Last Christmas, Arne Slot's Liverpool sat top of the Premier League pile, seven points above Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
Now, it's Arsenal's turn to lead the standings, with the Gunners ten points better off than the Reds, who will head into their clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers after the big day, dreaming of a jump up the division.
Unfortunately for Slot and Co, it's not been all good news as of late at Anfield, despite the Reds now being five games unbeaten in the Premier League, with Antoine Semenyo looking likely to move elsewhere, rather than his expected Merseyside route...
AFC Bournemouth's Antoine Semenyo celebrates scoring their first goa
Liverpool shift focus to new winger
An unexpected setback has now come to the surface in Liverpool's much-talked-about chase of the Ghanaian.
As per journalist Ben Jacobs, via X, Semenyo's preferred move out of the Cherries is now to Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, as all other suitors have been informed, with his £65m release clause set to come into play.
Antoine Semenyo goal involvements per season (timeless)
This will be a hard one for Liverpool to stomach, with Semenyo turning into a Premier League superstar on the South Coast, but the disappointment about losing out on the 25-year-old will be softened somewhat if the reigning top-flight champions can pull off an alternative swoop.
As per a report from Caught Offside, Liverpool have shifted their focus to try and snap up Paris St Germain ace Bradley Barcola, instead, with the Reds' recruitment team intensifying their monitoring of the tricky Frenchman, who they deem as a long-term project and a 'prime alternative' to Semenyo.
bradley-barcola-psg
Moreover, they are on a standby over a potential deal owing to Barcola's hesitancy to pen an extended contract at the Parc Des Princes, with Slot noted as being a big admirer of the number 29.
While Semenyo does have Premier League experience on his side, it could be argued that Liverpool pulling off a deal for the skilful 23-year-old - once noted as boasting a £100m valuation - would actually be a better signing in the long run, with Barcola already proving himself on some grand stages for PSG.
Why Barcola would be a better signing than Semenyo
Barcola has shone in Ligue 1 from a very early age, with this goal against his current employers coming way back in 2023, when he was previously a starlet bursting into the first team picture at Lyon.
Now, the Lyon-born attacker is up to 28 goals and 29 assists just in Ligue 1 action, with a bumper 31 goals and 33 assists also coming his way for one of France's elite clubs in PSG, when regularly competing in the Champions League.
While Semenyo is the talk of the town in the Premier League, he is yet to be exposed to the same illustrious surroundings as Barcola, who even helped PSG to lift the Champions League last season, with 11 goal contributions falling into his lap in Europe's premier competition.
Moreover, the £65m forward, despite bettering Barcola in their league goal counts this season with a mightily impressive eight strikes to the Frenchman's slightly lesser five, he has just 43 goal contributions overall for the Cherries. That's in contrast to Barcola's aforementioned 64 tally in France. Their respective FBref numbers over the last year also expose some weak areas in the ex-Bristol City attacker's game.
Barcola vs Semenyo: Last 365 days
Stat (per 90 mins)
Total shots
Shot-creating actions
Passes attempted
Pass completion %
Progressive passes
Progressive carries
Successful take-ons
Touches in the attacking penalty area
Progressive passes received
Stats by FBref
Indeed, despite his electric form, the Man City-linked attacker falls flat across many areas of his varied game when weighed up next to the 18-time France international, with Barcola managing more shots and shot-creating actions over the last year, at first glance.
Scanning further down the table, Barcola also trumps his Bournemouth counterpart in terms of progressive passes and progressive carries averaged, too, with Hugo Ekitike no doubt licking his lips at working alongside such a gung-ho attacker, who has been dubbed as "one of the best left wingers in Europe" by scout Ben Mattinson.
Semenyo has also been subject to widespread praise for his red-hot form on the South Coast, having been noted as "incredible" to watch by journalist Owuraku Ampofo.
But, there's no guarantee that he would be able to pull off his Cherries best at Anfield.
bradley-barcola-psg
Whereas, with Barcola at the top of his game for many a year now, whether that be domestically or via Europe's grandest setting, splashing out the cash on his services, instead, could be a fantastic and extravagant next step.
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