Arsenal involved in Antoine Semenyo deal as Bournemouth delay Manchester City transfer | OneFootball

Cherries wants their star man to face the Gunners

Andoni Iraola wants Antoine Semenyo to face Arsenal before the Bournemouth star joins Manchester City.

The winger is widely expected to leave the Cherries during the opening days of the transfer window, and speculation surrounding a move City has been rife in recent days.

But Semenyo started against Chelsea on Tuesday evening, playing the full 90 minutes, and his manager expects him to play in Bournemouth's next game against Arsenal on January 4.

"I don't know what is going to happen, but he will definitely play [vs Arsenal]. This is not his last game," Iraola said after the 2-2 draw at Chelsea.

"He needs to recover because we play Arsenal at home in another three days. Against (the team) top of the league, he will be an important player for us, yes."

Semenyo has a £65million release clause that must be triggered before January 10, and it is believed that City are close to agreeing terms with Bournemouth.

But the Cherries play both Arsenal and Tottenham in the league before then, and Iraola will want his best player available for both of those games.

Bournemouth’s strong start to the season has evaporated, and are now 10 games without a win in the Premier League. Their last victory came against Nottingham Forest back in October.

They have fallen to 15th in the league and are only five points above 18th-placed West Ham.

Semenyo has been a shining light for Iraola this season, with nine goals and three assists in the league already. He has scored three goals in his last four games and, despite Bournemouth's poor form, has continued to impress.