Wenger – I blocked Debuchy move to United
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed the reasons behind not allowing Mathieu Debuchy to leave the club to a Premier League rival.
On Deadline Day, reports suggested that Manchester United had made a late loan move for the 30-year-old right-back, only for Wenger to knock back any interest the Red Devils had in the Frenchman.
Speaking to the media in his pre-match news conference on Friday morning, as reported by talkSPORT, the Frenchman confirmed that he did not want to sell the experienced defender to a ‘direct rival’.
I hope that’s not surprising to you.
You loan players out to clubs who do not have the resources, not direct opponents. There was nothing shocking in that and I stand up for it.
Debuchy made the move to Bordeaux and has since gone on to become a regular, completing 90 minutes for the French strugglers last week.
It’s likely that the ex-Newcastle United defender will leave the Gunners in the summer, due to the fact that Hector Bellerin has the position tied down, and likely will for many years to come.
With the likes of Carl Jenkinson to come back into the side after injury and Calum Chambers more than capable of filling in, Wenger has a plethora of options.