Marcos Senesi will be in huge demand as a free transfer

As we approach the final stretch run of the season for Europe’s major leagues, a storyline which becomes more prominent is the list of footballers who are set to become free agents. Some years, the names aren’t too inspiring. The summer of 2020 featured several notable post-peak talents who joined new clubs during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. In other years like the summer of 2024, you get a blockbuster like Kylian Mbappé’s long-awaited move to Real Madrid. 

This summer’s batch of free agents is an intriguing one. Ibrahima Konaté has had some very high highs with Liverpool over the years, although various factors (including the club’s struggles this season) mean he could be leaving Merseyside this summer on a free transfer. Bernardo Silva has been a stalwart during Pep Guardiola’s time with Manchester City, but he’s at the tail-end of his career and various reports indicate that he could be seeking a new challenge. It’s been announced that Julian Brandt will be leaving Dortmund after seven years, with Aston Villa being a possible suitor for his services.

Another interesting player who is nearing the end of his deal is Marcos Senesi. After a successful three year run with Feyenoord from 2020-22, Bournemouth saw enough to spend £10.5m + £2.5m in add-ons to acquire him. In his near four seasons in South England, he’s emerged as one of the better players in the Premier League. This season might be his best yet, helping shepherd a defensive backline with multiple newcomers while performing at the peak of his powers. 

Clubs who are looking to acquire Senesi will obviously know the upside he brings on the ball for a centerback. According to Statsbomb, among Premier League players at his position with 1200 minutes played, this is where he ranks in a variety of passing metrics:

• Deep completions: 9th

• Line breaking passes completed: 2nd

• LBP completed into attacking half: 1st

• Passing On-ball value: 2nd

One interesting stat involving Senesi is that no CB has a higher percentage of his passes which go forward than him at 39%. This is at least partially a reflection of the tactical environment he’s in. Bournemouth under Andoni Iraola have regularly been one of Europe’s unique clubs to watch under the Spanish manager, constantly playing at a high tempo through ball carrying and high pressing to destabilize opponents. Even though he’s tried to add a bit more control to his game model this season, you still wouldn’t confuse Bournemouth with being a cagey possession side. Via Opta Analyst, Bournemouth are in the bottom half in the PL for both sequences featuring 10+ passes, and build up attacks. In terms of passes per sequence and sequence time, they’re 5th and 3rd lowest respectively.

As a result, Senesi will end up attempting his fair share of hail mary long balls into the opposition, hoping one of his teammates could at least conjure up a 2nd ball regain or quickly win possession back. Even if he’s got a bit of time versus a mid-block, Bournemouth constantly have runners trying to attack space towards the flank or into the channels. Higher up the pitch, this high risk, high reward approach has made him an underrated final third threat. Despite being a CB, he ranks 9th in total open play expected assists and tied for 18th in the league for total throughballs, according to Opta Analyst. His assist vs Tottenham from early in the season showed his unique gifts as a chance creator.

While Senesi’s pass selection is one of the most direct you’ll see from a defender, he’s still more than capable of making the incisive passes from deeper areas. When Antoine Semenyo was still with the team, he and Senesi had real chemistry with the former finding space in the left halfspace to receive disguised deliveries and carry into space. Part of what makes the Argentine a prolific progressive passer for a defender is his resilience vs pressure, which includes passing on the move by initially carrying the ball forward. While there are occasional mishaps in these situations, his ability to pass on the move makes it tough for opponents to press. As you can see from the cluster viz below by Pranav, Senesi has provided considerable value on the ball.

Out of possession, Senesi has also been a positive in helping keep Bournemouth’s high octane defensive structure from being untenable. What he brings is a combination of impressive anticipation, aggressiveness, and having just enough burst to make those gambles worthwhile. He’ll regularly come off his defensive line to apply pressure on opponents who’re trying to receive between the lines. The way he times those little jabs when attempting standing tackles allows him to regularly dispossess cleanly, and then use his calmness on the ball to initiate transitions through quick short forward passes. It doesn’t work all the time, and there’s the occasional mishap where opponents can target the space he left behind, but it’s worked enough in Bournemouth’s favor.

The biggest weakness for Senesi out of possession is how he handles aerial duels. It’s not a surprise when considering that even though his listed height of 6’1” isn’t terrible for a central defender, he’s not physically imposing. While he’ll try to scrap in these situations, forwards who have a notable advantage in physicality can get the best of him. In his favor is that it’s not led to shots by opponents, despite the mismatches at times. 

Even still, there’s enough to think Senesi provides ample value out of possession despite those concerns with aerial duels. He’s constantly in communication with his teammates in organizing Bournemouth’s defensive line. He’s attentive at recognizing potential dangers and reacting to them to the best of his capabilities. It’s helped him make some crucial defensive actions this season.

The end result is at 28, Senesi is at the peak of his powers and is currently having a top notch season. Few defenders at his position are providing the kind of penetrative passing he has, which includes providing real impact in the final third. As well, his progressive carrying has been beneficial. He’s not the most imposing CB out there, which can be a problem for him when handling duels versus certain forwards, but he does enough to still be a net positive. 

Such a formula has made Senesi a key contributor for Bournemouth during this run of prominence for the club. In an ideal world from their point of view, there’d still be a year or two left on his contract for him to stay another season or extract a notable transfer fee in the summer. Instead, with him previously rejecting new offers to stay, it seems likely that he’ll be playing elsewhere for the 2026-27 season. Reports indicate that Juventus are among the clubs who’re readily monitoring the situation.

Bournemouth’s loss could be someone else’s potential gain, and a massive one at that. There were worries of a decline at the team level for the 2025-26 season, following the departures of Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi last summer. Instead, Senesi’s impressive performances have helped knit things together, and kept the club once again just inside the top 10 of the PL. Other suitors will have to account for the difference in style of play when comparing how he’ll fit elsewhere versus the way Bournemouth play. However, there’s enough to think that he’ll remain a helpful squad option at the very least. If we’re nearing the end of Marcos Senesi’s time in English football, he’ll be departing after submitting one of the more underrated PL seasons in recent memory.

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