"Playing again in the Champions League is a big excitement for me and I will do my best to help Arsenal compete for trophies."Those were the words of Mathieu Debuchy when the Frenchman joined Arsenal from Newcastle United for £12 million in the summer of 2014.Debuchy was understandably excited about the prospect of playing for one of the Premier League's big guns and probably thought it was a step in the right direction at the time.How wrong that proved to be.Through a combination of injuries and a certain Hector Bellerin, Debuchy quickly plummeted down Arsenal's pecking order at right-back and was eventually exiled from the first team.The 32-year-old made just 13 Premier League appearances as an Arsenal player, so it hardly came as a surprise when he was shipped to St Etienne in January.And when Debuchy's north London nightmare finally ended, he parted ways by firing shots at Arsene Wenger for blocking a previous move to Manchester United."I would have liked to have left Arsenal earlier and to have played for a different club," he said in February. "There were moments when I was angry with the manager."There was an approach from Manchester United and he did not want me to leave."Debuchy is seeking to revive his career in his homeland with St Etienne, who signed him on a six-month contract until the end of the current season.So how's it going for the French full-back? Well, what's happened to him since leaving Arsenal five weeks ago is actually rather staggering.In his short time with St Etienne, Debuchy has:
- Scored two goals
- Lost zero games (W2, D3)
- Become a cult hero at the club
- Been nominated for Ligue 1 Player of the Month alongside Neymar
- Worked his way back into contention for the 2018 World Cup with France
In comparison, Bellerin has lost five out of seven games for Arsenal since February 3 and is now being linked with a move away this summer. Amazing.
Wenger has made bigger transfer blunders, but allowing Debuchy to leave in a time when Bellerin is struggling for form was foolish.