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Antoine Semenyo Handed Man City Legend’s Shirt Number in Blockbuster Transfer

City’s spending over the past 12 months has reached unprecedented levels.

Grey Whitebloom

Antoine Semenyo (left) was announced as the biggest signing of January so far.
Antoine Semenyo (left) was announced as the biggest signing of January so far. / Manchester City

Manchester City have handed Antoine Semenyo Yaya Toure’s old No. 42 shirt after announcing the biggest signing of the January transfer window so far.

After weeks of rampant speculation and widespread admiration from most of the Premier League’s elite, the former Bournemouth forward accepted City’s advances.

“I am so proud to have joined Manchester City,” Semenyo told the club’s official website following the announcement of a deal until 2031 thought to be worth in the region of £65 million ($87.2 million). “I have watched City over the last decade under Pep Guardiola, and they have been the dominant team in the Premier League as well as achieving amazing things in the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup.

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“They have set the highest of standards and it’s a club with world-class players, world-class facilities and one of the greatest managers ever in Pep.

“I have so much scope for improvement, so to be at this club, at this stage of my career, is perfect for me. It’s a real privilege to be here.

“My best football is yet to come, I am sure of that. And City are in a great position—still involved in four competitions. I really feel I can help them have a strong second half of the season.

“The Etihad is my new home. I can’t wait to play in front of the fans here and I hope to show everyone what I can do.”

Iconic Number Chosen by Semenyo

Yaya Toure hugging Pep Guardiola.
Yaya Toure famously wore Manchester City’s No. 42. / Paul ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images

Semenyo had the No. 24 on his back when he blasted a 95th-minute winner past Tottenham Hotspur’s Guglielmo Vicario with his last kick of a ball in a Bournemouth shirt. However, the inverse of those digits have more of a personal significance to the Ghana international.

“It was my first number at Bristol City when I first signed and that always stuck with me,” Semenyo explained. “It was either 42 or 24, and 24 wasn’t available so I went back to my first number. That was the inspiration behind it.”

No player has worn the No. 42 at City since Toure who took it up throughout his eight seasons in Manchester. Bradley Wright-Phillips, brother of former City star Shaun, fleetingly held that number before making a career for himself in MLS with New York Red Bulls while it was the set of digits Glenn Whelan wore for his one and only City appearance back in 2003.

Man City’s Staggering Spending

Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has overseen a dramatic squad overhaul. / Alex Livesey/Danehouse/Getty Images

The exact figures behind Semenyo’s arrival are debated. BBC Sport report the sum to eventually come to a total of £65 million while The Athletic claim that City and Bournemouth agreed upon a guaranteed fee of £62.5 million with a further £1.5 million available in bonuses.

Whatever the case, the significant outlay ensures that City have spent more than any other club on the planet over the past 12 months. The swollen nature of Guardiola’s rebuild has been clouded by Liverpool’s record-breaking summer. However, City starting spending big in the January 2025 window, splashing in the region of £176 million on the likes of Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Nico González.

It was hardly a thrifty summer window, with roughly £185.8 million committed on the likes of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Gianluigi Donnarumma, yet City went about their business quickly and quietly, securing most of the deals before the Club World Cup.

Semenyo’s arrival takes City’s expenditure up to a staggering £425 million over the last year, narrowly outstripping even Liverpool. Only time will tell if this spending can help Guardiola’s side overcome Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

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Grey Whitebloom
GREY WHITEBLOOM

Grey Whitebloom is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. Born and raised in London, he is an avid follower of German, Italian and Spanish top flight football.

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