Big-spending Queens Park Rangers could be set to bring in yet more new names in the January transfer window, with Arsenal’s Johan Djourou apparently a target.
The Swiss centre-back has not lived up to expectations at Arsenal, starting out as one of the club’s more promising youngsters, before falling down the pecking order in the last two seasons after the arrival of Per Mertesacker and the return to fitness of Thomas Vermaelen.
The 25-year-old might be keen to move to a club where he’d get more first-team action, and Mark Hughes will be desperate to tighten his side’s defence after a poor start to the season that seems them rooted to the bottom of the table without a win.
Speaking on Life’s A Pitch, Tom Hopkinson, of The People, speculated: “I suspect he’s on a list of defenders they’re looking at but I’d imagine he’s not the top name on that list.
“He’s finding himself behind the likes of Koscielny, Vermaelen and Mertesacker at Arsenal so it’s not looking good for his career. He’ll definitely need a new club, so I’ll give it an eight or nine that he’s on his way; but to QPR I suspect it’s closer to four out of 10.”
I’d be inclined to agree that, while it’s likely Djourou will want a move, QPR might actually feel they have the money to go for someone a little more high profile. They were trying, after all, for the likes of Ricardo Carvalho over the summer.
Personally, if they’re after one of our backups I’d rather we tried to tempt them with Squillaci…
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