Two very poorly-kept secrets are out in the open, as Newcastle United has announced both the sale of French defender Mathieu Debuchy to Arsenal and the purchase of his replacement from Feyenoord.
Daryl Janmaat comes to the St. James Park fresh off a World Cup semifinal run with the Netherlands, where he played five of the side’s seven games. Janmaat picked up assists against Chile and Brazil, and turns 25 on July 22.
The sale of Debuchy, who turns 29 this month, will yield a profit for the Magpies. He cost Newcastle about $9.4 million two years ago, and Arsenal will reportedly pay slightly over $17 million for his services.
And Debuchy may even be an upgrade over Bacary Sagna, who left Arsenal for Manchester City earlier this offseason. Confident in the tackle and more-than-willing to get forward, Debuchy was a pivotal part of Newcastle’s success.
With Janmaat reportedly costing in the neighborhood of $8.5 million, it’s a pretty good bit of business for the Northeast club as well. Newcastle has already brought in Ajax mid Siem de Jong to go with French striker Emmanuel Riviere and playmaker Remy Cabella this offseason. Spanish forward Ayoze Perez was the first of what is now five signings for Pardew as he aims to make amends for a historically-poor finish to the 2013/14 season.
Here’s what Newcastle boss Alan Pardew says about Janmaat:
“We are delighted to bring Daryl to the Club. He is the perfect example of a modern full-back; someone who is good defensively but offers a real threat going forward as well.
“Daryl had an excellent World Cup and we are looking forward to him continuing that form for Newcastle.”
It’s fair to say NUFC owner Mike Ashley is surprising many fans after not spending for permanent transfers for close to a year. The French-flavored side now has a further splash of Dutch, and -- if they can manager to hold onto Tim Krul and Moussa Sissoko -- things are looking promising up North.
