Forget Semenyo: Tottenham can sign genius £30m alternative next month amid 'wary' transfer claim

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank will be pleased with his side’s recent upturn in form. They beat Brentford 2-0 at home in their last Premier League game after goals by Richarlison and Xavier Simons. The London outfit then backed up that result with a 3-0 victory over Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Spurs are back in action on Sunday with a league away trip to Nottingham Forest. In the meantime, they can start thinking about potential recruits for January. They have the opportunity to freshen up their ranks with some new faces this winter ahead of the second half of the season.

Tottenham Hotspur face obstacle in Antoine Semenyo pursuit

According to The Sun, Spurs face a ‘fight’ as they look to convince Antoine Semenyo to join them from AFC Bournemouth next month and are ‘wary’ that they could miss out. They are keen to snap up the Cherries star in January but are in for a tough battle. Other teams such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have been mentioned as potential suitors.

Semenyo, 25, would be a dream signing for Frank’s side if they managed to get him ahead of their rivals. The Cherries snapped him up back in 2023 and he hasn’t looked back since. Prior to his transfer to Dorset, he rose up through the academy at Bristol City and broke into their first-team after loan spells away from Ashton Gate at Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland to gain experience.

The Ghana international, who has 32 caps to his name, has made 101 appearances in all competitions for Bournemouth and has scored 28 goals, six of which have come this season. He is under contract until the summer of 2030 after recently penning fresh terms. However, he is believed to have a release clause of £65 million which has alerted other teams.

Tottenham Hotspur should pursue Antoine Semenyo alternative in January

Spurs may need to find an alternative for Semenyo if they aren’t able to sign the Bournemouth ace. With that in mind, Brighton and Hove Albion’s Yankuba Minteh could be worth a punt. The Seagulls forked out £30m to land him from Newcastle United back in 2024 and he has since become one of their most prized assets.

At the age of 21, he is four years younger than Semenyo and he has a bright future ahead of him in the game. He is someone who Frank would help develop over the coming years. In addition, he would inject more quality into his attacking department.

Minteh, who has been capped 19 times by the Gambia senior side, is a pacey customer and his speed can cause real problems to opposition defenders. He has four assists to his name this term and is a useful weapon for Fabian Hurzeler. Although still young and a raw talent, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see other teams sniffing around him soon and his potential is there for all to see.

Newcastle lured him to England in 2023 after he caught their attention playing in Scandinavia for OB. He didn’t play for the Magpies first-team and was loaned out to Feyenoord, where he scored 11 goals in 37 games, before he was sold on to Brighton. He has become a key player for the Seagulls and has made 52 outings to date, finding the net on eight occasions.