After opening their summer spending spree with the acquisition of Alexis Sanchez, Arsenal continued to strengthen for the season ahead by snapping up Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle. The right-back arrives on a long-term deal and hands the Gunners a replacement for Bacary Sagna, who left for champions Manchester City under freedom of contract:
Discussing the move with the club’s official website, Arsene Wenger
revealed that the Frenchman was his main target to take over from the departed Sagna and underlined the new boy’s attacking potential as key:
“We are delighted to welcome Mathieu Debuchy to Arsenal Football Club. He has shown he can perform at the highest level with his club sides and also for France. He is a quality defender who has good Premier League experience and I’m confident he will fit in very well with us. The obvious replacement for Sagna was Debuchy. He knows what to expect and that’s of course a huge advantage. Debuchy is very good going forward, is very quick in transition. He is sharp in his marking, good with interceptions and quick to go from defence to attack. You feel he always has the desire to go forward, so I believe he will be perfectly suited to our style in that aspect.”
The History
A product of the Lille youth academy in his native France, the 28-year-old made his debut back in the 2003/04 season. Over the course of a decade, Debuchy cemented his spot as a regular at right-back and played a total of 289 times across all competitions, with his threat down the flank serving up 18 goals and 16 assists. A habit for incurring the referee’s wrath was obvious back in Ligue 1, though; Debuchy receiving 57 yellow cards and was dismissed on five occasions before making his way to Newcastle in January 2013.
The Frenchman made 14 league appearances for the Magpies in his debut campaign but failed to deliver any attacking returns for Alan Pardew’s side. Last term, though, he stepped up in the final third and managed a goal and four assists in 29 league games – again, though, his disciplinary record was a cause for concern, with 12 yellows and a couple of dismissals in 46 matches across all competitions for the Tyneside team.
On the international stage, Debuchy has scored twice in 25 appearances for France and, as evidenced by the recent World Cup, has edged past Sagna as Didier Deschamps’ first-choice right-back.
The Prospects
The reported £12m deal certainly bodes well for Debuchy’s Fantasy prospects for the season ahead. A look at the statistics shows that Wenger rarely rotated at right-back and centre-half – Sagna, Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker appeared in the first XI on 32+ occasions – compared to the uncertainty on the left which saw Kieran Gibbs and Nacho Monreal handed 24 and 13 starts respectively.
After serving up 17 clean sheets in 2013/14 (11 at home and six on the road), Wenger’s backline was second only to Chelsea (18) for shut-outs, conceding a mere 11 times in front of their own fans. Granted, their form on the road against title contenders (leaking 17 goals on their travels to Chelsea, Liverpool and City) may persuade us to bench their main assets for tougher trips but, having started the Fantasy games as a Newcastle player, Debuchy’s kinder price tag strengthens his appeal.
Coming in at 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) and 6.1 in the Sky Sports game, the right-back is 0.5 cheaper than Mertesacker and Koscielny in the former game – persuading many to snap him up in the hope that Wenger’s side can replicate last year’s resilience.
It’s not just defensive potential that brings Debuchy onto our radars, though. In the season gone by, the Frenchman was third for shots (35) and attempts on target (12) amongst defenders despite starting only 28 matches, whilst a comparison with Sagna also reflects his promise; Debuchy produced an attempt on goal every 74.7 minutes to Sagna’s 201.3, whilst he was also quicker for creating chances by 113.6 minutes to 153.4.
Whilst showdowns against Everton, City, Spurs and Chelsea in the first seven Gameweeks hand Wenger’s side a mixed opening schedule, Debuchy’s points potential at both ends of the pitch could offset any lack of defensive returns and persuade many that he’s worth the early investment.
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