Bournemouth boss addresses Semenyo future after ‘big punishment’ against Burnley | OneFootball

Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola refused to be drawn on speculation Antoine Semenyo could leave January after his side conceded late on to draw against Burnley.

The Ghana forward put the Cherries 1-0 up in the 67th minute but Bournemouth were pegged back by a last-minute equaliser from Armando Broja to give Burnley their first point in eight games.

While not the winning striker, Semenyo’s importance was again highlighted with his eighth goal of the season and comes amidst speculation he could leave in the upcoming transfer window.

Reports suggest the 25-year-old has a £65m release clause that will only be active in January, leaving the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool circling.

Asked specifically about the future of Semenyo, Iraola did not comment but said it was “not a big secret” how important he was.

“He is a massive player for us,” the Cherries boss told the BBC. “It is not a big secret.”

As for the result, which sees Bournemouth drop to 14th, Irola said they were punished for not seeing off the game.

“We were feeling like we were having the best chances but we didn’t kill it. We are conceding a lot of set plays and it is a big punishment for us. We deserved to win.

“Burnley have been competitive in every game. We should be 2-0 up so if something like this happens it is just 2-1. We didn’t kill the game in the moments we were playing better.

“This is the Premier League and you cannot have these mistakes defensively and offensively.

“The last part of the first half we started conceding some fouls, the game became a bit more messy. We became more aggressive off the ball, we dominated but it is just a point.

“Everything is costing us a lot. One point is better than losing, you have to value every point but we have to find a way to go to three points.”

In the last five games, Bournemouth have the fifth-worst form in the league and an early push towards the top end of the table and has been replaced with a slip down it.