While Mathieu Debuchy’s time at Newcastle was one filled with joy, what followed after his move to Arsenal was anything but.
The Frenchman was signed by the Gunners after being impressed with what the right-back had shown in the north of England, and Arsène Wenger, manager at the time, decided that €15m were worth the spend.
Debuchy, now 37 and retired, sat down with La Voix du Nord this week, where he has discussed his career at length, including his less than successful time at Arsenal.
While he admits he would have liked to stay longer at St James’ Park, he continues by revealing what many already knew: you don’t turn down the Emirates side.
He said: “I’m at the World Cup in Brazil. My agent calls me and tells me the offer from Arsenal. In my head, I tell myself that it’s an extra step in one of the most prestigious clubs in Europe. I’m flattered. Wenger calls me, and obviously I go. Newcastle got a nice profit after a year and a half.
“The Magpies chairman calls me the day of my transfer. We rarely saw him and he calls me to tell me that my stay there had left a mark on them. It’s classy and it was an exit that done naturally. I was able to put things in perspective in Brazil and I have this ability to shift my focus quickly.”
He ended up going to Girondins de Bordeaux on loan in 2016, before eventually leaving permanently in January 2018 on a free to AS Saint-Etienne.
Despite being under contract for three and a half years with Arsenal, he only ever made 30 appearances in all competitions, which is why he was asked whether his time there was a good or a bad memory.
He replied: “I have no regrets, just disappointment. I know what I did. I worked hard to come back and I gave my all to play. Choices were made and I had to accept them There were ups and downs. (..)
“I couldn’t do any more. I was giving everything. I’m proud of that because I never gave up. I wanted to perform in case I was called upon or if I had to suddenly go on loan. I wanted to be operational. It’s a complicated period but I was well supported by my wife and Olivier Giroud, with whom I was really close. That’s where we came closer. We lived good moments together. He was very important at a delicate time.”
As for the differences between Arsenal and Newcastle, he said: “At Newcastle, I was taken aback by the very loud music in the dressing room before games and you can smell the stadium. It’s the classic English image with solid guys who live for football. We had fridges filled with Red Bull. It’s a bit of a cliché, but that’s how it was.
“Arsenal was different. More modern and Arsène Wenger was on top of everything. At Newcastle, after the game, we would drink a beer in the dressing room. I hadn’t known that at Lille, and I was discovering it.”
