Johan Djourou on Bukayo Saka, Eddie Nketiah, Mikel Arteta and Arsene Wenger
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In the second part of his exclusive interview with Ladbrokes, former defender Johan Djourou discusses more topics regarding Arsenal.
The Ivorian looks back on joining the Gunners and his memories of Arsene Wenger but starts off by discussing Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah.
Bukayo Saka is worth £200m
Players like Saka are so important to this Arsenal side; more often than not he’s the guy who makes the difference. When you look at the amount of money that’s been spent on players in this transfer window, if a Man City or someone was to come in for Saka this summer, I think they’d have to go as high as maybe £200m.
I’d say £200m because, in this day and age, it’s difficult to understand the value of players in the market. Especially English players, who always seem to go for a little bit more. It’s tough to actually say how much he’s worth. Saka is a great player, but he doesn’t do everything perfect, yet. He’s not the finished product yet, so you know there’s still more to come from him.
I think Declan Rice is a great player, but I think that price tag is going to stay on his shoulders for a while now. He has to show us that he’s worth that money, but at the same time it’s not his fault. He’s not gone and said he thinks he’s worth £105m, or whatever the club have paid for him. It’s the market which makes these things so tricky.
Where Arsenal can improve
It looks like Mikel Arteta still wants to bring a new goalkeeper in, so we’ll see what happens between now and the end of the transfer window. This window has been all about adding strength in depth, though, for what’s going to be a long season ahead. When you’re competing in the Champions League, and if you want to be challenging for the league title, you have to have as complete a squad as possible. Kai Havertz’s arrival has been great, because he brings with him that versatility to be able to play across a number of positions.
What’s missing for me is a killer striker; someone who can come in and score you 20-25 goals a season. You might respond by saying they have Gabriel Jesus, and I think he’s a great striker, he plays so much for the team. He runs a lot, and he gives a lot to the team – so I think the only thing they’re lacking in the squad right now is a killer up front… a guy who will take chances regularly, returning over 20 goals a season.
Eddie Nketiah’s role at Arsenal, for me, has been fully deserved. I think it’s fair for supporters to doubt certain players until they prove themselves and they show up when it matters most, and I think that’s what Eddie did last season. He proved a lot of doubters wrong, and I think he’s a great, great player. Is he the complete player right now? I don’t think so; I think they still need to work on a few things with him. But for his confidence, the faith Mikel Arteta has shown in him must be great. To trust Eddie to lead the front line in Gabriel Jesus’ absence last season… that was a massive statement. Now it’s about him understanding his position in the team, and being able to impact games whenever he’s on the pitch, on a consistent basis.
Arsenal lost a bit of their soul after Emirates move… but it’s coming back
Arsenal, and the whole community, it all means so much to me. I can always remember when I first started playing, I was at Highbury as a young 17-year-old kid who had the support of this huge fanbase… it was just amazing. Sometimes we tend to forget how much sport, and particularly football, brings people together. The support that I had over the years from that fanbase was just amazing. As players we should always be grateful for the support, and for the opportunity we’ve been given to do the thing we love in front of millions of people around the world.
Arsenal is special; it’s simple. Of course, Highbury was a very special place, and then we lost a bit of our soul when we moved to the Emirates because it was so big and people just weren’t used to it. It’s threatened to come back again, that Highbury spirit, over the years, and I think that right now things are better than they’ve ever been. The atmosphere and belief, and the willingness for everyone to want to feel a part of this project… it’s back. It’s beautiful to see. I really respect all of those fans. Football is a game where you go through so many emotions as supporters. You’ll have great years, and then you’ll have hard times where you don’t win anything and people give you stick. But Arsenal is a massive club, known all around the world, and I just feel like big things are around the corner.
Arteta joined us in 2011 and immediately knew what his role was within the club
I think Mikel Arteta likes to have pressure on himself. He’s a guy who has the full belief of everyone at the club, from his players to everyone in the board. Yes, there were plenty of doubters at the beginning, and I don’t think anyone will have expected that squad to finish second in the league last season. That sort of job gives you leverage, and credibility, which in turn means you can go and ask the club for what you want.
Mikel has changed things around; he’s improved the atmosphere and he’s built a new philosophy; those are two really big jobs in themselves. He’s not shy to speak his mind, and tell the press and the supporters his expectations. He’s comfortable in admitting that he now wants to go and win the Premier League, and challenge for the Champions League. That says a lot about his character, and his personality, and the belief he has in his players. He believes they are capable of going toe-to-toe with Manchester City; that they can go and compete with the best sides in Europe.
For me, I don’t think there’s much pressure on Mikel this season. He’s achieved a lot in a short space of time, so there will only be question marks around him and his future if his philosophies don’t continue to flourish. I think he’s in a really good place.
I spent a few years with him at Arsenal. He was a very calm person to have in the dressing room, who came at a time when we were lacking in leaders. He came in with Per [Mertesacker], and he just knew immediately what his role was within the club. He was so good on the pitch, and he really listened to his manager, Arsene Wenger.
Never forget, he came from Everton, who were never at the level of intensity and quality as Arsenal, so he had to come in and adapt to that. What I liked about him was that he kept things very simple; he was so efficient in midfield. He was someone we always knew we could rely on. He was a very nice guy, he’d often speak to me in French, because he had spent a bit of time playing in France. I have very good memories of him at Arsenal.
Moving in with Anthony Stokes’ family
I used to occasionally train with the first team as a 17-year-old, whenever I was needed. That was in that 2003-04 season: the Invincible campaign. What was stunning, for me, was just watching these players, and it was like they just knew they were invincible. They would walk around the room and you could just feel this energy which they gave off. It was crazy to see.
At Colney, everyone ate together, so the first-team stars would be in one corner of the room and the youngsters in the other. And you could just feel that confidence throughout the squad. They just had this certain swagger that you couldn’t miss; you just felt like they knew they weren’t going to lose. Not many teams have that, and no other team has ever managed to do what they did in that season. There’s always one game which will let teams down, but not Arsenal that year. How demanding those guys were, and how disciplined they were… it was incredible. To remain so disciplined over an entire season, even after the title was won… it’s so easy to just slip up. We saw it last year with the team; they were at the top for so long, then all of a sudden there’s a draw here, a defeat there, and before you know it they’ve slipped down into second place.
Every day is a new day; you can’t ever afford to sit back and give too much thought to what you have accomplished in a season. You have to keep climbing, up and up and up.
I moved over on my own, I went into digs with Anthony Stokes, who also played for Arsenal at the time. I stayed with him and his family. For me, that was perfect because I wanted to learn English as quickly as possible. Their accents were a little bit different and took some getting used to, but overall it was great, and the whole arrangement was really good. I was living with a team-mate, I had a family… it was a perfect set-up where I was obligated to speak English. That’s what I wanted, because it meant I could integrate myself as quickly as possible with everyone inside the club.
I last spoke with Anthony maybe a year or two ago. We exchanged some texts, but yeah, our friendship goes back 20 years now!
Arsene Wenger was true to his word with me
For me, I’ve always been so grateful to Arsene Wenger, there is no other word I could use. To give a young guy from Switzerland the chance to come and play for one of the biggest clubs in the world… not only that but for him to stay true to his word, it’s very rare these days. When I arrived at 16, he told me “you will become someone… you will play.”
It wasn’t as simple as that, though, of course. There are lots of challenges you have to overcome along the way. But he stuck to his word and gave me a chance. Arsene is someone who I regard so highly, and who I will always respect. What he did for the club, but then for me personally, it was just immense. I wouldn’t change anything about my time with Arsenal, working under him.
Did I have any intense moments with him? It’s hard, because even in those moments where we weren’t quite on the same page, those discussions were all had with respect, and his main concern was always that I was in a good place. I remember before my debut for the first team… he told me to just play as if I was back in Geneva, in the park with my friends. Little things like that. I remember when I was injured, he dedicated so much time to me, and making sure I was keeping well, and reassuring me that I’d make a full comeback, even when he was worried I wouldn’t be able to do that he always showed me support and told me that I’d make it back.
Arsene always loved my work ethic, and my dedication to the game, and how much I wanted to learn every day in training. That’s why we had a great relationship.
That first meeting with Arsene, it was overwhelming for me, for sure. You’re just shocked that this guy, who coaches Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, Robert Pires and Dennis Bergkamp… he’s coming to you as a kid, and telling you he wants you to sign for the club because he believes in you. But you’re just in a complete bubble, so you don’t realise exactly what he’s said to you in that moment… it only really sunk in for me when I got home and saw my friends.
“You know that guy who manages Arsenal? He wants me to sign for them.”
It sounded crazy saying it out loud, but he always made sure I knew I was an important part of his plans, and his main concern was that his players were always in a good place mentally.
I’ve done two weeks of stage training and still want to become an actor one day
The thing I miss most since retiring from football is actually the smell of the pitch. You know, being around my teammates, inside the dressing room, the adrenaline before games… you cannot replace any of these things, but for me it’s the smell of the pitch. You can’t replace those feelings that come from being in that environment.
But I’m enjoying my new life now, I’m coaching young girls at the moment and that’s great fun. I’m doing my coaching badges, I’ve just done my badges in Wales so I’m currently doing camps for kids in Switzerland through my company. I love the broadcasting side of things, so I’m doing punditry work for French TV and out in Switzerland. I’m quite busy, really!
I once said one of my goals after football was to become an actor. It’s funny, because I’ve recently done two weeks of stage training, last summer. It was amazing, actually. It’s a huge investment, though, and right now I’m in a position where I really want to give young kids access to their dreams in football.
I’m more focused about football at this moment in time, like my daughter is currently playing in my team and I see how passionate she is. I see the passion in all of these kids’ eyes. We know it’s a tricky world and it’s a tough business, but I want to give every kid the opportunity to achieve their goals.
For me, as a young player, not a lot of people were saying I was going to make it as a professional footballer, especially as I hadn’t played in the top division in my country, but I made it. It’s all about your commitment and your discipline; how driven you are to achieve your goals, and that’s what I want to give to young players today. There’s plenty of time for the acting side of things, for sure!
