After a dramatic turn of events, Rangers are now leading the race for former Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos according to reports from BBC Sport. It looked like Rangers would seal a deal for Aston Villa stopper Joleon Lescott but that deal dramatically hit a dead end in the 11th hour. Lescott had agreed terms with the Ibrox club and was due to sign a two-year contract with the Gers but the deal fell through and the reason is not quite clear.
Rangers claimed that the move was blocked by Lescott himself due to family reasons while Aston Villa claimed that the Gers failed to agree on financial terms with the 34-year-old. Both BBC and Scottish Daily Record claims that the main reason why the deal did not go through was an issue raised by the player’s medical. However, failure to bring the former Manchester City defender could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the Gers if they can clinch a deal for Senderos.
Senderos is a free agent right now having left Swiss side Grasshoppers this summer. The Swiss international has already spent four days training with the Gers and has returned to Geneva for the weekend. The Scottish Daily Record claims that Rangers have invited him back to Glasgow for contract talks at the start of the week.
Senderos is a highly-experienced centre-back and has played for clubs like Arsenal, Valencia, Milan, Fulham and Aston Villa over the course of his career. He began his career at Servette, before moving to England as a teenager with Arsenal. He eventually became a regular at Arsenal and won the FA Cup in 2005. After two loan spells away from the Emirates with Milan and Everton respectively, Senderos joined Fulham and then made his move to Valencia before joining Aston Villa.
Senderos was always a pretty decent defender but could never really reach the heights he was expected to. Injuries played a big part in that but Rangers present a big opportunity towards the Swiss international. Aged 31 now, the former Arsenal still has plenty of football left in him. He might not be good enough for the Premier League now but the Premiership would be ideal for him.
An experienced defender like Senderos, who has represented Switzerland in three World Cups, would be a huge addition on and off the pitch. He is 6 years younger than Rangers’ summer signing Clint Hill and can be a part of the Gers’ plans for at least 2-3 years if not more.
