'The club made a good mark' – Guardiola hails Semenyo signing as City's Ghana star makes history

Pep Guardiola has declared Manchester City's recruitment team made a "good mark" in signing Antoine Semenyo, with the Ghana forward now rewriting the record books after his stunning start to life at the Etihad.

Speaking after City's 3-0 victory over Fulham—a game in which Semenyo scored once and assisted another—Guardiola reserved special praise for the club's January business.

"The club made a good mark signing him," Guardiola said of the £62.5 million arrival from Bournemouth. "Antoine is an incredible signing. He has a sense of the second balls in the box but not just that—the pace and intensity—he is a top, top player."

Those words are already being justified by numbers.

Semenyo's goal against Fulham took his Premier League tally to 13 for the season, surpassing Anthony Yeboah's 30-year record of 12 goals to become the highest-scoring Ghanaian in a single English top-flight campaign. Andre Ayew had matched the feat in 2015/16, but Semenyo now stands alone.

In just eight appearances since his record-breaking move, the 26-year-old has registered five goals and two assists—seven goal contributions in eight games. His 13 league goals have come from an expected goals tally of just 7.62, underscoring a clinical edge that has added a new dimension to City's attack.

With City sitting three points behind Arsenal in a tightening title race and 13 games remaining, Guardiola's "good mark" is looking increasingly like a masterstroke.

Semenyo promised upon arrival that his "best football is yet to come." If his opening act is any indication, Manchester City's record books may not be the only ones he rewrites this season.