JAKARTA - Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola reiterated his desire to keep striker Antoine Semenyo for as long as possible after a painful 1-4 defeat at Brentford on Saturday, December 27, 2025 WIB.
Semenyo scored his sixth goal of the season at the Gtech Community Stadium, but it was only an entertainment goal in the afternoon that the Cherries wanted to forget. The reason is, Kevin Schade's hattrick plus Djordje Petrovic's own goal extended Bournemouth's winless record to nine matches.
Speculation about Semenyo's future has intensified in recent days. Manchester City are in the process of recruiting the winger.
Launching ESPN, earlier this week, Semenyo has a release clause worth 65 million pounds after the 2026 January transfer window opens.
However, Iraola hinted that he expects Semenyo to still defend Bournemouth against Chelsea on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, early morning WIB. He also did not agree to want to quickly get more transfer fees early.
"No, the more matches Antoine can play for us, the better. If he can play for us for years, that's much better!"
"If it's not for years, it could be months. If he can only play a few weeks, yes, but the more time he plays with us, the better it is for us."
"Antoine's situation is quite clear. Antoine is a very important player for us. In fact, in a game like against Brentford where maybe he didn't play well, but he always was a threat to score and give assists."
"Obviously I don't want to lose him. It's pretty clear, but there are some situations that are out of my control."
"He will be able to play again (against Chelsea) and then the next game. I hope he plays with us more often," said Iraola.
Semenyo's goal was the only positive thing for Bournemouth at Brentford's home. Meanwhile, the hosts were able to punish the visitors for a slow start.
Schade broke the deadlock in the seventh minute with a slick finish from Igor Thiago's pass and a comical own goal from Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, giving the Bees a deserved two-goal lead at the break.
Schade made the score 3-0 six minutes after the second half started. Semenyo then scored from close range with his heel in the 75th minute.
However, the goal did not bring the team back to life because Schade scored a hat-trick in injury time when he converted Mikkel Damsgaard's cross.
Meanwhile, Iraola's assessment is more focused on Bournemouth, who last won in the English League on October 26, 2025.
For that reason, the Spanish coach wants to keep Semenyo.
"I think it's pretty easy to analyze the game against Brentford. We came 45 minutes late to the English League game and usually when this happens, you're already losing," Iraola said.
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