We have another player - a defender

Amidst all the ho-hum of a silent transfer window and the circus surrounding the incident with Eduardo, it's easy to forget that there was a bit of business that wasn't done, and we have gained an additional player as a result.

Philippe Senderos didn't manage to complete his move away from the club, and is still an Arsenal player. The Swiss international hasn't been included in matches so far due to the risk of him being injured and hence not passing any potential medicals. Senderos wasn't available last season either due to him being on-loan to Italian club AC Milan.

Both Everton and Arsenal couldn't agree on a transfer fee and hence, Senderos is still a player at the club and is now available for selection. It's safe to say that most Arsenal fans would be comfortable with having Senderos rather than Mikael Silvestre in the side, but at the moment, the former Servette defender doesn't fill us with any more confidence.

William Gallas and Thomas Vermaelen will be the first-choice partnership, and second choices will be between Johan Djourou, Senderos and Silvestre (list of central defenders).

Alex Song's future is probably as a defensive midfielder, so we will have two Swiss internationals and a Champions League winner as backup options. It doesn't sound that bad when it's spun that way, but again, they do not instil us with as much confidence as Vermaelen or Gallas.

However, Senderos has a decent number of appearances (32) under his belt for his country, and at 24 is still relatively young for a centre-back. The Swiss international was also part of the record-breaking Arsenal team that put together a run of ten successive clean sheets in the 2005/06 Champions League campaign.

To add to the Swiss' credentials, according to writer Xavier Rivoire, manager Arsène Wenger was thinking of making Senderos club captain, before eventually giving it to Thierry Henry. That's how high a regard Senderos is held in at the club, but perhaps his sudden dip in form and being error prone saw him drop in the pecking order. That, and his phobia of one Didier Drogba.

Wenger was willing to let Senderos go this summer, that we know for sure as a fee for him was being negotiated. But with that deal having fallen through, the young Swiss now has a chance to stake a claim to being a part of the club's defensive future.

Both him and Vermaelen are around the same age, and with Gallas' being 32-years-old and having his contract up for renewal, if Senderos cannot rebuild his career now, it will be difficult for him to succeed at another top-flight club. Having been at the club since 2003, and with a World Cup campaign coming up, Senderos' career is at a crossroads. Let's hope he finds success at our club.

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