clash with Cardiff City. Djourou made his full Premiership debut for Arsenal in the 7–0 victory over Middlesbrough on 14 January 2006, playing at centre-back with Philippe Senderos. He started Arsenal's FA Cup fourth round clash with Bolton Wanderers as part of a makeshift defence, a game in which Arsenal lost 1–0. In February 2006, Djourou played in the league games against West Ham United, Birmingham City and Bolton Wanderers. After a five match absent, he returned to the first team, coming on as a substitute against Aston Villa in Arsenal's 5–0 victory, replacing the injured Emmanuel Eboué. Djourou then started in a league match against Portsmouth on 12 April 2006, a game which also saw the comeback of Sol Campbell, in a 1–1 draw. At the end of the 2005–06 season, he went on to make twelve appearances in all competitions. Following the conclusion of the World Cup, Manager Arsène Wenger said that he would be planning on using Djourou in the first team ahead of the new season. He started the whole game in the opening game of the season in Arsenal's first ever match at Emirates Stadium in a 1–1 draw with Aston Villa. Djourou then played in both legs against Dinamo Zagreb in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, as Arsenal won 5–1 on aggregate. He then helped Arsenal keep two separate clean sheets; which the first one occurred between 17 September 2006 and 23 September 2006 and the second one occurred between 14 October 2006 and 22 October 2006. On 1 November 2006, it was announced that Djourou signed a six-year contract extension with the club. Shortly after, however, he missed four matches, due to international commitment and competitions, he returned to the first team against Fulham on 29 November 2006, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute, in a 2–1 loss. This was followed by keeping two consecutive clean sheets against Tottenham Hotspur and FC Porto. The next two months saw Djourou make only two appearances due to being sidelined with injuries. It wasn't until on 11 February 2007 when he returned to the first team against Wigan Athletic, starting a match and played 51 minutes before being substituted, in a 2–1 win. However, his return was short-lived when Djourou suffered a knee injury that kept him out throughout February. It wasn't until on 3 March 2007 when he returned to the starting line-up,