{"id":1476853,"date":"2026-07-31T20:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&p=1476853"},"modified":"2026-07-31T17:20:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T16:20:00","slug":"antonio-silva-bournemouth-signing-replace-marcos-senesi","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/antonio-silva-bournemouth-signing-replace-marcos-senesi\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Antonio Silva is the perfect signing to replace Marcos Senesi at centre-back specialists Bournemouth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bournemouth<\/a> are on the verge of signing Antonio Silva to replace Marcos Senesi.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In what is becoming a recurring theme year after year, the Cherries are in need of a new face at the heart of their defence, with yet another star centre-back leaving the Vitality Stadium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senesi played 128 times across all competitions during his three years on the south coast, helping Bournemouth restabilise in the Premier League<\/a> and secure a historic European qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with the five-time Argentina international now donning the Lilywhite of Tottenham Hotspur, how does Benfica product Silva compare as a replacement?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Proactive defending<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of Silva’s greatest assets is his proactive defending. The 22-year-old is front-footed and anticipates danger before it happens, rather than reacting to it when it’s too late. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Primeira Liga last season, Silva was first among Benfica defenders and second overall for interceptions per 90 minutes (1.4, at least 25% of minutes played), while also averaging 1.65 possessions won in the defensive third per 90, and 1.55 possessions won in the middle third.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think it will work fantastically because of the way Antonio reads situations,” Silva’s former development coach, Joao Nuno Fonseca, told Sky Sports<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva has the awareness to rush out of the defence to handle problems in front of him, but couples it with the pace to recover and deal with balls in behind. In the Champions League last season, his top speed of 32.4km\/h was exceeded by only three Benfica players, all of whom were wingers or full-backs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Composure on the ball<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There have been some incredible technical talents coming out of Portugal in recent years, from Joao Neves to Goncalo Inacio. Silva definitely sits comfortably in that category. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Viseu-born centre-back was third among Benfica players last season for passes completed per 90 (58.71), at a completion rate of 88.4%. But most impressively, Silva was unerringly accurate when distributing forward to launch counter-attacks or get the ball into the attacking third, completing 4.41 long passes per 90 — second among his teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was dispossessed just 0.19 times per 90, which was the second-lowest among Benfica outfield players, while his total final third entries of 11.53 per 90 represented a team-high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, Silva’s willingness to play out from the back brings inherent risk, and he was criticised in Portugal earlier in his career for being apparently mistake-prone. However, the player himself always insisted the criticism was blown out of proportion, while reaffirming his focus on improving his craft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Cherries boss Marco Rose will expect Silva to show composure on the ball in the heat of the Premier League, while needing no second invitation to launch Bournemouth forward in transition. He is very much technically equipped to fill the role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Antonio Silva compares to Marcos Senesi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When compared directly to Senesi, it looks like a natural fit for Bournemouth to sign Silva.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Portugal international shows general superiority with the ball and in the air, while many of the defensive metrics where Senesi is ahead are close enough that they could easily go the other way, and can simply be explained by Silva playing for a far more dominant team in his league. After all, despite going unbeaten all season, the Eagles finished third in the Primeira Liga in 2025\/26. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What’s more, Silva is six years younger than Senesi, offering Bournemouth the chance to continue their expertise in developing centre-backs and selling them on for a massive profit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva is a player who looked destined for the top from an early age, but has perhaps taken a little longer to leave Benfica than expected. Now, he finally has the opportunity to prove himself at a club that has allowed centre-backs to leave for PSG, Real Madrid and Tottenham in the last two summers alone. He may finally have arrived. <\/p>\n\n\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n