Overall, you could say Arsenal’s transfer window wasn’t all that terrible.
They needed a striker, they got one. They needed a new centre-back, they got one. New deep lying playmaker? Granit Xhaka.
Yes, Lucas Pérez isn’t the marquee goalscorer everybody was expecting Arsène Wenger to splash out on, but he’ll get goals.
However, one position that probably needed upgrading was their right-back backup, with Debuchy eventually staying, despite attempts to sign former Lille full-back Djibril Sidibé.
Called up to Didier Deschamps’ France squad ahead of a friendly against Italy and a World Cup qualifier against Belarus, the 24-year-old came back over his decision to reject a move to the Premier League where he would have teamed up with Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud.
He told L’Equipe: “There were various factors, mostly game time. Even if it was very tempting because Arsenal is Arsenal, many young players leave early for teams abroad. Are they really ready to face the challenges of life in a new setting? Somewhere, I think I wasn’t ready.
“I’m young, I still have a lot to learn. It simply just wasn’t the right time, but it’s getting closer. I wanted to have another season under my belt, and why not, in a year or two, play in the Premier League.”
Signing for Monaco instead, the right-back, who spent most of last season at Lille playing down the left, was part of the side who beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 during Ligue 1’s third round of fixtures, and will play in the Champions League with the French side.
Plenty of opportunities to get that experience he wants, then.
