Football writer Adrian Clarke analyses Marcos Senesi's time at AFC Bournemouth and why Tottenham Hotspur made the move to sign him.
Given that Tottenham Hotspur conceded 122 goals across the last two league seasons, the most of any Premier League side, it is not surprising they are trying to strengthen their defence this summer.
Following their recent signing of former Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson, Spurs have now recruited a central defender who offers leadership and quality, both in and out of possession.
Marcos Senesi, who recently turned 29, enjoyed four excellent campaigns with AFC Bournemouth, proving himself as a consistent top-flight performer.
Assertive, brilliant with the ball at his feet, and durable – starting 37 matches last season – he feels like an extremely low-risk acquisition.
Watch: The best of Senesi at Bournemouth
A resilient presence
Like many South American defenders, Senesi plays with fierce determination.
The experienced centre-back ranked second for clearances and blocks in 2025/26, only behind Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk and Everton's James Tarkowski, respectively.
His 47 blocks for the Cherries were 25 more than Spurs’ top defender in that department, Micky van de Ven (22).
PL centre-backs, most interceptions/blocks/clearances 25/26
Interceptions Blocks Clearances Senesi (BOU) 56 Tarkowski (EVE) 52 Van Dijk (LIV) 275 Ampadu (LEE) 50 Senesi (BOU) 47 Senesi (BOU) 253 Guehi (MCI) 50 Collins (BRE) 41 Lacroix (CRY) 252
Scroll across on mobile to see the full table
Spurs supporters will also enjoy Senesi's proactive reading of the game.
No Premier League defender came close to matching his 56 interceptions, as he regularly stepped forward to break up opposition attacks with ease.
Senesi also relishes his duels with opposition forwards.
It is little wonder he was so popular at Bournemouth.
Made for De Zerbi?
To ensure safety, Spurs head coach Roberto De Zerbi kept his messaging simple during the run-in, resisting the temptation to implement his own style of play.
In 2026/27, the Italian will almost certainly place a greater emphasis on higher possession and building play from the back.
And in that sense, Senesi looks a terrific fit.
In his only full season in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023/24, De Zerbi’s centre-backs, Lewis Dunk and Jan Paul van Hecke, ranked first and sixth among top-flight defenders for the most successful passes.
Last season, despite playing for a Bournemouth side who were not possession-based, the only defenders to attempt more passes than Senesi were those two Brighton stars, plus Van Dijk.
Senesi wants the ball at his feet, and his confident distribution will get Spurs up the pitch quicker.
PL centre-backs, most passes into final third and successful long passes 25/26
Passes into final third Successful long passes Senesi 516 Senesi 182 Van Dijk 425 Andersen 166 Van Hecke 383 Van Dijk 137
His forte is to make progressive forward passes, finding team-mates inside the final third more frequently than anyone else in his position.
These accurate long passes could be good news for striker Dominic Solanke, who played alongside Senesi for two seasons at Bournemouth.
The England international’s hold-up play, and willingness to run the channels, is sure to provide Senesi with a useful target.
The division’s most creative central defender?
Spurs have signed a centre-back who offers a surprising amount of imagination with the ball at his feet, creating 24 chances, including 22 from open play,
Striding forward to support attacks, the Argentinian’s laser-guided left foot tends to make things happen inside the final third.
The key-pass map (below) shows how impactful Senesi’s forward passes were for the Cherries throughout 2025/26.
He pushes on to great effect before feeding the ball into forwards.
Senesi's chances created in open play 25/26
The Argentinian defender made an incredible 144 line-breaking passes into the final third last season, ranking him between two of the Premier League's best midfielders, Man Utd captain Bruno Fernandes and Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai.
For a defender to be remotely close to those star talents proves how unique his skill set is.
Only one player in the entire division made more line-breaking passes overall, and that was former De Zerbi protege Van Hecke.
Having a defender who moves the ball forward with quality is clearly very important to the Spurs head coach.
It points towards his team being more press-resistant, and possibly more direct in their tactical approach next season.
PL players with most line-breaking passes 25/26
Line-breaking passes Successful line-breaking passes Van Hecke (BHA) 457 Fernandes (MUN) 145 Senesi (BOU) 424 Senesi (BOU) 144 Anderson (NFO) 375 Szoboszlai (LIV) 137
Fans at his new club know all about Senesi’s distribution of course.
In one of 14 through-balls he made in 2025/26, the defender fed a fantastic pass into the box for Evanilson to score the winner in a 1-0 success at Spurs.
Watch: Senesi's assist for Evanilson against Spurs
These two assists against West Ham United and Leeds United (below) also outline Senesi's credentials when it comes to splitting an opposition defence open.
Spurs as a side delivered just 28 through-balls (a joint low with Leeds) so having someone willing to make these forward passes could be a game changer for their attacking play.
The assist below, for Junior Kroupi against Leeds, came from an initial interception inside the opposition half, which was followed by a purposeful dribble.
Unafraid to carry the ball towards goal, it is Brighton’s Van Hecke, once again, who is the only Premier League defender to have attempted more ball carries.
Most ball carries, 25/26
Player Total Van Hecke (BHA) 920 Bernardo Silva (MCI) 649 Anderson (NFO) 636 Rice (ARS) 624 Senesi (BOU) 591
How will Spurs look at the back next season?
As one of the division’s best centre-backs, with and without the ball, Senesi is sure to nail down a place in De Zerbi’s starting XI.
He always plays on the left of a pairing in central defence though, so it will be interesting to see what happens with Van de Ven this summer.
The Netherlands international occupies that spot but could in theory play at left-back as well.
De Zerbi also currently has Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, youngster Luka Vuskovic and potentially Ben Davies available to play in central defence.
It is too early to say with any certainty how they will line up in August.
However, with Robertson having also been signed, it looks like De Zerbi is going to unleash a new-look pair of left footers within his back four in 2026/27.