Set to play a key role in the Bournemouth defence this season, Marcos Senesi is ready to take his chance in the Premier League.
- By Zach Lowy
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It has been just four years since Feyenoord kicked off their first season under new manager Arne Slot. De club aan de Maas would end up finishing trophyless after losing to Twente in the second round of the KNVB Cup and placing third in the Eredivisie table, 10 points behind Ajax and 12 behind PSV Eindhoven, whilst they also lost 1-0 to Roma in the first-ever UEFA Europa Conference League Final.
Fast-forward to today, and there are quite a few players from that team who are now plying their trade in the Premier League, like Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson, Manchester United’s Tyrell Malacia, Brentford’s Antoni Milambo, and Bournemouth duo Luis Sinisterra and Marcos Senesi.
Born in Conocordia, Argentina, Senesi rose through the ranks at San Lorenzo and emerged as one of the most promising center backs in the Primera División before calling it quits after a decade at the club and joining Feyenorod in 2019 on a four-year contract. It didn’t take long for Senesi to pay off his €7 million transfer fee, becoming a vital cog in the backline thanks to his aggressive tackling, cool and composed aerial duels, and brilliant, proactive style of defender. He also showcased his skills on the ball by breaking the lines with his incisive passes and racking up nine goals and seven assists in 116 appearances, including the 2020/21 Eredivisie Goal of the Season for his overhead kick against ADO Den Haag. And after helping Feyenoord embark on a deep European run, Senesi’s performances drew the attention of newly promoted side Bournemouth, who paid €15 million for the Argentine defender.
“In the Premier League, you have to be ready to give your 100% in every game, whilst in the Eredivisie, sometimes you can have a good game despite not being at 100%,” argued Senesi. “When I was playing for Feyenoord, most of the opponents would have a really low block and so you’d always have the ball and would have more energy in your legs…there’s a big difference in the physicality.”
Senesi quickly emerged as an instrumental figure in defense under Gary O’Neill, who took charge after a couple of games and, against all odds, masterminded Premier League survival. It wasn’t enough to save his job as Spaniard Andoni Iraola took charge; after a shaky start which saw them lose six and draw three of their first nine matches, Bournemouth started to find their footing under the ex-Rayo Vallecano manager, finishing 12th in the table. They kicked off the 2024/25 season in fine form with Senesi excelling in the middle alongside Ilya Zabarnyi, but on November 30, Senesi was knocked off his high horse after suffering a painful sliding tackle in a match against Wolves. The first long-term injury of his career, Senesi missed four months of the season, and by the time he returned, he had been replaced by Dean Huijsen, who established himself as one of the most promising center backs in Europe.
“I was in a really good moment when I suffered my injury. I had never had an injury for that long, that severe, in my whole career, but I feel they did a really good recovery. It was a really smooth recovery, and I feel ready to go now. I trust myself, I trust my body, and the way that it has recovered…I’m just always pushing myself to do more.”
Since finishing ninth in the table, Bournemouth have lost four starting members of last season’s defense: goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga returned to Chelsea before joining Arsenal on a permanent deal, Zabarnyi and Huijsen have moved to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, whilst Miloš Kerkez joined Premier League champions Liverpool. It means that Senesi has gone from a reserve option to a veteran leader in defense, with the 28-year-old starting alongside new arrivals Adrien Truffert and Bafodé Diakité as well as captain Adam Smith in their opening match, a 4-2 defeat.
It didn’t quite go to plan, with Senesi nearly getting sent off in the opening minutes and failing to prevent Liverpool from scoring four goals at Anfield. However, there’s reason to believe that Senesi can help Bournemouth as they prepare for a visit from Wolverhampton Wanderers, who lost 4-0 to Manchester City in their opener.
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