Bournemouth

Antoine Semenyo: Manchester City in advanced talks with Bournemouth forward

From a financial perspective, well-placed sources insist interested clubs are all willing to pay a very similar remuneration package to Semenyo, whose final decision will be made with an emphasis on his personal sporting ambitions.

He turns 26 on 7 January and there is a recognition he is entering the prime of his career.

“I know there is lots of noise around him,” said Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola. “[It is] not my concern, my concern is it doesn’t affect his performances. It is not doing, he is very committed to the team and I hope we can keep him here.

“[A] situation we cannot control, but Antoine right now is our player, going to continue playing for us. If you ask me, I don’t want to lose him, definitely don’t. But every time the market opens, you never know what is going to happen.”

With that in mind, it is understood Semenyo will prioritise a club he believes can provide him with what he views as the most suitable project to compete for major trophies on a long-term basis.

The location and impact on his family will also be a contributing factor to his decision and it is understood he does not want the saga to become a long drawn-out process.

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Man Utd 4-4 Bournemouth: Where does ‘best game’ this term sit among Premier League’s best games?

When it comes to the greatest Premier League game ever, where do you even start?

Manchester United and Bournemouth served up an eight-goal thriller on Monday, which former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher described as the “best game” so far this season in the English top flight.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher said: “That’s what makes the Premier League the greatest product in the world.

“For the majority of that Manchester United were absolutely fantastic. Bournemouth were not at the races at all in the first half but they were fantastic in the second half. What a game. Brilliant.

“I think we have just seen the best game of the Premier League season so far.”

The Red Devils famously played out a 5-5 draw at West Brom in Sir Alex Ferguson’s final match in charge of the club in 2013.

And United’s 4-4 draw against the Cherries was the 17th time the scoreline has occurred in the Premier League era.

But where does Monday’s match rank among some of the other remarkable contests we have seen down the years?

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Manchester United 4-4 Bournemouth: A ‘throwback’ to United’s past on a chaotic night

A remarkable, chaotic, mesmerising Premier League thriller at Old Trafford captured the imagination even of the clinical operators in the dugout.

“Really difficult to explain,” said Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola. “But I prefer 4-4 to 0-0.”

“Fun,” was Manchester United counterpart Ruben Amorim’s initial observation.

Analysing for Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher went further.

“The best game of the Premier League season so far,” said the former England and Liverpool defender. “It was almost a throwback to Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United with attacking football.

“It is the best I have seen Man Utd. For the majority of the game, they were absolutely fantastic.

“For the first time under Amorim – and first time in a long time – I felt like I was watching what Man Utd are supposed to be. Wave after wave attack, but the inability to defend has hurt them.”

For the record, Ferguson took charge of two games when United scored four and didn’t win.

The first was a significant factor in his side’s failure to win the 2012 title as United threw away a 4-2 lead and drew 4-4 with Everton at Old Trafford.

The other was Ferguson’s very last match, an extraordinary 5-5 draw at West Brom in 2013.

Amorim has a very long road ahead before he can be compared to Ferguson.

But at least, on a night when his side led twice in the first half, then fought back to get their noses in front again after conceding two in a matter of minutes at the start of the second, and finally had to settle for a point as Bournemouth finished the stronger, he understood what everyone had witnessed.

In a vibrant first half, the hosts’ had the highest non-penalty xG value (2.49), most shots (17) and joint-most touches in the opposition’s box (30) of any side in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League match this season.

“If you understand a little bit,” Amorim said. “If you follow the club like I follow the Premier League for so long, you [know you] have not just the duty to try to win the games. The way you try to win the games is so important for the fans.

“Of course they are desperate to win, but also, I feel that they are desperate to be inspired when they come to Old Trafford.

“Today was inspiring, I think, also because of Bournemouth. But in the end that’s the feeling of frustration of not winning the game.”

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