Swiss defender Johan Djourou has signed for Italian Serie A outfit SPAL 2013 ahead of the new season.

The 31-year-old joins the lowly club as a free agent after putting pen to paper on a one-year deal following the termination of his contract at Turkish side Antalyaspor.

He has the option of an additional 12 months in his contract.

The former Arsenal and Hamburg defender recently featured as part of the Switzerland squad to the just concluded FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia.

Switzerland were eliminated in the round of 16 after their 1-0 loss to Sweden.

His addition to the SPAL 2013 squad is a welcomed development for the club which ended a 49-year wait for top flight football last season.

SPAL narrowly escaped relegation at the end of the season as they finished in the last spot (17th) outside the drop zone.