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Iraola has unearthed his new Semenyo in Liverpool's "player of the season"

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Published Sep 20, 2026, 7:10 AM GMT+1

Robbie is the Assistant Editor at Football FanCast, specialising in football analysis, transfer coverage and feature writing, with particular expertise in Manchester United, Celtic, Rangers and the wider Premier League and Scottish football.

A sports journalist since graduating from the University of Exeter in 2020, Robbie has spent more than six years covering professional football across the Premier League, EFL, SPFL and European competitions. His career has included news and feature work for 90min and more than a year covering the Premier League and Manchester United in particular at Football Faithful.

Robbie joined Football FanCast through the site's academy programme in 2022, progressing to the Exclusives team before becoming Assistant Editor in October 2023. His work combines original reporting, transfer insight, football analysis and informed feature writing, with a particular focus on understanding the context behind the latest news and what developments mean for clubs, managers and players.

He has developed extensive knowledge of Manchester United, Celtic and Rangers through regular coverage, while also bringing a broad understanding of the Premier League, EFL and Scottish football. His experience covering the game extends beyond the page, with a long-standing connection to Wycombe Wanderers that has seen him attend home and away matches for more than two decades.

Through his reporting and analysis, Robbie provides readers with credible football insight, informed transfer assessment and detailed coverage that goes beyond the headline, drawing on years of experience following clubs and competitions at close range.

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola heads back to Bournemouth this weekend seeking to extend his remarkable Premier League unbeaten run, the Spaniard last tasting defeat in the top flight against Arsenal in early January.

It's not quite been the start to life at Anfield he'd have wanted, yet even so, that streak of results is still deserving of praise, having started this run with a 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur at the Vitality Stadium.

The match-winner on that occasion was a certain Antoine Semenyo, the Ghanaian bowing out on his final Cherries appearance by netting in stoppage-time against the Lilywhites.

Subsequently snapped up by Manchester City, Semenyo certainly has Iraola to thank for his remarkable rise on the south coast, with his tale one that those on Merseyside will be keen to replicate this season.

Why Semenyo rise is Iraola's biggest coaching success so far

As Jamie Carragher noted in this week's Telegraph column, it is remarkable the Reds have spent over £700m of late and yet still dealt Iraola a bad hand, the 44-year-old inheriting an unbalanced, almost depleted squad at Anfield.

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola before the match

If there's any man who can enjoy success regardless, it is Iraola, however, the former Bournemouth coach notably thriving even after seeing his squad ripped up at the Vitality, including even after the sale of Semenyo.

Equally too, the work he did to transform so many into superstars at his former club, including the likes of Dean Huijsen and Eli Junior Kroupi, is to his credit, with there no better example than the rise of Semenyo.

Previously a star of the Championship at Bristol City, the London-born speedster hadn't really exploded at Premier League level initially, after signing in January 2023, with it taking the arrival of Iraola later that year for a real uplift to be seen.

His first league goal of 2023/24 actually came away at Anfield, having only scored once in the tail-end of 2022/23, with his first full top-flight campaign ending with eight goals in all.

A further 11 followed the year after, while the 26-year-old also started last season in a rich vein of form to seal his marquee move to the Etihad, his overall record standing at 44 goal involvements in 99 games under Iraola's watch.

No Bournemouth player scored more goals than Semenyo (31) during Iraola's time in charge too, further evidence of just what a perfect partnership it was.

Iraola's Top Scorers at Bournemouth*

Player

Goals

*all competitions

Semenyo	31
Kluivert	24
Solanke	21
Evanilson	18
Tavernier	15
Kroupi	13
Ouatarra	10
Brooks	7
Scott	6

Thankfully, that managerial magic is already paying off on Merseyside.

Why Iraola might have already found his new Semenyo at Liverpool

It's not quite clicked into gear as yet, but there is something refreshing about Iraola's approach, with Liverpool's crop of wingers already looking like the key beneficiaries.

In an era of such rigid tactics and systems, what really stands out about this new regime is how fluid Iraola is with regard to his wide men, deploying players on either side to great effect.

In Bradley Barcola, Victor Munoz, Ruo Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo, he appears to have found four players who can seemingly flourish on either flank, ensuring the Reds certainly won't be predictable this season.

The beauty of Semenyo on the south coast was his ability to prove just as devastating on the left as he was on the right, with that man Gakpo looking like the biggest success story in that regard this term.

A polarising figure on Merseyside, the Dutchman looked to be down and out heading into the summer window, with rumours rife regarding a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur.

Further speculation also suggested that he was a target for rivals Manchester City, with the addition of the £123m-rated Barcola set to further hamper his game time.

As it is, Gakpo has arguably been the shining light in recent weeks, hailed by The Athletic's Duncan Alexander - speaking on the Totally Football Show - as Liverpool's "player of the season" so far.

He was the man who dragged the Reds back into the game against Newcastle United, having also supplied a sumptuous assist from the right against Nottingham Forest at Anfield.

The 27-year-old combined with Alexander Isak again for both goals away at Ipswich Town, the second assist on the night having been a delightful trivela pass to unleash the Swede in behind.

Liverpool's number 18 was again at the centre of their key moments against Spurs in midweek too, rifling in himself to make it 2-0, prior to providing a dinked pass for Dominik Szoboszlai to lash home the clincher.

The man with the armband at the end of the game, Gakpo's turnaround has been remarkable in recent weeks, already looking like Iraola's most consistent performer, just as Semenyo was on the south coast.

Liverpool's Cody Gakpo celebrates scoring their first goal

The Basque boss turned the Ghanaian into arguably one of the best wingers or forwards in the Premier League back at Bournemouth, let's hope Gakpo can reach a similar level of consistency at Anfield.

He's certainly started well this season, that's for sure.

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