Arsenal agree terms with Senderos
GENEVA, Switzerland (Reuters) - Philippe Senderos, a defender with Swiss team Servette, will join premier league champions Arsenal at the end of the season, his Swiss club has said.
The 17-year-old, who is still at school, will move to Highbury from the Nationalliga club on June 1 after agreeing terms with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
“Philippe Senderos will leave in July 2003 for Arsenal,” Servette said in a statement on Friday. “He will be integrated into Arsene Wenger’s team and will improve his education in England.”
The central defender, who has been a regular for Servette this season, is out of contract at the end of the season.
However, Servette president Christian Luescher said “a (financial) agreement was made between the three parties”, adding that the deal had been agreed for three months.
“The English develop a fighting spirit in players and that is the reason I want to play at Arsenal,” Senderos told a news conference at Servette’s Charmilles Stadium on Friday.
“In England football is a religion.
“I like the English game and I think playing in the premier league will allow me to develop better as a player.”
Senderos, accompanied by his father Julian, did not disclose the details of the deal signed with the north London club.
Senderos caught the eye of Europe’s leading teams after captaining Switzerland to the European Under-17 championship title earlier this year in Denmark.
He held talks with Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier in October and was invited to train with the Anfield club during the Nationalliga’s winter break.
Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona had also enquired about Senderos, while Germany’s Bayern Munich and Dutch side PSV Eindhoven were also interested in the central defender.
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