Tottenham’s ideal signing has publicly shown interest in joining Arsenal.
Tottenham’s ideal transfer target has openly shown an interest in Arsenal.
Tottenham Hotspur were more active than usual in the last summer transfer window, but even their recent signings haven’t been enough to firmly re-establish them as a top-four side. Thomas Frank took over a struggling squad that finished a historically poor 17th last season, and although Ange Postecoglou helped steady things with a straightforward run to the Europa League title, Spurs now find themselves under pressure. As they prepare for Sunday’s North London Derby at the Emirates, they remain statistically fortunate to be in the top five rather than the bottom half of the Premier League table.
While preparing to face their fiercest rivals on the pitch, Spurs must also be ready for another tough transfer fight off it. Frank has already lost two major targets to Arsenal, with the Gunners swooping in to sign Brentford midfielder Christian Nørgaard and Premier League creator Eberechi Eze. Tottenham could now be heading for a repeat of the Eze situation.
Looking back, missing out on Eze should not have been a surprise, as he grew up an Arsenal supporter and still held a connection to the club after being rejected by their academy.
Now, Spurs’ next top target—breakout Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo—also grew up an Arsenal fan. Despite Tottenham’s hope of landing him to fill the gap left by Son Heung-min, Semenyo has only given supporters more reasons to doubt he would choose Spurs.
Earlier this year, in an interview with Bleacher Report Football, Semenyo admitted his favourite stadium is the Emirates. Although he didn’t directly state his allegiance, the implication was clear.
He said: “My favorite stadium? The Emirates Stadium, not because Arsenal is a strong team, but for other reasons I don’t want to talk about.”
After losing Eze to Arsenal for similar reasons, Tottenham must carefully consider whether pursuing Semenyo is worthwhile. If his childhood support for Arsenal is strong enough to influence his decision, the time spent chasing him could cause Spurs to miss out on other realistic options, such as Ademola Lookman.
