What’s the story?
In a shocking outburst, Arsenal right-back Mathieu Debuchy has hit out at his manager Arsene Wenger for blocking his move to Manchester United, 12 months ago. Speaking to French Outlet, Le Equipe, the Frenchman said that he was not happy with his manager’s actions and expressed his desire to leave the Gunners in January.
"I wasn't playing a lot, it was United, there's nothing else to say. For me, it was almost unexpected, but the coach said no," said Debuchy, who played in just two Premier League matches last season. "It's something I did not appreciate. He wasn't using me, so I didn't see his interest in doing that."
In case you didn’t know...
Debuchy, who has been second fiddle to Spanish youngster Hector Bellerin, has played a measly 16 minutes of Premier League football this season. The right-back had joined Arsenal in 2014 after putting up impressive performances in the Newcastle jersey. However, Hector Bellerin’s rise saw him being pushed towards the periphery and ultimately Debuchy lost his place to the Spaniard.
Also read: Arsenal Transfer Rumour: Liverpool plot shock move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
The 31-year-old, who has a contract that extends till 2019, has had a tough time breaking into the first team. With no end to his misery, it seems that the time has probably come for him to switch clubs if he wants to be a sure starter and get a good amount of game time. The player also struggled to start the previous season and he ultimately ended up going to Bordeaux on loan, where he made a grand total of 9 appearances.
The heart of the matter
The fullback also revealed that he and Arsene Wenger do not see eye to eye anymore and that their relationship has turned sour.
"We acknowledge each other, we say hello, nothing more," he added.
Debuchy was linked to several clubs in the summer transfer window, however, no move materialised. A quick look at Arsenal's playing XI is enough to see that the chance of Debuchy starting a match are highly improbable.
Sportskeeda’s take
Arsene Wenger has probably learned from his experience with Robin van Persie that selling a player to your direct rivals can turn out to be a disastrous move. But at the same time, one could argue that Debuchy never quite had the same world class ability and he would hardly be a threat to Arsenal if he did indeed move to the Red side of Manchester.
Debuchy’s public outburst probably means that he will soon be leaving the Gunners which would probably be best for both the parties involved.
