'We will fight for next year's title'

Mathieu Debuchy is convinced that Arsenal will mount a strong challenge for next season’s Premier League title.

The Gunners are the league’s form team in 2015, winning 18 out of 22 games in all competitions since the turn of the year.

“I am convinced that we will challenge for the title [next season],” the defender told Arsenal Player. “Every big club wants to win it, Arsenal is a big club and it is definitely a target for us all.”Arsenal’s slow start to the campaign left them too far behind champions Chelsea, but Debuchy is confident the Gunners can take their current form into next season.

Debuchy had a frustrating start to life in north London and is looking forward to ending the season on a high after returning from injury in Arsenal’s FA Cup semi-final win against Reading.

“It has been a difficult season for me,” he admitted. “I had two injuries, involving two operations, one on my knee, one on my ankle. It is a shame because I felt very good with the team, I think I made a good start to the season, so to be off the pitch for almost six months was difficult to deal with.

“When you start a new season in a new club, you really want to prove what you are capable of. I really thought that the difficult time was behind me and that I could show my qualities. Unfortunately I picked up my shoulder injury only a few weeks later and that was difficult for me to deal with.

“But having a lot of French players at the club was a good thing to help me settle quickly, especially the guys that I know from the French national team. It was a bonus,

and they’ve helped me a lot.

“Of course it is not finished yet but so far, it is a good season,” he added. “We’ve picked up a lot of wins, a lot of good results. I really hope we can carry on playing well until the end, and if we do we will say it was a good season.”