Philippe who? Senderos. The name was lost on many Arsenal fans when he first signed for us in 2003. Many thought that Pascal Cygan was playing. After the game against Blackburn on the Feb 11, 2008, my guess is many fans are now able to pronounce his name properly.

A promising defender, Senderos was bought from Servette in 2003 for an undisclosed fee. Many Premier League clubs were chasing him with Manchester United inviting him to Old Trafford to watch a game, and Liverpool inviting him to train with them.

He was born in Geneva of a mother from Serbia and Montenegro and a father from Spain. He chose to play for Switzerland and was captain during their victorious Euro Under-17 Championship run in 2002. He has since graduated to the international team and recently captained them in the 2010 World Cup qualifying rounds.

'Although strong in tackling and heading, his lack of pace has often been exposed in the speedy world of the Premier League'


Although he signed in 2003, he did not make his first appearance for Arsenal until October 2004 due to a series of injuries. His start in a Gunners shirt was not smooth and he was often compared to Cygan by fans around the world. It did not help that he was also bald and slow in turning. Although strong in tackling and heading, his lack of pace has often been exposed in the speedy world of the Premier League.

The critics went on and on about this 21-year-old in the 2005-6 season as injuries to Sol Campbell and a lack of another cover forced Wenger to play Senderos more. Too often, some say, as the inexperience told and Philippe made many telling mistakes. These subsequently affected his self-confidence and his play in general. However, as Le Boss so often does, Wenger stood behind his man and declared him an immense talent for the years to come. Philippe responded with some hard-working displays, but the progress was slow.

With the arrival of William Gallas, many felt that Senderos' time was running out. However, Wenger sent Johan Djourou away on loan (and he returned injured) and then Kolo Toure was called away for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Senderos has seized the chances that have come his way. He has also cemented a regular place in the Swiss international team and has scored some impressive goals in set pieces for club and country.

His headed goal against Blackburn Rovers reminded us of Tony Adams, while his hard tackling and long clearances added to the resemblance of the famed Arsenal back four. However, his slow turning and clumsy tackling at times showed many shades of  Cygan. I remain sceptical of his talent and how far he can go. I only hoped that Le Boss will once again prove me wrong.

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