly gave up after the rejections but added that those experiences have made him mentally tougher.
“I think I went to Millwall four times, went to Tottenham, went to Arsenal, went to Chelsea, I went to so many clubs and I just got the same result: never making it. I remember Palace being the last place being rejected,” Semenyo told Supersport.
“Being so young I couldn’t really cope with the emotions of rejection I was like, I felt like I need to take a break, go back to friends, go back to school just focus and recuperate, give myself a year to calm myself down cause I felt like the rejection was so much.”
“That was obviously a tough part of my life but yeah I felt like it built character and the mentality I have now, so I’m grateful.”
Meanwhile, Semenyo’s impressive form has seen him nominated for Bournemouth’s Player of the Season award.
He has scored eight goals in 34 appearances for the Cherries.
He is expected to be named in Black Stars squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Mali and the Central African Republic in June.