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ANDONI IRAOLA SHUTS DOWN LIVERPOOL TALK: "SEMENYO REMAINS OUR PLAYER UNTIL JANUARY

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola dismisses speculation over Antoine Semenyo's £60m+ release clause amid Liverpool links. The in-form Ghanaian has 9 goal contributions this season, trailing only Erling Haaland.

Andoni Iraola Shuts Down Liverpool Talk: "Semenyo Remains Our Player Until January
Iraola Ends Semenyo Talk, Pushes Liverpool Rumours Aside

Bournemouth's coach, Andoni Iraola, has not paid attention to worries about Antoine Semenyo's exit agreement, even though there are ongoing reports that the Ghanaian player might transfer to Liverpool.

Last summer, the 25-year-old attacker, who was also wanted by Tottenham and Manchester United, agreed to a new contract with Bournemouth. According to reports that came out earlier this week, his new agreement, which lasts until the summer of 2030, supposedly has exit terms that could be used in January or the following summer.

Clubs that are interested in signing Semenyo may use this clause when the transfer period starts again in January, getting him for an initial amount of £60 million plus an extra £5 million, which totals about $85.5 million.

But because this condition is only valid until a specific date during the winter transfer period, Bournemouth has time to find a replacement. The exit clause goes down even more in the summer of 2026.

Liverpool is supposedly one of several teams interested in Semenyo before the January transfer window, but it is still uncertain if the team will try to sign the striker.

Iraola, the coach of Bournemouth, said in response to recent claims concerning Semenyo's exit clause that it is not right to guess what could happen in January right now.

"It is November, Antoine is our player, and he will remain our player," he said at his most recent press briefing before the game.

"You can ask me about the market in January.

But right now, I'm not worried about the market that's coming up. I'm not concerned about the issue.

"We will talk about what happened and the players we need in January."

Semenyo has proven to be one of the best players in the Premier League this season.

Only Erling Haaland has scored more goals than the Ghanaian player, who has six goals and three assists in 11 games in the top league (14 goals, one assist).

The forward will have a fitness test before Bournemouth's game against West Ham on Saturday, but if he keeps playing well, transfer rumours will inevitably become more intense as the January window approaches.

Semenyo played on loan at Sunderland, Bath City, and Newport County after graduating from Bristol City's academy before joining Bournemouth two years ago.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

top-news
Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

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Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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