Profile: exactly what have Rangers signed in Philippe Senderos?

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Profile: exactly what have Rangers signed in Philippe Senderos?
 Article by Richard Fillingham

After a two-week trial period, Rangers’ management team finally offered 6’ 3”, 31-year-old experienced centre back Philippe Senderos, a one-year-contract. With Mark Warburton desperate to bolster a defence that is susceptible to losing goals at corners, they made their pitch for his services. The 57-cap Swiss internationalist was deemed to be the quality defensive player the Ibrox club were desperate to add to the squad. Philippe is another free agent signing and is excited to join such a world-wide club in their quest to win this season’s Premiership.

Ex-Swiss international team-mate Ramon Vega is sure Senderos can be an Ibrox hit, and says,

“He is a defender who likes to dominate in the air and is a good organiser of the back line, and has a good eye for the game and can read situations well. I wouldn’t say pace was his strong point but he can beat that because he positions himself well and is good on the ball. He has played at some top clubs and you don’t do that unless you are a top player.”

He has a varied CV in a career that includes a 13-year period in English football, playing for Arsenal, Everton, Fulham and Aston Villa. He also had spells at AC Milan, Valencia and the former Servette youngster enjoyed a six-month spell with Switzerland’s Grasshopper Club Zurich, and now he is thrilled to be back with a big-time club.

Senderos, the £2.5m signing from Servette, joined Arsenal and came third in the Club’s Player of the Season poll at just 20 years old. His tenacity, aerial power and will to win, all proved to be valuable assets for Wenger’s side. The following season he was part of a back four that kept a record 10 clean sheets en route to the Champions League Final. Senderos helped see off Real Madrid, Juventus and Villarreal before being selected by Switzerland for the World Cup in Germany.

The Swiss defender landed a prestigious loan move for the 2008-09 campaign at the famous San Siro Stadium with AC Milan who had been impressed by his two displays against them just months earlier.

The impressive performances of William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen meant reduced first-team chances when he returned to Arsenal, but he did make 117 appearances for the Gunners, before he moved to Everton on loan in January 2010. When the loan ended, Senderos decided to join Fulham on a three-year free transfer deal. As bad luck would have it, on 09 August, while training, Senderos tore his Achilles tendon which kept him out for six months. In spite of his injury, he still managed to play in 65 games and on 01 March 2013, Senderos signed a one-year contract extension to keep him at Craven Cottage.

On 31 January 2014 Senderos joined Spain’s Valencia from Fulham just hours before the transfer window closed. After only four months in Spain and playing in 11 matches, he wanted back to the Premier League and joined Aston Villa on a two-year deal.

Whilst on international duty he sustained a severe thigh injury which hampered his return to the Villa first team for at least four weeks. Low and behold, he sustained a calf injury on his next international appearance, this time leading to a long 5-month absence. This turned out to be the end of his long international career.

On 27 January 2016 Senderos left Aston Villa by mutual consent and only two days later he joined Grasshoppers Club Zurich on a 6-month contract deal and featured in 14 appearances. During his last game on Mon. 16 May ’16, he was taken off after 8 minutes through injury, and hasn’t played a competitive game since.

His contract ran out on 01 June 2016, and his agent wanted him to go back to the UK believing that at only 31, he had another two or three years at the top level left in his locker.

Now it is up to Senderos to prove that Warburton was right to sign him.

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11 COMMENTS

  1. He was a great player until around 2012 and he quickly became lumbering and slow to turn. He is still popular in Switzerland because of the way he does commentaries and other stuff on TV sports programs, so those calling him nothing but a hud carrier, bad "jiner" etc only display their ignorance. Its true though his best playing days are well behind him. I've been told this site doesn't publish what it doesn't like so feel free to suppress the truth if that's what you want to do.

    • We don't appreciate the likes of you. You only gave back a fraction of the gold you stole. The site should show zero tolerance to parasites like you.

    • Many thanks Ibrox Noise (sincerely) for also publishing these two reactions to my honest contribution. Your readership will never again have to suffer any interference from me. Good luck with your site. Tam

  2. Tam, good to get a local's view but last time I was in Charly's in Geneva I paid £6.65 for half a litre of Foster's.

  3. Tam, I'd rather take the word of our professional staff if you don't mind, No disrespect. As long as he can drive a couple out of bounds that will do me.

  4. God – hasn't played since May and all these stories about how badly unfit he is! He will last 30 mins at Celtic Park if he plays!

  5. Wrong again Richard…….Lescott was the target but Warbs and Robertson between them fecked it up.

    If Senderos starts next weekend I guarantee he will be hooked before half time with us 3 or 4 goals down and the league challenge over early in September.

    Their front line will run amok………if Boydy can run away from our CB's what will Griff, Sinclair, Forrest and Roberts do.

    One bit of good news is that Stokes won't be playing……….at least that will put an end to Tav 's recurring nightmare.

    Will be surprised if Barton goes the distance. When they get in front Brown and the crowd will be giving him lady which he can't take.
    If he's off before half time they will score as many as they want to unless the match commander tells them the score that he has on his William Hill line………….

  6. Alpha leader………..pardon me whilst I pick myself off the floor laughing.

    Grasshoppers had him on a 6 month contract, why would they let an Alpha leader walk away?

    Will it take a hammering next week for most of the fans to realise that King co have led them up the garden path.

    Level 5 at this very moment will already be writing the media pieces for next Sunday's newspapers………..guess who will be getting it in the ear, King…………no chance?

    The manager is taking a water pistol to a gunfight and he knows it no matter what his public facade is.

    11 free transfers, Bosmans, a couple of development fees paid. It may be good enough for 2nd place but no more.

    Celtic with 6 IAR in the bag have the funds to improve their squad again next season and if CL qualification is made then it's another £30m in the kitty.

    I see some of our fans are looking at the Tims away performance in Israel and taking comfort from that.
    Their CL away form has always been crap, that performance was par for the course.
    Have a look at the home performance, 5 goals against a defence which didn't concede in 180 minutes against Olympiacos. ………….
    Will we concede………..certainly, how many, at least two at a guess so we need to score 3 to win the game.
    Apart from Wallace, McKay and Miller ( might not start) the rest have no, or little, exposure to this atmosphere.
    Most of the Celtic team know what it's about and are used to the big game atmosphere in the stadium, 3×50,000 plus crowds already this season .
    I fear for our discipline, Barton in particular has made himself an easy target. I can't get rid of the image of him being sent off in the Man City v QPR game and assaulting 3 City players before he reached the touchline.
    I wouldn't be surprised if he sets out to make his mark on the game, and not in the way we would like.

    Ah well, who knows, perhaps they will have an off day and our boys will turn up.

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