Nigel Pearson has confirmed that Bristol City have activated the 12-month option in Antoine Semenyo’s contract and that the Robins’ wish for new signings in January is not strictly dependent on selling the Ghana international or other prized assets such as Alex Scott and Tommy Conway.
Semenyo’s contract was due to expire next summer but the club have now safeguarded his immediate future by finally taking up the option in the agreement originally signed in 2019. The decision is as much for financial security as anything, with Semenyo remaining of interest to several clubs ahead of the opening of the transfer window.
Pearson is determined to do some business in the new year to freshen up his squad and previously had been blunt that players could only come in, if others were to leave. That was widely assumed to mean a substantial sale of Semenyo, Scott or increasingly Conway, as he enjoys a breakout campaign in the Championship.
