Philippe Senderos is ‘forever grateful’ to Arsenal

Houston Dynamo’s seasoned centre-back Philippe Senderos insists that he will be ‘forever grateful’ to his former employers Arsenal and Arsene Wenger, as during his stunted 7 year career at the Gunners which comprised various loan moves, the Switzerland international ultimately realised and attained his ‘dream’.

The 33-year-old left north-London 10 years ago for Fulham on a free transfer and has since plied his accomplished trade across the globe, and though his career began sluggishly at Highbury as an impressionable 18-year-old, Senderos ultimately recognised that he was a member of one of the game’s greatest collectives, the ‘Invincibles’, which dominated the 2003-04 Premier League campaign.

Senderos was thrown into an environment surrounded by world-class professionals and the English top-flight, a division which he has admired since a young boy, gave him the platform to express his fledgling trade and the opportunity to become recognised on a world stage.

“Since I was five, six years old there was something appealing about the Premier League. Something about England, the wet pitches, I don’t know … I loved it. It was what I wanted to do. I realised a dream when I came to Arsenal.” He revealed (via The Guardian).

Senderos failed to make a telling impact on Arsene Wenger’s legendary fold which went unbeaten domestically, partially due to injury set-backs, but the honour of being credited within such an exalted set-up is still a proud accomplishment of the stalwart defender.

“I was part of the team, in the dressing room, training with them,

“I couldn’t get in the team, which is understandable for an 18-year-old at an unbeaten side.

“It was amazing to witness – the champions that we had in that team were remarkable. It was my first glimpse of the top level and I could see it was special. At any moment, at any time, people were winners. You could feel there was something going on. It isn’t normal to win all the time; even if two goals down, there was a strength and belief in what they were doing.