Arsenal completed their second signing of the summer, and it just might be as important as the one of Alexis Sanchez.
The Gunners seem to mean business in this summer transfer window, with Arsene Wenger not dithering and playing the waiting game, looking for a bargain, like he has done, or been forced to do, so often in the past.
Having signed Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona for a fee exceeding £30 million, Arsenal are now nearing the £50 million mark in spending already after completing a move for Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle for a fee believed to be in the region of £10-12 million.
While Sanchez's signing was confirmed a week ago by Arsenal, Wenger is believed to have already sealed the signature of Debuchy, who completed his medical nearly two weeks ago, as well, with the move announcement delayed as Newcastle looked to add a replacement to their own ranks.
Having signed Netherlands international Daryl Janmaat from Feyenoord, it finally cleared the way for Arsenal to officially announce their latest exciting capture.
"We are delighted to welcome Mathieu Debuchy to Arsenal Football Club," Wenger told the club's official website. "He has shown he can perform at the highest level with his club sides and also for France.
"He is a quality defender who has good Premier League experience and I'm confident he will fit in very well with us."
Debuchy replaces France compatriot Bacary Sagna as Arsenal's first-choice right-back after the defender joined Manchester City on a free transfer. Whether Debuchy will be an upgrade to Sagna in that position remains to be seen; but the soon-to-be 29-year-old certainly justified his place as first-choice for France, ahead of Sagna, with some solid performances for France at the World Cup.
"I'm very proud to be joining a great club like Arsenal and to wear its colours, it's one of the biggest clubs in the whole world," Debuchy said.
"I'm looking forward to working with Arsene Wenger and to helping the team build on last season's FA Cup success. Playing again in the Champions League is a big excitement for me and I will do my best to help Arsenal compete for trophies."
Arsenal are also thought to be closing in on a loan deal for Atletico Madrid right-back Javier Manquilo, while Wenger's team have also been linked with a move for Southampton defender Calum Chambers.
If Wenger does sign a new right-back it will put Carl Jenkinson's future at Arsenal in doubt, with the defender then likely to, at the very least, move out on a loan deal to gain some first-team experience. Jenkinson, while still being raw, has shown in the past that, if given a solid run of games, he is capable of making an impression with a good spell for Arsenal not too long ago also earning him a call-up to the England national team.
Wenger also has up and coming right-back Hector Bellerin at his disposal, and it is thought the manager sees a big future for the Spaniard, which might be the reason why he chose the more experienced Debuchy over the younger Serge Aurier, who was heavily tipped with a move to the Emirates earlier in the summer.
