Bournemouth Already have their Dean Huijsen Replacement at the Club – Opinion | OneFootball

Bournemouth Star Set to Shine Once Again after Busy Summer Window

It has been a busy transfer window for Bournemouth. The Cherries have sold three defensive starters in Milos Kerkez, Ilya Zabarnyi and Dean Huijsen, who have moved to Liverpool, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, as well as an instrumental figure in attack following Dango Ouattara’s move to Brentford.

They have also lost their starting goalkeeper in Kepa Arrizabalaga, who returned to Chelsea before joining Arsenal on a permanent deal. In order to replace him, Bournemouth have signed yet another Chelsea goalkeeper in Djordje Petrovic. As for Kerkez and Zabarnyi, they’ve found two worthy replacements from Ligue 1 in Rennes’ Adrien Truffert and Lille’s Bafode Diakite, whilst Ben Doak has arrived from Liverpool to fill Ouattara’s void.

Despite losing two key figures in central defence in Huijsen and Zabarnyi, Bournemouth have only signed one center back this summer, with the club backing Marcos Nicolás Senesi Barón to make a successful return from injury and reclaim his spot in the starting eleven.

Senesi’s Story

Born in Concordia, Argentina, Senesi spent a decade at San Lorenzo and established himself as one of the top young defenders in the Primera before making the move across the Atlantic and joining Feyenoord in 2019. Senesi enjoyed a seamless transition to European football and became a vital cog in their backline, helping them reach the 2021/22 UEFA Europa Conference League Final, where they lost 1-0 to Roma.

These performances drew the attention of Bournemouth, who signed him for €15 million and tied him to a four-year contract. It didn’t take long for Senesi to showcase his talent both on and off the ball for the Cherries, imposing himself in aerial duels, utilizing his anticipation and speed to intercept through balls, and also helping to spread the ball forward and generate golden opportunities in the final third.

“In the Premier League, you have to be ready to give your 100% in every game, whilst in the Eredivisie, sometimes you can have a good game despite not being at 100%,” noted Senesi in an RG interview. “When I was playing for Feyenoord, most of the opponents would have a really low block and so you’d always have the ball and would have more energy in your legs…there’s a big difference in the physicality.”

With Senesi leading the charge at the back, Bournemouth managed to beat the odds and stave off the drop under Gary O’Neil, who replaced Scott Parker after a couple of matches into the season. And yet, they decided to sack O’Neil and replace him with Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola, who, bit by bit, his breathed new life into this Bournemouth team and allowed them to pursue greater ambitions.

The Cherries found themselves in the relegation zone after losing six of their first nine matches, but they nevertheless managed to find their identity under the Spaniard during the midway part of the season and placed 12th in the Premier League table, having finished 15th the year before. Senesi proved instrumental with his capabilities in possession as well as his no-nonsense, rugged style of defending to help Bournemouth weather the storm when pinned back.

He continued to build on his momentum and improve on his chemistry with Zabarnyi until November 30, 2024, when he found himself on the wrong end of a loose slide tackle in a 4-2 win against Wolves and endured the first long-term injury of his career. He missed four months of action after undergoing quadriceps surgery, and when he returned, Huijsen had established himself as one of the most intriguing center back profiles in Europe and forged an impressive synergy at the back.

“I was in a really good moment when I suffered my injury. I had never had an injury for that long, that severe, in my whole career, but I feel they did a really good recovery. It was a really smooth recovery, and I feel ready to go now. I trust myself, I trust my body, and the way that it has recovered…I’m just always pushing myself to do more.”

As such, Senesi spent the final months of the 2024/25 season as a rotation option, but he nevertheless persisted with the faith and eventually reaped the rewards. With Huijsen and Zabarnyi joining the last two Champions League winners, Bournemouth have just three available central defenders in Chris Mepham, Senesi and Diakite, meaning that Senesi will be one of the first names on Iraola’s team sheet barring any late window signing or another injury.

Senesi started in Bournemouth’s defence in Friday’s Premier League opener, with the Cherries losing 4-2 at Anfield after conceding goals to Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah in the waning minutes. Now, can he secure his long-awaited revenge against Wolves with a win on Saturday?