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Tottenham Hotspur have it all to do. There is plenty of season still to cover for Thomas Frank’s side, who are in a promising position in the Champions League and meet Aston Villa in the third round of the FA Cup next month.

Sure, Spurs languish in 11th place in the Premier League as Christmas beckons, but the peculiar nature of this year’s table means fourth-place Chelsea lead their London rivals by only six points.

After so much upheaval in recent years, Tottenham always needed a big summer transfer window. But the promising additions are leaving something to be desired.

Spurs lining up Frank's best signing yet

Tottenham added quality to their ranks during the summer. Mohammed Kudus’ dribbling is first-class, and Xavi Simons is well regarded as one of Europe’s most talented playmakers.

But the Dutchman is only 22, and despite recent green shoots, has yet to find consistency in front of goal and from the heart of creative influence.

Tottenham need a Son-esque talisman, and they could find him in Antoine Semenyo, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano confirming that the Ghana international, 25, has been at the heart of ENIC Group discussions ahead of a potential winter transfer, with many suitors interested in sparking his £65m release clause.

Tottenham had an enquiry rejected by the south coast club during the summer, but Johan Lange and Fabio Paratici will hope that their earlier persistence could help sway the odds in their favour, with Liverpool and Manchester City also keen.

In full, Romano said: “Tottenham are really interested in Semenyo. Tottenham have January interest. This week Manchester United and Manchester City called to understand the situation. Between Monday and Tuesday some calls took place. £65m release clause. These three clubs all called.”

Why Semenyo is perfect for Spurs

Semenyo has scored seven goals and supplied three assists in the Premier League this season. He is one of the division’s most potent threats.

Tottenham could do a lot worse. Two-footed and destructive on both sides – as well as playing centrally as a focal point – Semenyo would add so much punch to Spurs’ frontline. After all, analyst Ben Mattinson has spoken of how he has been “constantly creating problems for Tottenham” when facing them, so why not add him to the ranks?

Considered to be a “world-class” forward by his teammate Justin Kluivert, Semenyo has been racking up the goal contributions, for sure, but he’s also established himself as an all-encompassing Premier League attacker, and it is that completeness that sets him apart from his peers.

It is for that reason, in fact, that he could become the best piece of business the Lilywhites have completed for many years, certainly trumping Simons, who is a talented young player but has shown over the past few months that he is inconsistent, raw.

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Conversely, Semenyo is firing on all cylinders. For example, look at how the Ghanaian’s performance this season ranks against Son’s from the 2024/25 campaign with Tottenham. This is a player who would not only add a clinical dimension to Frank’s wings, but he would add energy and intensity too.

Premier League – Semenyo vs Son

Stats (per 90)

Semenyo (25/26)

Son (24/25)

Goals scored

0.47

0.30

Assists

0.20

0.38

Shots taken

2.20

2.35

Shot-creating actions

3.40

4.99

Touches (att pen)

4.20

5.20

Pass completion (%)

69.8

78.9

Progressive passes

3.60

4.73

Progressive carries

3.54

4.09

Successful take-ons

1.60

1.24

Ball recoveries

4.94

3.63

Tackles + interceptions

1.87

0.94

Data via FBref

The wear and tear of so many seasons in the Premier League had pressed against Son last season, but he still impressed, adopting a more creative berth as his snappy athleticism wore away.

Simons has been signed to replace that playmaking prowess, but it’s clear that Spurs need more incisiveness in the final third, and Semenyo would provide Frank’s team with exactly that, proving with crisp attacking performances that he can become the new talisman.

Because of this, the Bournemouth star might just establish himself not just as a better signing than a raw playmaker like Simons, but actually Tottenham’s best addition for quite a few years.

Related Spurs could land Poch 2.0 by hiring "one of the best managers in Europe"

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Posts ByDan Emery

Scorecard

	Canterbury celebrate winning the trophy away from home © Getty Images

Canterbury secured their first State Championship title in a decade after Todd Astle’s four wickets helped fend off a charging Wellington at the Basin Reserve. Wellington were 154 for 5 chasing 249 when Astle collected three wickets in an over to reduce them to 154 for 8 and all but end any chances of a home-town triumph.Wellington started the day in big trouble at 14 for 4, however a 65-run stand from Chris Nevin (25) and Neal Parlane brought them back into the game. When Brandon Hiini had Nevin lbw, Parlane batted on with Luke Woodcock and their 83-run partnership caused some nervous moments for Cantebury, who had declared late on the fourth afternoon.But Astle’s heroics changed the match – he began with Parlane caught by Michael Papps for 74. Three balls later Dewayne Bowden was caught without scoring before Jeetan Patel was caught behind from his first delivery.Woodcock tried his best to rescue the situation, however he was the last man out, finishing with 65 and giving Astle the figures of 4 for 26 as Canterbury prevailed. It was their first State Championship title since 1997-98.”It was a magnificent effort from us in a game that’s gone up and down,” Canterbury coach Dave Nosworthy told the . “But Wellington are a quality side and I feel for them at the moment, I know what they’re going through.”

Kenya’s major stakeholders will be asked to vote tomorrow night on whether to support plans to establish a new authority to run Kenyan cricket or to stick with the embattled Kenyan Cricket Association.At the weekend Ochillo Ayacko, the minister for sports, summoned various parties, including representatives of the country’s provincial associations, striking players and other leading officials, and announced his intention to form a new body – provisionally named Cricket Kenya (CA) – to bypass the KCA. Ayacko will present his application to have the new organisation ratified by the Registrar of Societies tomorrow morning.The country’s two largest bodies – the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association and the Coast Cricket Association – will both consult with members clubs in the evening over whether to back the new venture. Given that between them they represent almost all of Kenya’s functioning clubs, their support will decide whether Ayacko’s bold initiative gets the go ahead.If it does, then it is likely that Ayacko will seek an urgent meeting later this week with Malcolm Speed and Ehsan Mani, the chief executive and president of the ICC, to try to get their backing and ICC recognition that CA should be confirmed as the real authority representing Kenyan cricket.Although the ICC has repeatedly refused to be drawn into an increasingly messy business, it is widely rumoured that the minister’s decision to finally act against the KCA received its tacit backing after investigations revealed the scale of the problem in the country.Ayacko’s move is thought to have caught the KCA executive off guard. Last Thursday, a scheduled court hearing was delayed in rather strange circumstances after the High Court judge who had summoned the warring parties to appear before him suddenly found he was too busy to hear the legal arguments and postponed the hearing until March 7.The judge claimed that as he had read newspaper reports stating that the national squad was in training, there was no urgency in holding the hearing. However, the reports, which Cricinfo understands were not true, appeared in The Nation, a leading newspaper which has pro-KCA leanings and which critics have accused of being a virtual mouthpiece for Sharad Ghai, the KCA chairman.

Brian Lara’s captaincy has been a bright spot in this series, and he should get a longer run, and more freedom in the job © Getty Images

Amit Varma and Sambit Bal discuss the forthcoming Jamaica Test
Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”; 1.6 MB)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA
Audio length: [6.45 mins]India came to West Indies with a lot of hope, but might actually have gone backwards during this series, says Sambit Bal, Cricinfo’s editor, in conversation with Amit Varma. Their fast bowlers have especially been exposed, with only Munaf performing to brief. While West Indies still have problems, Brian Lara’s captaincy has served them well, says Bal, and the selectors need to reinforce their faith in him. Listen in.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”; 1.6 MB)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA
Audio length: [6.45 mins]

Anyone who has visited the County Ground over the last few days will have noticed a digger busily shifting a pile of rubble on the Coal Orchard side of the ground.This waste material has been created by the construction of a new entrance by the side of the Riverside Stand that is the final phase of the ground improvement scheme that was started last year by Somerset County Cricket Club.The creation of this new entrance turnstile means that spectators who park in the Coal Orchard and Priory Bridge Car Parks will be able to enter the ground without having to cross a busy main road.Speaking at the County Ground this morning chief executive Peter Anderson told me: “The club has invested £457,000 in these ground improvements, for which we have received £189,000 in grants from the Safety at Sports Grounds Fund. We now have attractive boundary walls and entrances and safe surfaces for people to walk on around the ground.”He continued: “With the introduction of these new turnstiles I can tell at anyone time exactly how many people are inside the ground which is important from a safety angle.”Next season will also see the introduction of the new style membership card which will be in the form of a swipe card with the members name and photograph on it.Before the new style cards can be issued all members need to submit a passport sized photograph of themselves with their name written clearly on the reverse side to the club.Alternatively members can also call into the County Ground where their photograph will be taken, no appointment is necessary and the process is quite painless!Membership secretary Jo Arnold told me: “Up until now only about one quarter of the members have either sent their photograph into the office or have called in to let us take it for them. In order that we can process the new memberships it is important that we have a photograph of every member as soon as possible.”

Easterns 306 and 149 beat Northerns 183 and 212 (Kemp 65,Reddy 5-39) by 60 runs
ScorecardAt SuperSport Park, Easterns ensured that they would win the SuperSport Series Shield after taking only 12 overs to wrap up the Northerns innings. The 60-run victory took them past Northerns, who have now completed their season’s commitments. Easterns still have a game in hand, and have an unassailable lead. Hopes for Northerns faded when Justin Kemp lost his wicket for 65 and Brendon Reddy produced career-best figures of 5 for 39.

Auckland’s Matt Horne gave the national selectors a healthy nudge to remind them that he wasn’t prepared to be discounted as an opener’s alternative for international cricket when guiding Auckland into the State Shield final today.Auckland will have the chance to win the domestic one-day competition for the first time since 1989/90.Horne batted superbly to score 96 as Canterbury were beaten by six wickets at Jade Stadium.It was cruel misfortune that he missed out on what would have been a deserved century as he wasn’t able to get a gift ball from Craig McMillan far enough behind deep backward point for the boundary that would have brought the reward. Instead Chris Harris took the catch.McMillan was the beneficiary when two sucker balls he bowled in the over dramatically improved his return for the day. He also had Lou Vincent when he hit a soft caught and bowled chance back to McMillan who had gone into the over with none for 35 off four overs but who ended with two for 39 off five.The comparisons between the batting of the two sides could not have been further apart.Auckland achieved the basic requirement of building partnerships as seen from the 70 for the first wicket between Horne and Llorne Howell, 70 for the second wicket between Horne and Tim McIntosh and 55 between Horne and Vincent.Canterbury paid the price for a diffident display of batting which seemed to read more terrors into the slow pitch than was warranted. They also had to admit to superior catching by the Aucklanders who managed some outstanding takes to further penalise the home side.Craig Pryor completed a fine catch running back with the ball dropping away from him to dismiss Shanan Stewart while McMillan fell to a fine reflex catch by Aaron Barnes at short mid-wicket.Only another innings of consequence from Harris, his second in three innings, got Canterbury as high as they did with their 199 for nine wickets. He was out in the 49th over when bowled by Andre Adams for 58, scored off 84 balls. He and Peter Fulton had added 72 runs for the sixth wicket when Fulton was run out, albeit by the third umpire’s decision, when attempting a second run off a no-ball.Had Fulton managed to slide his bat in a straight line, he would still have been in but the movement as his bat ended up at about 30 degrees to the crease meant he was just short of his ground.Shane Bond was used as a pinch-hitter but didn’t succeed and it was left to Gareth Hopkins to strike some lusty blows as 25 runs were added to add some lustre to Canterbury’s innings.Earlier, Nathan Astle had been strangely subdued as he was forced to change the nature of his innings after losing Stewart and McMillan in reasonable proximity. Then when Gary Stead and Chris Cairns were both out cheaply to leave Canterbury 65 for four wickets after 20 overs.Frustration finally appeared to get the better of Astle in the 27th over, Astle was well caught by Rob Nicol at backward square leg on the boundary for 32 scored off 68 balls.Another fine catch was made by Adams to make the last dismissal off the last ball of the innings running around the boundary and diving to dismiss Hopkins from Pryor’s bowling.Auckland’s bowlers generally used the conditions better with Kyle Mills taking two for 36 runs from his 10 overs, Barnes one for 26 off 10 and most impressively of all, Tama Canning one for 23 off 10.Canterbury captain Stead said his side lost too many wickets in the first 20 overs.”Auckland outplayed us in all facets of the game,” he said.Adams would have to be concerned that his 10 overs cost 50, although he did pick up two wickets.Horne said the key to Auckland had been getting off to a good start.”We were able to get partnerships going, some of the wickets have been quite tough but our boys bowled sensationally today,” he said.Canterbury’s bowling lacked penetration. Bond did get through 10 overs to take one for 41 while Stephen Cunis with none for 25, Astle one for 28 off six and Harris none for 27 off his six were the pick of the rest.It was a disappointing end for the Cantabrians, but the Aucklanders came up with the goods at the right time and deserved their final success.

Durham paceman Steve Harmison, who was in the England squad a year ago, took his first five-wicket haul for two years against Nottinghamshire at Chester-le-Street today.But Durham had to rely on their England one-day squad newcomer, Paul Collingwood, to take them within sight of the follow-on target.At 205 for six they were 17 short of the 222 they needed at the close, with Collingwood still there one short of his fifth championship half-century of the season.On a blameless pitch Durham slipped to 96 for four after Nottinghamshire lost their last seven wickets for 94 runs to be all out for 371.Collingwood survived a stumping chance off left-arm spinner Richard Stemp on 15 as he and Danny law repaired the early damage with a stand of 68 in 18 overs.Harmison had one for 67 when Nottinghamshire resumed on 277 for three, but he bowled much straighter than on the first day and finished with five for 100.He was helped by the visitors’ bold approach as Usman Afzaal dragged the day’s fourth ball into his stumps after adding one to his overnight 88.Paul Johnson, who resumed on 89, completed his century off 133 balls with 14 fours and immediately hit two more boundaries before steering Harmison straight into the hands of third man.With a session lost on the first day, plus 40 minutes today and more rain forecast, Durham also went for their shots.Greg Smith produced a beauty to have Martin Love caught behind, and with Andrew Harris and Stemp taking two wickets each they would have had Durham in deep trouble had Collingwood not kept them afloat.

Aston Villa may be set for a difficult summer, with the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Douglas Luiz and Matty Cash all being linked with moves away from the Midlands in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Brazilian superstar Philippe Coutinho still hasn’t had his future resolved, with manager Steven Gerrard desperate to keep him at Villa Park beyond his loan spell from Barcelona.

However, if he doesn’t make his temporary stay at the club permanent at the end of the season, the Liverpool legend may be forced into the transfer market to find a longer-term replacement for the midfielder – brought in to help replace Jack Grealish, and John Swift could be that man to fill the void.

What’s the news?

Having been long-term admirers of the Reading midfielder, the Championship side’s former manager John McDermott has claimed that the former Chelsea youth prospect could thrive in Gerrard’s team.

“It’s hard to say [If Swift could make it in the Premier League] – you could stick him in at someone like Aston Villa as technically he’s very good,” McDermott said on BBC Radio Berkshire. “He makes goals, he scores goals and I can see him ending up at somewhere like Aston Villa or someone like Leeds United.

“He can play, he sees a pass but it’s hard to say [how good he could be] until you put them in that environment.”

He can make the step up

Described as “super-talented” by former Royals boss Veljko Paunovic at the beginning of the season, the 26-year-old midfielder will be available for free this summer, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Having scored an incredible 11 goals and adding 13 more assists in 35 appearances for the struggling Championship relegation candidates, only Fulham duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Harry Wilson have averaged higher match ratings than his 7.28, with the Serbian striker on top with a 7.65, and the Welsh winger just below with 7.40.

His form has been nothing short of remarkable, given Reading sit in 21st in the second tier, and with him taking 2.1 shots per game and 2.7 key passes per game – he is certainly capable of becoming a prime creator in the Premier League with his level of footballing intelligence, surrounded by higher quality players.

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Grealish made 16 goal contributions last season for Villa before signing for Manchester City this summer in a deal worth £105.75m, and while Swift may not quite reach that valuation – his 24 goal contributions for Reading is evidence that he could be just as active in the final third – from an even deeper position than the England international.

That is something certainly worth shouting about if you are among Villa’s recruitment team.

In other news: Insider drops “serious” behind-scenes AVFC update that will scare supporters

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

	Shivnarine Chanderpaul launches the final ball for six to win the opening ODI for West Indies © AFP

Shivnarine Chanderpaul carried West Indies to a thrilling final-ball one-wicket win in the first one-day international in Port of Spain after being left needing 10 off two deliveries. He responded with a straight drive before flicking a Chaminda Vaas full toss over deep midwicket to send the Trinidad crowd into wild celebrations.An enthralling match had swung one way then the other before the final act. Sri Lanka recovered from 49 for 5 to post a competitive total with Chamara Kapugedera hitting a career-best 95 in a record sixth-wicket stand of 159 with Chamara Silva. West Indies were well placed on 109 for 1 before Chris Gayle fell for 52, and when Dwayne Bravo was run out the lower-order was exposed. Sri Lanka appeared to have done enough, but Chanderpaul had other ideas.He’d struggled to find the boundary, and the strike, in the final stages but clipped a four off the final ball of the 49th over. Only three runs came off the first four balls of the last over from Vaas before Chanderpaul slammed a drive past mid-off, followed by the match-clinching six which sailed over Mahela Jayawardene on the fence. Jayawardene knew he wasn’t going to haul in a last-ditch catch and although he made his displeasure clear at the rare blemish from Vaas, on reflection he’ll find plenty to be pleased about from his team’s performance.This series marks something of a watershed for Sri Lanka as they start to build for the next World Cup. Muttiah Muralitharan has been rested, something that will become the norm for non-major tournaments or series, while Sanath Jayasuriya has been dropped to blood a young top order. Throw in the absence of Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando and Farveez Maharoof through injury and this was Sri Lanka’s weakest one-day bowling attack for some time. After Vaas’s 392 wickets, the next best was Tillakaratne Dilshan with 45.It didn’t leave Jayawardene much to work with, especially when Ishara Amerasinghe was taken to the cleaners and Kapugedera’s bowling was less successful than his batting. It was the debutant spinner, Ajantha Mendis, who stood up with three wickets leaving West Indies dumbfounded by his variations to suggest Sri Lanka may have unearthed someone to help ease the burden on Muralitharan.Mendis showed the calmness and control of a seasoned international player, not a 23-year-old playing his first game. He broke through a 56-run stand between Gayle and Ramnaresh Sarwan, later adding Darren Sammy and, one ball after being launched for six, claiming Jerome Taylor in his further spells.Nuwan Kulasekera was another to answer his captain’s call with top-order wickets. Starting with Devon Smith he also removed Sarwan and two balls later trapped Marlon Samuels lbw. Bravo decided the best way to counter the flurry of wickets was with aggression and joined the list of batsmen to take a liking to Amerasinghe. He played his trademark pull off one leg through midwicket before unfurling the shot of the match, a back-foot drive high over extra-cover which struck one of the photographers a nasty blow on the head.It was a piece of headless cricket that opened the door again for Sri Lanka as Bravo succumbed to a misunderstanding with Chanderpaul and both ended up at the same end. Bravo’s dismissal left West Indies needing 67 off 12 overs and the onus was on Chanderpaul. He was composed, but his colleagues less so. Patrick Browne couldn’t pick Mendis’ box of tricks, but his team-mates will forgive him that. They will be less generous about his dismissal. One ball after easing the pressure with a sweet six off Dilshan he tried a repeat and found Mendis at long on. However, in the final throes it was the two most experienced players on the field who went head-to-head, with Chanderpaul coming out on topWest Indies would never have envisaged such a close call after they’d taken advantage of early movement to reduce Sri Lanka’s top order to ruins. Bravo claimed three, including Jayawardene who drove loosely to backward point, after Kumar Sangakkara had fallen in similar fashion against Taylor.Kapugedera has struggled to nail a consistent place in the middle order since making his debut two years ago but has continued to knock on the door with performances for Sri Lanka A. He expanded his strokeplay in the closing overs, taking two sixes off Sulieman Benn plus another off Fidel Edwards, and seemed to be timing his pursuit of three figures nicely until falling to the penultimate ball of the innings.He’d been helped in the well-paced fightback by Silva, the more experienced player who was happy to let Kapugedera play his natural game. With the charge on in the final ten overs Silva also began to open his shoulders, but picked out midwicket for a 96-ball 67, full of inventive strokes and quick running, to hand Bravo his fourth wicket. Bravo’s all-round contribution earned him the match award, but the Trinidad crowd made it clear they knew who West Indies had to thank for pulling off a victory that had appeared to have slipped away.