Arsenal
Wenger Continues To Offload ‘Deadwood’ As Defender Completes Bundesliga Move
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has continued to trim his squad with defender Johan Djourou joining German outfit Hannover 96 on loan until the end of the season.
With the January transfer window now open for business we’ll be keeping you up-to-date with all the latest transfer gossip. Today, Johan Djourou is off to Hannover 96.
Arsene Wenger has continued to offload some of the so-called ‘deadwood’ from his squad after Arsenal.com confirmed defender Johan Djourou has joined German outfit Hannover 96 on loan until the end of the season.
Djourou has only made 2 appearances for the first team this season – captaining the side to wins over Coventry and Reading in the Capital One Cup – and he hasn’t got near the first team in the league or champions league, so it’s clear he’s not in boss Arsene Wenger’s plans.
A move away from the club is best for all parties and Arsenal confirmed on their official website on Saturday afternoon that the 25-year-old have sealed a move to the Bundesliga outfit.
Djourou as been an excellent servant to Arsenal during his eight-and-a-half-years with the club – making 144 appearances during that time – and has shown his versatility having to play out-of-position at right back on several occasions last season.
I remember he was arguably our best centre-back during the 2010/11 season when he started a career-high 20 Premier League games as well as 6 in the champions league. But he’s never really been given a run of games in recent seasons and his confidence has been dented by some poor displays last year.
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Hopefully Djourou will resurrect his career in Germany but I don’t think he’ll ever make it at the Emirates and a permanent move in the summer is likely.
With Chamakh also completing a loan move to West Ham on Friday, that’s two high earners off the wage bill and two spaces that can, and need to be, filled in the squad this month. I feel we need a striker and a versatile defender as well as a ball-winning central midfielder, so hopefully Arsene is off-loading the ‘deadwood’ before concentrating on strengthening the squad with some quality additions.
Who would you like to see Wenger sign this month? Get involved in the comments section below.
