Seabright pens new Daggers deal

Seabright pens new Daggers deal

Published Jul. 2, 2013 7:15 a.m. ET

Hamburg have signed Switzerland defender Johan Djourou on loan from Arsenal.

The 26-year-old has moved to Hamburg on an initial one-year loan deal with the Bundesliga club having the option to make the move permanent next summer.

Djourou, who undertook his medical with the northern Germany club this morning before putting pen to paper on his contract, spent the second half of last season on loan with Hamburg's Bundesliga rivals Hannover after joining during the January transfer window.

Djourou said on Hamburg's official website: "I'm very happy now that everything is sorted. HSV are a big club, with a lot of quality and great fans.

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"I am convinced that this is the right step for my career."

Hamburg's director of sport Oliver Kreuzer said: "Johan was a priority as the defence is a very important part of our team. He has leadership qualities but is also fast, good in the air and very good on the ball."

The versatile Ivory Coast-born defender joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2003 and has made 144 appearances for the Gunners.

The 24-year-old arrived at Valley Parade from Burnley last summer and went on to make 41 appearances, scoring two goals, as the Bantams clinched promotion to League One and reached the Capital One Cup final.

Parkinson told the club's official website: "Zav did well for us last season and we must thank him for his contribution, but he needs to go somewhere he is going to play regular first-team football."

Rovers last week saw a second offer rejected for the 27-year-old, who has 12 months remaining on his contract at Glanford Park.

Scunthorpe boss Brian Laws said the previous bid was "way below" his valuation of the player and Doncaster counterpart Paul Dickov appeared to put any further move for the wide man on hold.

Speaking last week, he told reporters at the club's training ground on Rovers' return to pre-season training: "He's a busy player who makes things happen and he has a bit of steel about him as well.

"But we have a valuation of the player and we won't be held to ransom, so that's now on the backburner."

Yet Rovers have now gone back in with another improved bid for Duffy which has been accepted by the Iron.

The 30-year-old, who gained his first taste of the Football League with Aldershot, was released by League One Shrewsbury earlier this summer having bagged 18 goals in two years at the Shropshire club, including seven last season.

Morgan rejected other interested suitors, including some from League One, to pen a deal at Home Park and he is delighted to have joined the Pilgrims.

He told the club's official website: "As a striker, you want to be playing, you want to be scoring goals, and you want to be going to an ambitious club, and you can't be getting a more ambitious club than this in League Two.

"This is the biggest club I have played for in my career.

"It is about trying to get it out of League Two and into League One and going on from there. It's going to be a tough task, but my ambition is to do what I did at Shrewsbury, when I took a step back to move forwards.

"It was the right step to go to Shrewsbury when I did, and I think it's the right thing again.

"I did have offers from League One clubs, even a last-ditch effort from a team last night (Sunday), but I'm a man of my word and, once I got down here, my mind was made up.

"At the moment it's hard for any player getting a team and I was grateful to have a few teams interested in me."

The 19-year-old, out of contract this summer, made his first-team debut as a replacement for the injured Chris Lewington in an FA Cup tie at former club Bournemouth in November.

Seabright went on to make a total of five appearances for the Daggers last term.

Boss Wayne Burnett told the club's official website: "Jordan impressed when called upon towards the back end of last season and I hope he will continue to develop and push Chris Lewington for the number one jersey this season."

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