Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has made a passionate plea to retain the services of star forward Antoine Semenyo, despite mounting speculation linking the Ghanaian with a big-money move to Manchester City.
Iraola's Clear Stance on Semenyo Future
The Cherries' head coach reiterated his desire to keep the attacker for "as long as possible" following a demoralising 4-1 Premier League defeat away to Brentford on Saturday 27 December 2025. Semenyo provided a rare moment of cheer for the travelling fans at the Gtech Community Stadium, scoring his ninth goal of the campaign with a clever back-heel in the 75th minute.
However, his effort was a mere consolation in a match dominated by Brentford's Kevin Schade, who netted a hat-trick. The loss extended Bournemouth's winless run to a worrying nine games, their last victory dating back to 26 October.
Transfer Speculation Intensifies
Reports suggest Premier League champions Manchester City are keen to activate a deal for Semenyo as soon as the January transfer window opens. When questioned if he would prefer to secure a transfer fee early in the window, Iraola was unequivocal in his response.
"No, the more games Antoine can play for us, the better," he stated. "If he can play years for us, it’s much better! If it cannot be years, it can be months. If he can only play weeks, it is weeks but the more time he plays with us, the better for us."
Iraola confirmed he expects Semenyo to be available for selection for Bournemouth's next fixture against Chelsea on Tuesday, but acknowledged the situation may be out of his hands. "Antoine’s situation is quite clear. Antoine is a massive player for us... Obviously I don’t want to lose him. This is quite clear, but there are some situations that are not under my control," he added.
A Day to Forget in West London
Iraola was blunt in his assessment of his team's performance at Brentford, blaming a disastrous start. "We arrived 45 minutes late to a Premier League game and normally when this happens, you are out of the game," he admitted.
The Bees took full advantage. Kevin Schade opened the scoring in the seventh minute, before a comical own goal from Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic doubled the lead before half-time. Schade added a third shortly after the break and, despite Semenyo's reply, completed his hat-tick in stoppage time.
Brentford coach Keith Andrews praised his match-winner, saying: "Today was a really nice hat-trick, right foot, left foot and header. It doesn’t get more complete than that."
For Bournemouth, the focus now shifts to stemming their poor run of form and navigating a crucial January period where the future of their key attacker remains decidedly uncertain.
