Sendoros: Bloom Investment Good For Scottish Football

Former Premier League player Philippe Senderos has spoken candidly about Aston Villa, saying they can remain competitive but will need to exercise caution in the transfer market in an exclusive interview with BOYLE Sports .

The retired Swiss International has given his perspective on what could be next for fellow Swiss defenders Schär and Akanji, backing both to stay in the Premier League by the end of the transfer window.

Senderos also reflects on his experiences in Scottish Football and whether Russell Martin and Kieran Tierney made the right moves for their careers coming to the Scottish Premiership, and if Hearts can challenge the Old Firm duopoly.

PSR Won’t Harm Villa Competitiveness

I think they have a great manager, great players, a good sporting director, and a good setup at Aston Villa. I’m sure they’re thinking about these things, the projection of the team, not only for this season, but for the future.

They competed last year in the Champions League, and next year they’ll want to compete again. So I’m sure they’re considering where they can invest, how they can invest, and which players to sell at the right time. Monchi is a very experienced sporting director, and I’m sure they’ve got a plan.

Villa have done tremendous under Unai Emery, and I’m sure they’ll continue to be competitive.

Villa Must Be Patient

Yeah, maybe, because they’ve been stable and haven’t gone too crazy in the market. You always know that the bigger teams will move early and spend, and then it becomes like dominoes.

Villa are probably in that second tier of clubs waiting for the big moves to happen before they go for their targets. That’s no disrespect to Villa - it’s just how the market works.

Aston Villa Top-5 - @7/4

7/4

● LIVE ODDS Aston Villa Top 5

Watkins vs Gyökeres

I think Arsenal probably looked at every single option. Age is important, experience in the league is important, how a player can adapt to the team’s style of play, and what’s possible in the market.

I’m sure they considered all of that and went for the player that matched up to their needs the best in these circumstances.

Should Schär Stay?

A new contract for Fabian Schar depends on who they bring in as well. They’ve got a few players in those positions, and they just signed someone at centre-back from AC Milan, Malick Thiaw.

Age is always a factor, and performance too. Fabian Schär has been tremendous; he really adapted well to the Premier League and Newcastle’s style of play.

You have to consider all of that to decide whether to keep a player. Some players, you’re fine to let go because they’ve given so much, but Schär could still bring a lot of experience. It would be great if he stayed in the Premier League.

Akanji Is In A Great Place

When you’re at a club like City, I don’t think players are really thinking about moving anywhere. They’re in a great place, being looked after, doing the job they love, and competing for titles most of the time.

He’s got two more years on his contract, so he just needs to prepare well for the World Cup year, hopefully have a great tournament for Switzerland, and then think about his future after that.

Even if you’re not playing every week, being in that City environment is still valuable. He must have played about 30 games last season overall; not the 60 he might have wanted, but with the competition for places and the number of matches City play, that’s still a considerable amount.

Can Martin Dethrone Celtic With Rangers?

Russell Martin, I wouldn’t be able to judge his managerial skills too much, as I don’t know him personally, but I know he’s a great figure and speaks really well.

As a player, he was respected and very good. At Rangers, the demands are huge - you have to compete with Celtic, and at the moment, financially, Celtic are ahead, so it’s difficult to compete with them at that level, and it has been for a few years.

Ibrox Atmosphere “Always Special”

To play at Ibrox is always special. Anything that happens there in the Champions League will be really exciting.

The noise in that stadium is very difficult to compare to anything else. To compete in the Premiership, you have to be consistent and have enough players to cope with different competitions, and I think over the last few years, Celtic have been more prepared in that regard.

Old Firm Derby Reflections

Anything can happen in an Old Firm game, for sure. My own experience wasn’t great. I probably wasn’t at the level required at the time, and the team wasn’t at the level required either. Celtic were much better on the day. I have to be fair; I wasn’t at my peak at that moment. I went into that game and, you know, it finds you out very easily.

For the fans, though, it’s always a great day, and it’s something you need to experience whether you’re a player or a supporter, because the atmosphere they can create is really amazing.

Right Time For Tierney's Return

I think he had good years at Arsenal, but after injury problems and struggling for consistency, going back to a team like Celtic, where he’s at home, will win titles, and play in the Champions League, is a great move for him.

For Arsenal, yes, they’re losing a great character, but competition for places there is ruthless, and with his injuries, they probably decided together it was the right time to part ways.

Can Bloom Bring Hearts Glory?

Yeah, I don’t see this as a threat, to be honest. I see it as an opportunity for Scottish football to add another team that could potentially compete. To have only Celtic and Rangers - that’s not beneficial to anyone, even though it’s been the story for many years, and I might be controversial, I don’t know.

But to have another team that could compete, with extra financial support or extra support in general, I think it is a good thing. And why not bring in the experience and what Brighton has done into Scotland? That could be a great opportunity for Scottish football to continue to develop.