For the better part of the past month, all the rage on the Tottenham Hotspur transfer rumor mill has been news regarding star left winger Antoine Semenyo, who swapped flanks and burst out as an even bigger breakout star in the 2025/26 Premier League season for sleepers Bournemouth - the same club Spurs plucked record striker signing Dominic Solanke from in the preceding summer transfer window.
Semenyo and Spurs are no strangers to each other as far as transfer links go, because Tottenham were among the clubs interested in the Cherries star forward this past summer window, alongside the likes of powerhouses including Manchester United. And these same clubs are, of course, still interested in Semenyo now that the Ghanaian international is putting up even bigger numbers for Bournemouth in 2025/26.
Tottenham were listed among the favorites for several weeks, but it looks like their grip on the transfer battle has slowly faded into the background. According to the latest information from journalist Jamie Jackson of The Guardian, Tottenham Hotspur are not even among the top choices for Antoine Semenyo at this stage. Semenyo is said to favor Liverpool the most, which does conflict with other reports that Manchester City are now the favorites. But the Citizens are not far behind, ranking second behind the Reds in the chase. And then Manchester United slot in at third in the hierarchy to sign Semenyo for 65 million pounds this winter.
Tottenham are left in the dust
That leaves Tottenham nowhere to be found. Spurs were once among the pack interested in Semenyo and seemed to stand as good of a chance as anyone, including Liverpool and Manchester City, to sign the young standout.
And that was likely because of the combination of the countryman connection with new star right winger Mohammed Kudus, as well as the clear and obvious path to playing time on the left wing at the N17 whereas Semenyo would have more competition at the other top Premier League clubs.
But the harsh reality is starting to set in that Spurs are not real competitors for Semenyo because they just are not good enough. As ever, Spurs do not have quite the same clout as a Liverpool or a Manchester United, and they are certainly not playing as well as Man City - not this season or in the last several. Spurs are closer to the bottom half of the table than the top half, and their lack of sporting success over the years is a big reason why they can't win these sorts of targets.