Tottenham Hotspur are set to sign Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi on a four-year deal, with the 29-year-old expected to complete his move to north London as his contract at the south-coast club runs down this summer.
The move gives Tottenham a left-sided centre-back at a time when they badly need one, and it comes after a season in which they escaped relegation on the final day by beating Everton 1-0 and finished two points above West Ham United in 18th. Senesi played in all but one of Bournemouth’s Premier League games this season, a measure of how heavily his club leaned on him even as Bournemouth qualified for Europe for the first time in their history.
Senesi joined Bournemouth in 2022 and has made 128 appearances across four seasons, scoring six goals and adding ten assists from defence. He was also absent from Lionel Scaloni’s final World Cup squad on Thursday, another reminder that this summer has already started to move in more than one direction for him.
Tottenham’s move is moving quickly even though there had been talk in April that Roberto De Zerbi’s side were leading contenders for his signature and had entered advanced talks. Instead, Spurs now appear to have taken control of the race, with the club looking to rebuild after a dreadful campaign that ended with a change from Ange Postecoglou to Thomas Frank.
Peter Charrington told supporters on Monday that the rebuild would be carried out “with the right blend of experience, youth and leadership,” and added that the club would “invest across multiple transfer windows to rebuild, balance and strengthen, with this summer representing an important first step in that work.” Senesi fits that brief. He is experienced, available and used to playing almost every week.
There may yet be more to come. Tottenham are also in pole position to add Andy Robertson when his Liverpool contract expires this summer, a possible second addition that would further reshape a back line that will not be playing in Europe next season. For now, the Senesi deal is the one that has moved furthest, and it is the clearest sign yet that Tottenham intend to spend this window fixing the problems that nearly swallowed their season.
