Arsenal's Johan Djourou joins Hannover on loan

• Johan Djourou joins German club until end of season
• Arsène Wenger says league remains priority for Arsenal

by Amy Lawrence 4 months ago

Arsenal's Johan Djourou is joining Hannover on loan until the end of the season, subject to a medical. The Switzerland defender has played 144 times for the north London side since 2004, but the 25-year-old has made only two senior appearances this season, both in the League Cup.

Meanwhile, Arsène Wenger has reaffirmed that his priority is to improve Arsenal's league position as his team prepare for Sunday's FA Cup third round tie against Swansea. "If you win the Cup it's important, but people want you to fight for the championship. That's where the strength of a team really lies. The club demands that we fight for the championship," he said.

Arsenal stand sixth in the Premier League and, after being knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Bradford City, the FA Cup remains their most likely route to a trophy. A Champions League tie against Bayern Munich is coming up in February and Wenger wants his team to experience winning a trophy: "It will give them more confidence, of course." But he is adamant that a strong Premier League campaign, and a top-four finish, is more vital. "The Champions League is very important. It makes a massive difference to recruit players."

Arsenal travel to south Wales mindful of the qualities they will encounter, having been beaten by Swansea at the Emirates Stadium in early December courtesy of two late goals from Michu. Wenger felt his team were a little naive on the day, as the game was goalless with three minutes to go. "When you can't win you sometimes have to make sure you don't lose. We lost the game because we wanted to win too much."