Arsenal Transfer News: Mathieu Debuchy, Ante Budimir, Adrien Rabiot, Top Rumours

Arsenal full-back Mathieu Debuchy could reportedly move to West Bromwich Albion on loan in January.

According to France Football (h/t Get French Football News), the defender is seeking to get regular minutes to ensure he remains in contention for a spot in France’s squad at next summer’s European Championships. The Baggies are said to be a team willing to offer Debuchy those assurances.

The rapid progress of Hector Bellerin has left manager Arsene Wenger little choice but to leave him in the starting XI.

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As we can see here, Sky Sports' Monday Night Football named the young Spaniard in their best XI of the season so far:

With Calum Chambers also able to play as a right-back, the Gunners would still have some cover in this position if Debuchy was to leave. He’s a player who is a lot more defensively-minded than Bellerin and could be turned to if Wenger wants to stiffen up the position.

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Debuchy would be a savvy signing for West Brom too. Not only does his diligent defensive work make him an ideal fit for Tony Pulis’ team, but he can also add some guile going forward the Baggies have lacked at times this term. The bottom line is that it's clear Debuchy needs to move on if he’s to remain in Didier Deschamps’ plans for Euro 2016.

Arsenal Watch Ante Budimir

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Tony Banfield, Arsenal’s chief scout, has reportedly been to watch St Pauli’s Ante Budimir in action during his loan spell with FC Crotone, according to Calciomercato (h/t James Whaling of the Daily Mirror).

As noted by Whaling, Budimir has scored an impressive nine goals in 19 appearances so far this season with the Serie B side and has clearly caught the eye of the Gunners. Striker is definitely a position in which they could do with some reinforcements to help take the pressure off Olivier Giroud too.

The Frenchman, as TheSPORTbible noted here, is quickly becoming Arsenal’s man for the big occasion:

But he does need some support, especially given the fixture pile-up that’ll come in the second half of the campaign. Budimir has shown glimpses that he could potentially be the man to add depth, although it’d be a massive step up for the 24-year-old.

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Clearly he still needs to develop too, as is evident by the fact St Pauli have sent him out on loan. So while Arsenal fans will be keen to add to their attacking options with a signing in midseason, Budimir doesn’t seem like the right solution for the club at this juncture.

Adrien Rabiot Going Nowhere

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According to Paris Saint-Germain’s director of football Leonardo, Adrien Rabiot will not be leaving any time soon despite talk of a possible transfer away from the club.

Arsenal have been linked with the midfielder in the past, per L'Equipe (h/t the Daily Star's Colin Harvey). However, speaking with calciomercato.com, Leonardo was adamant that the youngster remained fully committed to the French champions.

“He is a young midfielder, but he is ready to play,” he said. “PSG trust him a lot and I think he’ll remain at the club. PSG are playing lot of competitions and they will definitely need him. The club is forced to win every year, but they also need to think about the future.”

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Although Rabiot has yet to fully convince at the Parc des Princes, there are few who will deny his natural ability. As we can see here, he’s a graceful holding midfielder who can run games from a deeper position:

Rabiot may not be a holding player who is renowned for putting in crunching tackles like Francis Coquelin, but he spots danger very well and recycles possession with care. A technical manager like Wenger would definitely value those attributes.

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However, Rabiot seems as though he has been earmarked as a player to potentially make an impact with PSG in years to come. Alongside the likes of Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi, he certainly has the qualities to help form what’d be an awesome long-term midfield threesome at the Parc des Princes.