Tottenham identify Premier League breakout star as summer transfer target

Tottenham Hotspur are aiming to build their latest squad in their new manager’s image, and Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is a name to keep an eye on.

Spurs are no longer buying for Ange Postecoglou’s 4-3-3 but for the flexible Thomas Frank. The Dane is expected to be appointed as the Australian’s successor in north London as he looks to build on the momentum acquired from the conclusion of our trophy drought in Bilbao.

Whether or not the club have made the right call to part ways with the man who supplied us with the best night of our football-loving/hating lives can be debated long into the night, but even if you think Daniel Levy has got it wrong, you can still be excited by what’s to come.

Frank is an excellent coach, and he’s set to work with a man he knows very well in Johan Lange, Spurs’ technical director who once coached alongside Spurs’ new boss in Denmark.

A mammoth transfer window lies ahead with a return to the Champions League on the horizon. While the playing squad is far better than what they produced in the Premier League last season, there’s no denying the need to upgrade across several positions of the pitch.

Tottenham will have to spend record-breaking sum to sign Antoine Semenyo

It’s certainly a little harder to pinpoint specific targets for Frank given his capacity to shapeshift. Ange, on the contrary, rarely deviated from the 4-3-3 and his principles only meandered during the latter stages of our Europa League run. While such systematic familiarity meant it was easy to identify potential transfer targets, it also ensured that we were easily preparable for.

Frank’s more of an unknown, but he likes big bodies. There’s also not a fan who’d be comfortable entering 2025-26 with the same forward options at our disposal. Timo Werner has gone and Richarlison may follow suit, and an upgrade in quality is necessary despite the promise of youth, Solanke’s necessary functionality, and Johnson’s evolution as a goalscorer.

There have been links to Bryan Mbeumo, while Eberechi Eze is the maverick creator we all seemingly crave. However, Semenyo is the physical outlet Frank loves and his addition does make sense. Perhaps not at talkSPORT's reported £70m asking price, mind.

Frank’s teams are transition monsters, and Semenyo is devastating when given space to drive into. He’s adept off both flanks, proficient with both feet and ever so hard to slow down when those legs start churning.

His shot count is through the roof, and while there’s a lack of refinement, he boasts attributes that Frank will surely appreciate for a game model that has relied upon transitions in the Premier League. Semenyo was also one of the most active performers out of possession in the attacking third last season, and Frank is a coach who will seek to win the ball back high up the pitch.

For me, while there are drawbacks and the fee is *high*, Semenyo’s ball-striking off both feet renders him an inevitable force. Sometimes, the sport is as simple as smashing the ball hard towards the goal.