Former Newcastle United defender Mathieu Debuchy claims he would have liked to stay longer at St. James' Park in an interview with French media where he bares all. The 37-year-old has recently called time on his playing career that spanned almost two decades.
The former Lille defender impressed as his side won the Ligue 1 title and Coupe De France in 2010-11, catching the eye of a number of Premier League clubs. However, it was the Magpies who proved successful in their pursuit.
Alan Pardew's side submitted a bid to sign Debuchy from Lille in the summer of 2012 but it was knocked back by the French side. The Toon had to wait until January 2013 to get their man for a reported £5.5million deal and a five-and-a-half-year deal.
Speaking to La Voix Du Nord, Debuchy said: "Newcastle wanted me in the summer. I’m on holiday, I call the manager and tell him that I want to go to the Magpies. The club shut the door on me. I’m disappointed.
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"I don’t go clash with them, but I sulk a bit looking back. I regret that it became a bit tense. In fact, I didn’t play against Copenhagen because I wanted to leave.
"I therefore stayed an extra six months. In December, an agreement was found just after the final game of the year and I leave in January.”
Debuchy was thrust into the deep end on Tyneside and admits he wasn't physically ready for the demands of the Premier League, insisting the intensity of the top flight is no myth. “I didn’t have time to think about it," he said. "I arrive, and three training sessions later, I’m starting against Norwich. The English adventure was starting.
"It was a bit weird, I’ll admit. Physically, I wasn’t ready. It was intense, including in how the players run at you. I remember a moment at the end of the game. On a cross, someone smashes into my back and the ref plays on.
“The intensity of the Premier League isn’t a myth. They don’t ask questions. There are incredible players with this technical quality, but there’s also those with that mentality, this desire to go the extra mile.
"I discovered passionate people at Newcastle, It’s not a regret. I would’ve like to stay longer there because I loved that club. It’s an important period of my career.”
Debuchy was named in Didier Deschamps French World Cup squad for 2014 but it was here, where his Newcastle tenure would come to an end. Despite admitting he would have liked to stay at St. James' Park for longer, the right-back couldn't turn down Arsene Wenger and Arsenal when they came calling.
He said: “I’m at the World Cup in Brazil. My agent calls me and tells me the offer from Arsenal. In my head, I tell myself that it’s an extra step in one of the most prestigious clubs in Europe. I’m flattered. Wenger calls me, and obviously I go. Newcastle got a nice profit after a year and a half.
“The Magpies chairman calls me the day of my transfer. We rarely saw him and he calls me to tell me that my stay there had left a mark on them.
"It’s classy and it was an exit that done naturally. I was able to put things in perspective in Brazil and I have this ability to shift my focus quickly.
“I have no regrets [about his Arsenal tenure after making just 30 appearances for the Gunners], just disappointment. I know what I did. I worked hard to come back and I gave my all to play. Choices were made and I had to accept them There were ups and downs. (..)"
“I couldn’t do any more," Debuchy added. "I was giving everything. I’m proud of that because I never gave up. I wanted to perform in case I was called upon or if I had to suddenly go on loan.
"I wanted to be operational. It’s a complicated period but I was well supported by my wife and Olivier Giroud, with whom I was really close. That’s where we came closer. We lived good moments together. He was very important at a delicate time.
"At Newcastle, I was taken aback by the very loud music in the dressing room before games and you can smell the stadium.
"It’s the classic English image with solid guys who live for football. We had fridges filled with Red Bull. It’s a bit of a cliché, but that’s how it was.
“Arsenal was different. More modern and Arsène Wenger was on top of everything. At Newcastle, after the game, we would drink a beer in the dressing room. I hadn’t known that at Lille, and I was discovering it.”
