Is Philippe Senderos playing career over?

For the past few years, the playing career of Philippe Senderos has experienced a huge dip in terms of the amount of matches that he has been performing in as well as the quality of his own performances as the Swiss defender is struggling to get any significant amount of time in the pitch with his current club Rangers but this is something that has been happening for a few years now as Senderos played another minuscule role with his former club Aston Villa.


Over 30 league matches in the Scottish Premiership have been played in this current season of 2017-18 but Philippe Senderos has only started in 4 matches as he has spent the majority of his career on the sidelines as a substitute player.

This season of the Scottish Premiership is reaching it’s end with less than 5 matches remaining and the contract of Philippe Senderos is also entering it’s final stages as he only penned a 1 year long contract with Rangers which will be expiring in a few months’ time on August.

The question that is beginning to emerge now is what will Philippe Senderos do when his contract with Rangers expires as the Swiss defender can opt to extend his playing career further by joining another club but taking into consideration just how lack-luster he has been, would there even be any top clubs interested in securing his services?

There is a rumor that is beginning to spread around surrounding the possibility of Philippe Senderos as a Sporting Director of his former club Grasshoppers Zurich. Whether or not this occurs is something that remains to be seen but it might be time for the 32 year old defender to consider hanging up his boots and take a different path and open a new chapter in his football career.

Is Philippe Senderosplaying career in Ranger over?

Philippe Senderos has had a career that started off very brightly as the Swiss defender quickly found his way into a top European club after joining Arsenal at the age of 20 and helped the Premier League club in winning the 2005 FA Cup after overcoming Manchester United in a penalty session.


His impact in Arsenal dwelled down as he sustained injuries which kept him out of the playing grounds for a significantly long period of time and the Swiss player could never really play a truly important rule in the Premier League outfit and his appearances were limited to not more than 13 in almost every single one of his seasons.

The other truly big European club that Philippe Senderos joined was Ac.Milan as he penned a season loan deal but once again he sustained an injury which forced him to make a delayed appearance with the red and black jersey and despite his interest in wanting to extend his contract to a permanent one, Ac.Milan was not interest and just let him go.

Senderos is now 31 years old and currently performing with the Scottish club Rangers; he made his debut appearance for the club back on September 10 of 2016 and from there on out Senderos has struggled to make consistent appearances for Rangers with his time mostly being spent on the bench as a unused substitute.

Taking into consideration that Senderos is one of the oldest players in the entire squad, he has to compete with far younger players just to snatch a spot in the first team of the manager Mark Warbuton and unfortunately for the Swiss defender, his debut appearance with Rangers was so disastrous that it has affected his credibility as it seems like his own teammates just don’t have faith in him and Mark Warbuton prefers to utilize other players instead of the former Ac.Milan player.

When Philippe Senderos joined Rangers, he only penned a 1 year long contract which means that his time with the Scottish club is scheduled to finalize on September of the ongoing year but seeing just how abysmal it has been going for him, his time in Rangers might be over than initially expected.

WARBURTON TO BETTER MANAGE PLAYER INJURIES

Rangers manager Mark Warburton is set to better manager his players’ injuries particularly after the injury plagues in the team.


He disclosed that he would treat additions Jordan Rossiter and Josh Windass with kid gloves in a bid to better manage their injuries.

Windass, 22, has picked up hamstring injuries. The player showed serious potential since his switch from Accrington Stanley. The playmaker’s injuries has seen his appearances limited to 12 after 23 games in all competitions.

On the other hand Rossiter has calf problems which has ensured he missed games since August. The injuries mean Warburton would have to be innovative to manage the crises in the team. Niko Kranjcar has been sidelined for the rest of the season while Joey Barton’s stint has been cut short.

Young players might not be able to help as much as The Gers want instant impact as against the patience required when dealing with them.

“Josh we hope will come back this week – again you have to look after young players and look at the bigger picture. We talk about the demands we place on young players coming to Rangers and that is everything, the expectation of the crowd, playing in front of 50,000 and dealing with a more intense training regime.

“Their body is adapting to the demands of that and Josh is a young player with a very bright future ahead of him but we have to look after him,” Warburton told Rangers TV.

Clint Hill was sent off against Aberdeen but Warburton believes that Philippe Senderos or Danny Wilson will be a decent replacement for the veteran against the Jambos.

“Clint was excellent, I thought Clint and Rob on Saturday were both brilliant, it is great we have the options of Danny and Philippe but there is no doubt that Clint is showing his value, his worth his experience and his aerial strength,” the coach said.

RANGERS PRESSING ON WITHOUT ‘MARQUEE’ SIGNINGS

Rangers have continued fine without their summer ‘marquee’ signings


The club added Joey Barton this summer despite the interests in the player after a decent run last term. Niko Kranjcar was another signing who brought hope to the side.

Rangers Coach Mark Warburton would have been praying for a chance to get Premiership promotion after recently enjoying one, and armed with a young, hungry side keen on more successes. With the suspension of Barton and Kranjcar’s cruciate ligament tear, it would have been a scare. However, Jason Holt, Andy Halliday and Josh Windass seem to have found a good combination in the middle.

Barton’s signing received praises, particularly with the way Warburton got him. However, many would be cursing under their breath as it looks like the player may have played his last for Rangers. For Kranjcar, there were concerns as he came from North America. He started the season slowly, but he was gradually proving his naysayers wrong before he picked up the injury.

Surprisingly, the Rangers squad seems not to be too bothered with the absence of the Croatian.
Veterans Matt Gilks and Clint Hill were among the nine new faces Warburton signed before the season. Warburton wanted to add Aston Villa’s Joleon Lescott to the list but the player failed the club’s medicals so the coach opted for former Arsenal player Phillipe Senderos.

The available players seem to be focused on the club’s games. Halliday is even on goal-scoring form, Holt has been decent, and Windass has proved that it was wise signing him from Accrington. There are still options in Matt Crooks and Jordan Rossiter as they gradually regain full match fitness. Barrie McKay and Harry Forrester can play in central positions, provided the much needed cover to the summer ‘marquee’ signings.

Philippe Senderos Joins Rangers on a Free Transfer

Philippe Senderos will be regarded as one of the biggest failures of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who is usually exceptional when it comes to spotting talent.

The Swiss international, though, has found no shortage of interested parties even in the Premier league, as he has represented the likes of Fulham and Aston Villa in the last couple of years. Following the relegation of Villa into the Championship, it was very much expected that Senderos would also dropped down the divisions and continue his career. However, he decided to join Swiss outfit Grasshoppers on a six-month contract.

Following the end of this deal, though, he seems to have sufficiently impressed Scottish outfit Rangers so much for that he has secured a free transfer to the giant. Rangers only recently returned to the top division and were actively looking at players with a lot of experience in the top level. Senderos is someone who fits the bill extremely well after having played for the likes of Arsenal, Fulham and Aston Villa. He has joined the club on a free transfer and could make his debut in one of the biggest matches of the campaign, the old firm derby against Celtic.

The game against Celtic is regarded as one of the fiercest in the world and having a player of Senderos’ experience will only help the team. Incredibly, Rangers were extremely close on signing Manchester City defender Lescott. It was only because the England international failed to pass a medical did Senderos enter into the picture. As an experienced international who has represented the national team in more than 50 games, Senderos has signed a one-year deal with Rangers. Since the player has been out of touch with regard to the top level for the last 12 months, he may need some time to warm up and reach his best.

Xhaka the new star for Switzerland

Switzerland has found a new hero in Granit Xhaka. Before the Euros tournament in France, many people believed that XherdanShaqiri was going to be the main player for Switzerland but things did not go according to plan for the Stoke player.

The winger was nowhere at his best and was the culprit of some poor performance. Indeed XherdanShaqiri did not make this performance only at the Euros but also in the Premier League where he has failed to replicate the performance that has made him a renowned player.

It was the new Arsenal player Granit Xhaka who steals the show at the Euros. The Switzerland player was named twice as man-of-the-match in the group stage. Xhaka was everywhere for his team sometimes up front to create danger in the opposing team and sometime at the back to help his team defend when under pressure. Granit Xhaka has shown the talent that has prompted Arsene Wenger to sign him before the start of the tournament. It was a wise move by the French manager as his price might have soared after the performance in France.

Granit Xhaka and Gunners fans around the world will be hoping that the midfielder can replicate the sort of performance in the Premier League. If this is the case, then Arsenal can have a solid midfield. When you realize that Arsenal already has players such as Ozil, Cazorla, and Ramsey in the middle of the park, the addition of Granit Xhaka will make this midfield stronger.

Switzerland, on the other hand, will be hoping that XherdanShaqiri improves his form for the World Cup qualifiers that are due to start in September. If Shaqiri finds his form and with the addition of Xhaka, Switzerland will be difficult to beat in the qualifiers.

Senderos And Switzerland In Euro 2016

With the Euro 2016 having come to an end, the aftermath offers different results to the different teams and players.

Many teams have shuffled their players and coaches or managers, are working on different strategies to spruce up the squads so that they can qualify again for the next upcoming tournament. Philippe Senderos has been facing changes in his national team allocation as well.

Among the new selections being made to form a squad of 23 men, Philippe Senderos will probably not feature for the Switzerland team. The finals that are coming up for Group “A” next month would see Switzerland faces countries like Romania, France and Albania. Philippe would probably be given a rest in these games in the next month. The player had come back to participate in the Swiss Super League in the month of January. Senderos is currently at 31 years of age. When he returned to play in the Swiss Super League in the month of January he took up several games to play. The Premier League did not happen for the team and Senderos had to spend time away from the field, nursing injuries as well as lacking in form.

The final matches for Switzerland needed players who were in good form. Senderos has to take it slow and work on his form this year so that he can recover fully from the injuries he sustained. Indeed, his coach was sympathetic towards his condition. Every player goes through such phases when they are plagued with injuries on the field and lose out on their confidence. Senderos is sure to get back his form soon and his experience will count in the forthcoming matches for the country’s team. He simply needs to hold onto his confidence and find his place again.

Slavisa Jokanovic dismisses any Mass Clear out from Club

Fulham manager SlavisaJokanovic dismissed suggestions of the club having a mass clear out in the summer, as they have to deal with falling revenue after failing to get promotion to the Premier league.

Fulham were one of the established Premier League clubs before the relegation two seasons ago. However, the presence of significant incoming revenue in the form of parachute payments was expected to help Fulham get back to the top division at the first attempt. This was not to be the case; in fact, Fulham even came close to being relegated to League One.

They have been unable to even get into the top half of the table. As a sign of the tough competition within the Championship, it may take a while and some serious effort before Fulham start challenging for the Premier League. This is likely to mean several talented youngsters will want to consider offers elsewhere. The parachute payments will be cut into half starting from next season before it completely stops after the 2018-19 season. In order to balance the books and please players who want to leave, Fulham are expected to see a lot of sales rather than incoming players in the summer transfer window.

This will pose further challenge forJokanovic, as he attempts to get promotion next season.“We need to rebuild the team. It’s not about one or two players. It’s not about one or two positions.We need to change everything. We need to start working with more ambition in the games, training and office.We have to show ambition in the transfer market. We (finished 20th) in the Championship – I have had a chance to understand the club and how big the support is. I spend these months understanding what I have in my hand and what is in front of us,” said Jokanovic.

PHILIPPE SENDEROS GETTING PLAYING TIME AT GRASSHOPPERS

Former Arsenal player, Philippe Senderos, is currently getting playing time at Swiss club.

The Centre Back joined the club on a six month contract after Aston Villa terminated his contract in January this year. The former Arsenal, Everton and Fulham defender, whose contract was cancelled by mutual consent by Villa returned home to Switzerland in a bid to revive his career and international selection chances ahead of the European Championships this summer.

Senderos played just nine matches for Villa after injuries hampered his career since joining the club from Valencia on a free transfer in July 2014. The 31-year-old, who has played at three World Cups, made the last of his 55 appearances for Switzerland almost 18 months ago.

The defender has 13 matches to his belt in the Raiffeisen Super League this season even though the club has not been enjoying excellent form in the past few games. The defender who played 113 games at the Emirates for Arsenal joined from Italian side, AC Milan and Everton on loan. He had joined the North London club in the 2003/2004 season from Servette FC for over 1 million Pounds then. He enjoyed decent career growth in his hay days till 2008 when he was sent on loan to AC Milan.

Since joining the Grasshoppers, he has put in some measure of performance but still not able to save the defense as they have lost quite a number of games in the Swiss Super League. Last month they played a draw with Luzern at home before losing away to Sion. Next, they played another draw with Zurich FC before defeating St Gallen. They lost their next game to Young Boys before their slim away margin victory over Lugano. Luzern defeated the club by 3-0 sending them to fourth place in the Super League. They lost another by 2-1 to FC Vaduz on May 16th.

Pepe Reina claims that he wants to retire at Napoli

Despite spending much of his best years with Liverpool, goalkeeper Pepe Reina claims that he wants to retire at Napoli

The Spaniard was viewed as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League a couple of years ago. However, his decline started soon after the departure of Rafa Benitez and Reina has never been the same. Spells with Napoli and a move to a big club in the form of Bayern Munich followed for the former Valencia goalkeeper. A huge disappointment awaited the player at Bayern, as he never got any game time by displacing Manuel Neuer.

Now back with Napoli, Reina told Tim Hensel that he has finally found some happiness in his career after a long time and that he is hoping to repay Napoli’s faith by retiring at the club. The 33-year-old has been a permanent player in the Napoli squad only since the summer. However, he made more than 350 appearances for Liverpool in his nine years at the club. He claimed that he was not treated in the due way by his former employees. Another reason for Reina being happy at Napoli is that the weather is similar to that of in Spain. Reina has played in all of the league matches until now.

“I want to finish my career at Napoli.In Naples the people live for football, I see a lot of similarities with the south of Spain where I come from.I want to stay at Napoli and retire here. We’re thinking about continuing to live in Naples after I retire,” said the former Liverpool goalkeeper about his future plans with the Italian outfit. His previous spell with Napoli was on a temporary basis with a potential transfer Liverpool still possible. Napoli are still with a chance of winning the title as they remain only three points behind Juventus.