Tottenham Hotspur’s ambitions of building on their Europa League triumph were evident during the summer transfer window, after the hierarchy spent upwards of £100m in the transfer market.
Thomas Frank was the beneficiary of such spending during his first summer at the helm, after taking the reins from Ange Postecoglou after the Aussie was dismissed at the end of 2024/25.
However, the Dane has struggled to make an immediate impact in North London, as seen by the club’s current 14th-placed standing in the Premier League.
The January transfer window presents a fresh opportunity for the manager to improve his squad and get his career back on track after a recent dismal run of form.
Whilst the window is still yet to be open, the manager has already suffered a huge blow, as it appears one player won’t be joining the Lilywhites in the New Year.
Why Spurs are set to miss out on Semenyo in January
Spurs’ issues within the final third have been evident over the last couple of months, as seen by their tally of 26 goals in the Premier League so far this campaign.
Richarlison has only netted seven times in the league to date, but such a tally is the highest of any player in the squad, with no other player managing more than three.
As a result, the Lilywhites have made a move to land Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth over the last couple of days, after his £65m release clause was reported.
The 25-year-old has been one of the Premier League’s leading talisman in 2025/26, as seen by his tally of eight goals in his first 16 league appearances.
As a result, the Lilywhites made their interest known in landing the Ghanaian international, with Frank’s side prepared to pay the current asking price when the window opened.
However, in recent days, the player himself has rejected a move to North London, with the player now looking increasingly likely to move to Manchester in the coming weeks.
Missing out on such a quality player will no doubt be a bitter blow to Frank and the hierarchy, but now they face a huge call over what to do next ahead of the window.
The Spurs star who is becoming a homegrown Semenyo
After the news emerged about Semenyo rejecting a move to join Spurs, the hierarchy did act swiftly to try and resurrect a deal to land Manchester City star Savinho once again.
The Lilywhites pushed for a deal in the summer, but the Brazilian winger decided to remain at the Etihad - a decision that now looks to be a mistake a couple of months on.
The 21-year-old has only started four league games under Pep Guardiola, and could fall further down the pecking order should Semenyo move to the Citizens this winter.
However, despite Frank’s efforts to land the youngster, agreeing a fee appears tricky at this stage, which could result in yet another failed pursuit for the club.
As a result, they may be forced to turn to the academy to rely upon fresh blood, which could see Luca Williams-Barnett handed a consistent run of games in the first-team.
The 17-year-old attacking midfielder joined the youth setup at U10 level, subsequently spending seven years in the ranks, with the last few months seeing the teenager enjoy a breakthrough.
He’s already made his first-team debut, coming off the bench in the Carabao Cup against Doncaster Rovers this campaign, but it’s his numbers in the youth ranks which have caught the eye.
In his 14 appearances across all competitions, Williams-Barnett has already racked up an incredible tally of 22 goal contributions - broken down into 15 goals and seven assists.
His latest outing for the Youth Team came against Slavia Prague at the start of the month, with Williams-Barnett starring and scoring five goals in the 9-1 triumph.
Such numbers are impressive, but they are even more remarkable when realising he’s currently operating four years above his age group when featuring for the U21s.
His performances across various teams in 2025/26 has led to huge praise being directed his way, with analyst Ben Mattinson labelling him as “one of England’s best talents”.
Such a comment was backed up by the player, after he was named in the England U17 squad for the World Cup back in November, where he netted two goals in his four appearances.
At just 17, the club will certainly have to manage the expectations placed upon him, but it’s undeniable that the Lilywhites have a phenomenal young prospect on their hands.
However, if he can break into the senior ranks and continue his excellent form, there’s no reason why he can’t allow the fanbase to forget about missing out on yet another top talent in the form of Semenyo.