When he first emerged in the Premier League a few seasons ago, Mathieu Debuchy looked like he may very well represent a top acquisition for fans of the Premier League to enjoy.
The French defender seemingly impressed at St. James’ Park when Newcastle United initially picked up his services in the winter of 2013, and although the Magpies have subsequently suffered a great deal out on the pitch as a result of numerous combining factors, the now 30-year-old nonetheless did enough to warrant a move to Arsenal not long after first introducing himself on Tyneside.
However, after suffering a series of testing injuries down at the Emirates and falling behind the likes of both Calum Chambers and Hector Bellerin in Arsene Wenger’s pecking order, the one-time French international seems to have reached a resounding dead end with the Gunners at present.
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So then, must Arsenal simply look to move the former Lille right-back on this January with relatively little fuss, or does Mathieu Debuchy still have something to offer in North London throughout the remainder of the campaign?
Although the flying French defender initially impressed in Ligue 1 during the early stages of his career, Debuchy has indeed failed to set the European footballing scene alight since joining up with the Gunners.
For one reason or another, the former Newcastle favourite just hasn’t managed to tie down a regular first team role at Arsenal – despite once representing one of the standout right-backs in the league.
Sometimes deals such as this one invariably fail to work out in the end. If the 30-year-old Frenchman hadn’t of suffered the range of ill-timed injury concerns he did in-fact have to deal with at the start of his stint with the Gunners – who knows – maybe things could have turned out very differently for Debuchy.
In Ligue 1 and under Alan Pardew’s unpredictable Newcastle United outfit in seasons past, the current Arsenal bench-warmer did look like a real star in the making. Mathieu Debuchy once possessed the somewhat priceless ability of being able to combine sheer defensive responsibility, with the all-important need to help his teammates out in the attacking areas of the pitch.
When it came to beating his opponents out wide on the flank, sending in well measured crosses for his strikers to attack, as well as being able to race back in line when the going got tough in defensive positions, pre-injury Debuchy rarely used to disappoint. His all-encompassing overall game successfully caught the attention of Arsene Wenger in the first place after all, which usually proves a worthy indicator.
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Yet now that each of Hector Bellerin, Calum Chambers and Carl Jenkinson (should he return to the Emirates after his loan spell with West Ham expires) all represent younger options for Wenger to contend with in the future, Mathieu Debuchy no longer has a meaningful role to fulfil at the Emirates.
His past domestic experience could nonetheless prove useful for another Premier League side looking to acquire a new right-back in January, and as Debuchy also once excelled in the French squad on the international scene, maybe there is life in this forgotten 30-year-old as of yet.
Newcastle United could arguably do with their old defender back on board this term, with several other sides in the English top-flight in desperate need of defensive strengthening before the closure of the January transfer window.
In the end, though, Arsenal seemingly no longer require the services of the determined Frenchman going into the New Year, which could bring about a rather abrupt end to an Emirates career that sadly never really got going in the first place.
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