Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the signing of Marcos Senesi on a free transfer with his contract at Bournemouth set to expire this summer
New Tottenham Hotspur signing Marcos Senesi has been called up to the Argentina squad for this summer’s World Cup, a little over 24 hours after agreeing a deal to join the club.
Spurs confirmed on Wednesday that Senesi would be moving to north London, with the defender arriving on a free transfer following the end of his contract with Bournemouth.
Senesi moves to Tottenham as Roberto De Zerbi prepares for the start of the new Premier League season, where the club will hope for a significant improvement on their 17th-place finish from last term.
Just a day after being confirmed as a new Tottenham signing, Senesi has been called up to the Argentina squad, which could serve as a potential blow to De Zerbi’s preparations for next season.
The Tottenham boss now likely to be forced to wait to have the defender in the squad for pre-season training this summer, with his return to England now dependent on how Argentina fare at this summer's World Cup.
Senesi has been named in Argentina’s squad on the same day that the tournament gets underway in the opening fixture between South Africa and co-hosts Mexico.
Argentina have been handed an injury blow ahead of the tournament with Marseille defender Leonardo Balerdi being withdrawn from the squad.
"Defender Leonardo Balerdi suffered a muscle injury in the soleus of his right leg and will not be able to be part of the squad that will play the World Cup," Argentina confirmed in a statement last week.
"Hang in there, stay strong, and get well soon."
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As a result, Senesi has been called up to Lionel Scaloni’s squad, with the country’s first match as they defend their crown taking place on Tuesday night against Algeria in Kansas City.
Argentina will then have Group J fixtures against Austria and Jordan to complete the initial phase of the competition, where Senesi will now be hoping to play a key role for his country’s bid to win back-to-back World Cups.
Senesi will also link up with new Tottenham teammate Cristian Romero, who is also part of Argentina’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.
When asked about his move to Tottenham, Senesi told the club website: "It's a very special feeling to be a Tottenham Hotspur player.
"From the first moment, the club has shown why they want me and how much they want me to be a part of what they are building. It's exciting and something I can't wait to be involved in.
"Every time I step on the pitch, I will do my best to make the fans proud and to take the club back to the place it belongs. I want to win things with Tottenham and will do everything I can to make that happen."