Profile Johan Djourou

Personal information :

Full name : Johan Danon Djourou-Gbadjere
Date of birth : 18 January 1987
Place of birth : Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
Height : 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position : Centre back
Current club : Arsenal
Number : 20
Youth career :
2002 Étoile Carouge
2002–2004 Arsenal
Senior career :
2004– Arsenal
2007 Birmingham City (loan)
National team :
2005 Switzerland U20
2005–2006 Switzerland U21
2006– Switzerland

Club career

Youth development

Djourou was born in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to Ivorian parents Joachim and Angeline, and was subsequent embraced via his father's first wife Daniele, a Swiss woman. They shifted to Geneva as shortly as he was 17 months old. He enrolled at the Payerne Training Center as shortly as he was 13 and thereafter in 2002 stringed regional second division side Étoile Carouge as a midfielder at 15. A minority months subsequent he gestured scholarship models for the Arsenal Academy. He officially stringed Arsenal as a businessman on 1 August 2003. He was a member of the Swiss under-19 squad that arrived the semi-finals of the 2004 European Championships.

Arsenal

Djourou prepared his first senior begin for Arsenal in a 3–1 victory against Everton in the League Cup, having prepared his first arrival afterwards 89 minutes of the corresponding suit in the earlier around against Manchester City on 27 October 2004. He prepared his full Premiership debut for Arsenal in the 7–0 victory across Middlesbrough on 14 January 2006, playing at centre-back with Philippe Senderos. Djourou began Arsenal's FA Cup fourth around clash with Bolton Wanderers as fraction of a makeshift protection, a game in which Arsenal no where 1–0. He had also played in the third around clash with Cardiff City.

In February 2006, Djourou played in the league sport against West Ham United, Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers. In April 2006 he came on as a substitute against Aston Villa in Arsenal's 5–0 victory, displacing the injured Emmanuel Eboué. He began April's premiership game against Portsmouth, a game which also saw the comeback of Sol Campbell. During this season, a figure of Italian clubs (including Juventus) scouted Djourou in Arsenal's park suits (his contract was to expire at the end of the 2006–07 season), but afterwards the end of the World Cup, he gestured a six-year contract extension with Arsenal. He played in Arsenal's 2007 pre-season Emirates Cup win, against both Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.

Loan to Birmingham

On ten August 2007 he gestured for Birmingham City on lend for a five-month period. He prepared his debut pair days subsequent against the earlier season's FA Cup and League Cup winners Chelsea. This was a closely brawled contest in which Chelsea flowed out eventual 3–2 winners, in which Djourou swept off the queue from Frank Lampard to retain Birmingham City in the game. Djourou lasted to play for Birmingham uniformly through his lend term until 22 December 2007, as shortly as he talented Bolton Wanderers' Nicolas Anelka a target by mechanism of an errant throw-in. This labeled his final arrival for the club. Although Birmingham administrator Alex McLeish was eager to retain him, Djourou returned to Arsenal at the end of his lend spell, as wrap for Kolo Touré and Alex Song whoever were playing in the 2008 African Cup of Nations.

Return to Arsenal

In May 2008, Djourou stated that he would be willing to ally Cesc Fàbregas in midfield afterwards the withdrawal of Mathieu Flamini to A.C. Milan. At 1.92 m, Djourou could supply the physical presence that Arsenal have been lacking since the withdrawal of Patrick Vieira in 2005. Instead the young Swiss played in the core of protection as first option backup chasing the withdrawal of fellow Swiss defender Philippe Senderos to A.C. Milan on a season-long loan. In September, Djourou gestured a fresh long-term contract. After Touré's withdrawal to Manchester City, Djourou had a chance to breach into the beginning eleven. However, on 11 April 2009, in a league suit against Wigan Athletic, Djourou suffered a knee injury which subsequent needed surgery. In September 2009, his club guessed a recovery term of six to eight months; Arsène Wenger stated: "He shall have to be patient this season." In March 2010, Djourou emerged on Arsenal television Online's 'Arsenal Live' programme. He broadcast that he was fetching closer to a return: "I am almost at the end. It has been a lengthy street for me and I am actually gazing forth to being rear on the field." He prepared his return from injury as a second-half substitute in the 4-0 win across Fulham in Arsenal's final game of the season. Djourou displaced the injured Mikaël Silvestre and this was his merely arrival in the 2009–10 campaign.

Due to Thomas Vermaelen's injury at the conception of the 2010-11 campaign, Djourou received more opportunities to play. Wenger admitted that he revolves the Swiss global because he missed an complete year and does not want to lose him. Djourou became Arsenal's first-choice centre-back, playing in all eight sport in January 2011, during which time Arsenal granted no Premier League goals. He scored his first target for Arsenal on 5 February, in the third tiny of a 4–4 draw against Newcastle United at St. James' Park.

International career

He prepared his senior Switzerland global debut against Scotland on 1 March 2006, emanating on as a substitute and again playing alongside Philippe Senderos. Djourou was paged upward to the Switzerland 2006 FIFA World Cup squad, regardless not playing in the qualifiers. Although third option interior defender behind Philippe Senderos thereafter of Arsenal and Patrick Müller thereafter of Lyon, he began Switzerland's around 16 game against Ukraine. Injury, however, led him to be substituted in the first half. Later that year, he prepared pair arrivals during Switzerland's qualification campaign for the UEFA U-21 Championship, but has not emerged for the Swiss U-21 squad since. After absent almost the complete season for Arsenal in 2009-10, he was retired out of the Swiss squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.