PLAYER PROFILE

Philippe Senderos

Position: Defence

Height: 6'3

Weight: 13st 10lbs

Date of Birth: 1985-02-14 Geneva, Switzerland

Philippe Senderos

Swiss teenager Philippe Senderos was one of two signings made by Arsene Wenger during the summer of 2003, although the deal had been agreed back in December 2002.

Arsenal beat off competition from some of Europe’s top clubs, including Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich for the 18-year-old’s signature.

The Geneva-born defender signed for an undisclosed fee, although the deal was thought to be worth around £2.5million.

Senderos caught Wenger’s eye while captaining Switzerland to victory in the European uner-17 championship in 2003.

The youngster said: “I have great respect for Arsenal, I have always liked this club. I have watched out for their results in Europe and love the stadium and fans.

“I like the English game and I think playing in the Premiership will allow me to develop better as a player.”

Wenger said of his capture: "I am a big believer in this boy. He will be a major asset in the future."

In the 2004/05 campaign he made a clutch of good performances (23 in all), including one in the FA Cup final victory against Manchester United at the Millenium Stadium.

This good work continued in the 05/06 season, as he made a further 34 appearances, scoring twice.

Like much of the Arsenal squad, he went to Germany for the World Cup, playing and scoring for a Swiss side who were knocked out on penalties by Ukraine in the second round.

However, during that tournament he suffered a shoulder injury that kept him out for large sections of the 2006/07 season. He played only twenty games.