2. Mathieu Debuchy To Arsenal
Lynne Cameron/PA Archive/Press Association Images
Club: Newcastle United In some ways, Debuchy's time at Newcastle was on a count-down the minute Yohan Cabaye left for PSG, and not simply because the duo are notoriously good friends. The real reason is that like Cabaye, Debuchy was clearly brought in to the club with full knowledge and acceptance that his tenure at St. James' Park was merely a stepping stone to a better deal at a "bigger" club with more chance of playing European football - unless the club somehow managed to live up to Mike Ashley's much-maligned five year plan to return the club to the big time. Debuchy's move to Arsenal, which is apparently waiting with a bow on it until Newcastle sign a replacement, is a good one for the player, and though his stats will be missed, a good one for the club. He's already at an advancing age - and was signed outside of the usual remit to sign players under the age of 25, and if the suggested figures involved are true, Newcastle stand to make a tidy profit - enough, by some reports - to buy Janmaat with money to spare. Early reports suggested the deal could be complete for as low as £8m, but subsequent clarifications seem to suggest a figure more like £11m or £12m, which would be the kind of money that most Newcastle fans might accept as a good deal, provided he is replaced swiftly.