Arsenal Transfer News: Johan Djourou Has No Long-Term Future at Arsenal

The good news just keeps coming for Arsenal as it looks like somebody wants to take Johan Djourou off their hands.

First came the releases of Andrey Arshavin, Denilson and Sebastien Squillaci. Then there was the news that the Gunners found takers for Nicklas Bendtner. Now Djourou could be the next to go.

Hamburg's sporting director Oliver Kreutzer spoke to Bild, per Jim Daly of the Daily Mirror. He said, "We would loan him, but we would also buy him, depending on what Arsenal prefer. Hannover played well in Europe last season, but Hamburg is Hamburg. HSV is HSV, and we are just a better club."

Djourou spent half a season on loan at Hannover, making 14 league appearances and two in the Europa League. He was able to have a playing role that far exceeded anything he would have received at Arsenal.

At 26 years old, it's time to make a definitive determination about Djourou's future at Arsenal, or lack thereof.

If Djourou were 21 or 22, you could justify giving him more time at the club. Right now, he's approaching his prime, and his prime doesn't look all that great.

Sure the defender would improve if given regular first-team football. That leap, though, is not enough to warrant having a place in the Arsenal squad.

Injuries have had a part to play in that. Just when it looks like Djourou has gotten things going, he's forced off the pitch.

Football is no place for sympathy. If a player can't stay healthy, then you can't rely on him. If you can't rely on him, it's time to move him on.

Part of Arsenal's problems lately have been that the club appears happy to simply qualify for the Champions League. That brings in a ton of money, but as the Gunners are seeing, players and supporters can only put up for so long without the club moving forward.

A club that wants to win the Premier League shouldn't be relying on Djourou to play an important role. He's reached the point where you can't wait for him to develop into the kind player he looked like he could become a couple of years ago.

The only choice Arsenal have in this matter is to sell Djourou. There's no sense in loaning out a 26-year-old defender out for another season. The benefits aren't enough and they don't outweigh the financial windfall that would come from selling him.

By offloading Djourou, the Gunners can turn their attention to getting the kind of centre-backs who can fuel a title run. The Telegraph's Luke Edwards reported Ashley Williams will try and push through a move to Arsenal himself. The Daily Mirror's Matt Law also reported the club could make a bid for Kyriakos Papadopoulos.

Either of those two would be much better options than Djourou.

For the past couple of seasons, Arsenal have been full of players that haven't met the standards of the club. This summer, it looks like Arsene Wenger is getting rid of the clutter.