Tottenham Hotspur have been left wanting after the January transfer window, with the general consensus that Thomas Frank’s squad have holes which have not been plugged.
While Dominic Solanke is fit and firing once again, Spurs are ostensibly weaker than they were a month ago, with Brennan Johnson sold to Crystal Palace and Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus added to a bloated injury list already containing key playmakers James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
Emphasis is bound to be placed on attacking additions come summer. But that might be too late for Frank, whose position is already tenuous.
How the Danish coach must regret Tottenham’s loss to Manchester City in the race for Antoine Semenyo.
How Semenyo ranks vs Spurs forwards at Man City
Over a week into the January transfer window, Semenyo signed for Manchester City in a deal worth £62m. He had established himself as one of the Premier League’s most in-demand forwards at Bournemouth, and he has started life under Pep Guardiola with a clinical edge.
Tottenham were very keen. Last summer, in fact, they had an offer rejected by the south coast side following secret discussions. Semenyo’s release clause became active in January, and Bournemouth knew that by holding out, they would land their due.
His incisive and direct attacking style would have been perfect for this Spurs frontline. Semenyo is a two-sided winger too.
Looking at how he’s doing in these early weeks at the Etihad, ENIC Group are only going to be all the more frustrated, with Frank’s side not scoring or creating enough.
Semenyo Stats vs Spurs Forwards (since Man City debut)
Player
Apps (minutes)
Goals + Assists
Antoine Semenyo
5 (424′)
4 + 1
Dominic Solanke
6 (302′)
4 + 0
Wilson Odobert
6 (448′)
1 + 3
Randal Kolo Muani
5 (321′)
1 + 1
Richarlison
1 (31′)
0 + 0
Mathys Tel
4 (174′)
0 + 0
Data via Transfermarkt
As we can see, the Ghanaian has enjoyed a fast start to life in Manchester, even as Guardiola’s outfit struggle for form.
It’s a frustrating one to have fumbled, for sure, but Tottenham have actually signed an even bigger talent than the Man City man recently.
Spurs have signed a bigger talent than Semenyo
Frankly, Tottenham have left a lot to be desired this season, and Semenyo would have faced an uphill battle to play a talismanic role in a team so shorn of fluency and sharpness in the final third.
But he’s a proven Premier League star, and missing out on him will frustrate the Spurs board for some time.
However, the success in signing Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig last summer for £52m will have tempered the blow, especially as the young Dutchman begins to go from strength to strength in his playmaking berth.
The small playmaker has had a rocky start to life in England, even criticised by content creator Ronaldo Brown for having been “swallowed in the Premier League” after an ineffective first foray.
But Tottenham have been altogether poor, dysfunctional from a tactical standpoint. Simons is as gifted as they come, and he will only grow over the months and years ahead.
Hailed by statistician Statman Dave as a player capable of “magic” moments on the ball, Simons is really starting to come into his own, and when considering the level he reached across two years in the Bundesliga, there’s reason to be excited down N17.
He arrived for a sizeable but not extortionate fee, and already, Tottenham appear to have landed a shrewd deal. As per CIES Football Observatory, renowned data analysts, the Netherlands star has already seen his market value mushroom to around £82m, making him Tottenham’s most valuable player and indeed a more valuable attacker than Semenyo.
Semenyo is riding the bigger wave right now, but it’s worth remembering that Simons is young. At 22, he’s younger than Semenyo was when he left Bristol City in the Championship and signed for Bournemouth for £10.5m.
Simons needs time, but we’ve been treated to some positive stuff in recent weeks, and there’s no question that Frank is managing a potential superstar.

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