Flop or Not: Arsenal’s Philippe Senderos

When armed with the task of putting together an article on former Gunner Philippe Senderos, it bewildered me as how despite spending 7 years in North London, ‘Swiss Tony’ doesn’t appear to have a great deal to show for it. This is by no means a criticism of Philippe, however, as it should be stated that while he only made 64 appearances, when called upon the Swiss defender always did his job quietly and professionally.

But despite having the attitude of a player who deserved to be on the pitch week-after-week, ultimately it was down to persistent injuries and a lack of form which saw him lose his place at the club.

Loan moves to Italian giants AC Milan and Merseyside outfit Everton couldn’t revive the career of a man who has and still does struggle badly with injuries and consistency. It may even come as a surprise to know that Philippe is still just 26 years of age, and with a fair few years still ahead of him, he hoping that he can find the form and the resilience which made him such a prospect in his early career.

Philippe’s career hasn’t been all doom and gloom, however, as during his stay in N5 he managed to earn himself over 50 international caps for a nation who even triumphed over World Champions Spain in South Africa last summer.

As far as his Arsenal career is concerned, though, Senderos never really quite lived up to the early potential he showed and eventually fell out of Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans. Whatever you think about him though, Philippe is a player who fully deserves to be playing first-team football and I’m sure there isn’t anyone who could begrudge him of that.

So was Philippe ‘Swiss Tony’ Senderos a flop, or was he not? You decide.