These days, it’s hard to imagine any players actively wanting to leave Newcastle United.
For example, Bruno Guimaraes has been linked – albeit somewhat dubiously – with a move to Barcelona but the Brazilian is reportedly considered unattainable.
That underlines just what major players Newcastle are on the world stage right now.
Fiercely ambitious under PIF and with the funds capable of attracting big name players, these are truly exciting times.
That, however, has not always been the case.
Fans, of course, will need little reminding of the likes of Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye leaving the club when better offers emerged.
Mathieu Debuchy says he loved Newcastle and wanted to stay longer
Indeed, former Newcastle defender Mathieu Debuchy has been speaking on his short time with the club.
A target during the summer of 2012, the Frenchman eventually arrived in January 2013 as the club continued to explore the French market.
He helped the team pull away from a relegation scrap and finish in the top half of the Premier League table and even scored against Sunderland before joining Arsenal in the summer of 2014 for £12m.
Still, speaking to French outlet La Voix du Nord, Debuchy explained how he loved the club and wanted to stay longer.
“I discovered passionate people at Newcastle,” he said.
“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.”
Sums up the lack of ambition under Mike Ashley
Comments like that are still frustrating now, even during a boom period for Newcastle.
Debuchy was a good signing for the club – particularly during those bleak years – and the fact he wanted to stay but was sold anyway sums up just how bad the Ashley era was.
While the fact he left was not the biggest problem under the previous regime of course, it goes to show how little they cared for the team and their development.
Thankfully, those days are over. And then some.
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