In an interview with a French news outlet, Matthieu Debuchy has revealed Newcastle United were always a stepping stone in his eyes, as he eyed a move to a ‘table topping club’.
When questioned as to whether he and his agent had devised this plan prior to his move to Newcastle, he replied: “Yes, it was expected.
“You never know what can happen, but I had already talked to my agents, and Newcastle was clearly a step before going into one of the table top clubs.
Nonetheless, Matthieu did go on to admit Newcastle are a club close to his heart.
He said: “I still had a great year and a half in Newcastle. I regret having left the fans, but that was expected. “Everything was done quickly, I signed up for the World Cup, so I could not say goodbye.” Debuchy also went on to add how he received a phone call from Mike Ashley, after agreeing his move to Arsenal, to thank him for his service.
“The president called me, he does not do it with everyone, it was a strong gesture on his part,” he added.
“It means that I have done good things in Newcastle.
“It was a bit difficult for me, I had a good relationship with the public and those of the club. It was brutal [the reaction of Newcastle fans], but I’m very happy to be at Arsenal.”
The French international spent just 18-months on Tyneside before his agent pioneered a £12million-move to Arsenal. In his time with the club, Debuchy managed 46 appearances, scoring just the once and assisting three times.
At the time, the 29-year-old was regarded as one of Newcastle’s best players. However, his sale did not hit the Magpies hard as they had lined up Dutch international Daryl Janmaat as his replacement. Despite only making 31 appearances for the club so far, the Dutchman has already matched Debuchy’s goals tally and doubled his assists.
