Antoine Semenyo played for Manchester City against Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg the other night, having already featured for Bournemouth in this competition earlier in the season, despite questions being raised about the issue a couple of days prior.
Having made an initial £62.5 million (that could rise to £64 million in add-ons) January Transfer Window move just days earlier, with City negotiating a slight variation of his release clause, many wondered why he was included in the squad. Semenyo had already played in the Second Round for the Cherries against Brentford earlier in the season.
🚨🔵 Manchester City confirm Antoine Semenyo as new signing, set to wear number 42.
“It was my first number at Bristol City when I first signed and that always stuck with me. It was either 42 or 24, and 24 wasn’t available so I went back to my first number”. pic.twitter.com/EnaifgEVvA
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 9, 2026
Starting from this season the “cup-tied” rule was abolished, with the FA and EFL introducing a ‘two-club’ rule meaning a player can turn out for two different clubs in the same season in the FA Cup or Carabao Cup, provided they do not play for both clubs in the same round.
The “same round” trap refers to a situation whereby a player might play a third round Carabao Cup tie (for example) for one club and then immediately move to a new club and play in his new club’s Carabao Cup tie (it is normal for cup games of the same round to be played across multiple days depending on the round) a day later.
However, there is a Carabao Cup clause relating to the semi-final with a player needing to be registered in his new club’s squad before the first leg kicks off. Semenyo didn’t need to worry about this as he was signed a few days before.
Why The Rule Was First Enforced
Originally, the Cup-Tied rule was established to prevent wealthier football clubs that had made it to the later stages of the cups (mainly the League Cup), from cherry-picking top talent from smaller sides that had already been knocked out, who could be difference-makers in their efforts to win the competition.
Being “cup-tied” was a metric variable that contributed to a player’s transfer window price and valuation being lowered, because they were less useful to a club fighting on multiple fronts, so as a result, there was value to be had. It also meant that selling clubs were less reluctant to part ways with players, unless there was a financial need to do so.
As such, in the fast-paced January transfer market, these rules increasingly began to feel like an “antiquated” measure that prevented movement and considerably affected true market value, prompting the governing bodies to address the ruling.
Examples That Have Hindered Players Who Made January Moves
There have been notable instances over the years where players who made a move in January were affected.
Arguably the most famous example was Jermain Defoe, who moved from Tottenham to Portsmouth in January 2008. Having already represented Spurs in earlier rounds of the League Cup, he wasn’t eligible (perhaps fairly, though maybe controversially in some corners) for the winner’s medal with Tottenham going on to win the competition. Defoe’s luck worsened later that season as his new club Pompey won the FA Cup and he had to watch from the stands, having already played for Spurs in the competition earlier that season.
Back in 1995, following Andy Cole’s £7 million move from Newcastle United to Manchester United, the striker was forced to watch from the stands as his new club reached the FA Cup Final, with him already having played for the Magpies earlier in the campaign. The Red Devils famously went on to lose 1-0 to Everton, with fans questioning to what extent Cole’s involvement could have made a difference had he been eligible to play.
