Semenyo upgrade: Spurs pushing to sign £295k-p/w "superstar" for Frank

Tottenham Hotspur have struggled to perform in the Premier League this season, but dans will be pleased to know that the Lewis Family have given Thomas Frank their backing, and they are willing to spend in the January transfer window.

How can Tottenham get better this winter? What have we learned in the overtures of the window? There is pressure on the board to deliver after Daniel Levy was relieved of his duties at the end of last season, and there are numerous holes about Frank’s squad that need to be plugged.

Talk of a new deal for defender Micky van de Ven is rising, but there remains an emphasis on adding quality to the front of the Spurs ship. With James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke all long-term absentees, expect movement there.

Who Spurs are targeting this January

Antoine Semenyo has rejected Tottenham. Enquiries have been made, proposals have been assembled, but the Bournemouth forward has declined the Lilywhite advances, instead honing in on a mid-season transfer to Manchester City.

The Ghanaian has scored eight goals and supplied three assists in the Premier League this season, and he can play across the frontline. He would have been perfect for Tottenham, but this City-bound switch could yet work in the Lilywhites’ favour.

That’s because Tottenham spy an opportunity to sign Omar Marmoush from Pep Guardiola’s side. According to transfer insider Mark Brus – as relayed by Caught Offside – the 26-year-old is set to be replaced by Semenyo, and he could leave the Etihad Stadium in 2026.

Man City signed Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt for about £59m in January 2024, and after a strong start, he has fallen down the pecking order.

There is a real chance for Spurs to snap him up this winter, especially with ENIC getting ready to spend, with the north London side said to be ‘pushing to sign’ him.

Why Marmoush would be a “superstar” signing

Hailed as a “superstar” of a forward by Manchester City writer Radu Christian, Marmoush entered a sinking ship last season and proceeded to produce clinical performances in the Premier League, showcasing his class with a hat-trick against Newcastle United.

The Egyptian international scored 15 goals and supplied ten assists across 17 Bundesliga fixtures in 2024/25 before flying to England, and content creator Fiago regarded him as “one of the best strikers in the world” at that stage.

He has started only two Premier League games this season. This does not negate his brilliance, nor does it mean he is not among the cream of the division’s crop.

There’s a strong case to be made that the £295k-per-week talent is even better than Semenyo, and married up with a club who can help foster his talismanic qualities, he might even change that narrative before the current campaign is wrapped up.

After all, Marmoush might be on the fringes, but he still ranks among the top 5% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored per 90, as per FBref, bearing a comparable directness to Cherries star Semenyo.

It’s worth remembering that Marmoush arrived in a truly wretched point in Pep Guardiola’s Man City tenure, and he provided respite as the Spanish tactician worked toward steadying the ship. Now he has been cut adrift, and Tottenham must hand him a lifeline.

Last season, he proved his prolific and precise worth in the Premier League, maintaining creativity as he roved around the final third.

For a player who was awarded the 2024/25 Goal of the Season and is considered to be one of the most dangerous on the continent, he needs to be playing regular football, be it as a centre-forward, shadow striker or winger.

Tottenham can give him the platform he needs to remind everyone of his quality, and he might just let everyone know that he is a cut above someone like Semenyo.

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