Djourou officially completes Hamburg season-long loan

Johan Djourou will spend the entirety of the 2013/14 campaign with German side Hamburg after completing a successful medical at the Imtech Arena.

The loan spell has an option for purchase at the end of the season, believed to be around £2.5m, meaning his roller coaster ride with Arsenal looks to be finally over.

The deal was confirmed on the clubs official website, with HSV sporting director Oliver Kreuzer stating:

Johan was top of our wish list of defenders and will be a key component in the team. He possesses leadership qualities, pace, he’s good in the air and moves the ball well.

Djourou, who experienced a taster of the Bundesliga last season while on loan at Hannover 96 for the second half of last season, told the hsv.de website:

I’m very happy now that everything is sorted. HSV are a big club, with a lot of quality and great fans. The Bundesliga is the most exciting and well-balanced league in Europe.

The Swiss international seemed a promising talent however struggled to integrate himself into the Arsenal setup with the likes of Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker ahead of him in the pecking order and Wenger losing faith in him during 2011. He managed 86 appearances scoring once during his time in north London, but best of luck to the centreback who put in 100% when he did play for the Gunners.