Johan Djourou
Born :
January 18, 1987
Birth place :
Ivory Coast
Height :
1.92m
Weight :
90 kg
Position :
Defender
Squad Number :
20
Previous Club(s) :
Birmingham City (loan)
Etoile Carouge FC
Joined Arsenal :
August 01, 2003
2003/04
Johan signed a professional contract with the Club in August 2003.
2004/05
The Swiss defender made his first senior appearance in late October when he came on as a substitute in a League Cup tie against Manchester City.
He went on to start a further two games in that competition during the season.
2005/06
The first and last games of Johan’s season in 2005/06 perfectly illustrated the progress he made.
The then 19-year-old began the campaign at Underhill against West Ham's Reserves on a mundane Monday night in August and ended it marking Andriy Shevchenko as Switzerland played Ukraine in the last 16 of the World Cup.
Johan impressed in the League Cup during the early stages of the season and made his full Premier League in a 7-0 win over Middlesbrough in January. He caught the eye again, coping admirably with the threat of forwards Mark Viduka and Yakubu.
According to Wenger, Djourou defied his tender years and showed he was up to the task of playing at that level. "I feel recently he has shown that he has the qualities to do it.”
He went on to make six Premier League starts and 11 in all competitions.
2006/07
In October, the defender signed a new long-term contract with the Club. "It shows the boss and the Club see the future with me, which is a great thing. I'm very happy to be part of a club like Arsenal and I'll do all I can for them."
To date, the campaign remains his most productive in an Arsenal shirt. He made 18 Premier League starts and 27 in all competitions, a total he thought unlikely at the start of the season.
Injuries to Philippe Senderos and William Gallas presented a chance to Johan and it was one he grasped with both hands.
"I've definitely played more games than I expected this season," he said. "When you're a young player you're expecting to be more on the bench and going through a learning process. It's been an amazing season to be playing at a level you don't expect to play at so much when you're so young.”
2007/08
Johan joined Birmingham City on loan at the start of the season so he could get valuable playing time. He was a regular for the Blues and made 13 appearances during his time in the Midlands.
After returning to Arsenal in December his season was interrupted by injury, but he did return to make two appearances towards the end of the season.
“The season was tough for me. The spell at Birmingham was good and I could play a lot. Unfortunately I got an injury that was there for a little while. That was frustrating because I want to come back and play.”
2008/09
In September, Johan put pen to paper on a new long-term contract.
After Kolo Touré's departure to Manchester City he had a chance to make an impression on the first team and didn’t disappoint. He put in a number of impressive performances as he made 13 Premier League starts in total before his season was ended when he suffered a knee injury in April.
"I told myself at the start of the season that I have to work hard even if I’m not first choice because I’m still young, but I think I’ve shown to people that I’m ready for this. I played quite well when I was in the team more regularly so it’s now for me to step up and stay there.”
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