Serge Gnabry has admitted that he left the Gunners three years ago in search of regular game time – but could his departure have been avoided?
Gnabry has been the hot topic amongst Arsenal supporters this week after he scored four against Tottenham in a 7-2 win for Bayern Munich.
The Gunners sold the wide man to Werder Bremen for just £5 million in 2016, with Gnabry quickly establishing himself as a Bundesliga star. His impressive displays earnt him a move to Bayern Munich, and the winger hasn’t looked back since.
And talking exclusively to The Athletic, cited by the Daily Express, Gnabry revealed that despite loving life in north London, regular game time was his main reason for leaving the Emirates.
As much as I loved Arsenal and being in London, I realised that I needed to play regularly.
The German then addressed his stint on loan at West Brom, where Tony Pulis famously stated that the winger wasn’t good enough for the Baggies.
It backfired completely.
It was a very tough time for me. I still can’t tell why it went this way but I can look at myself in the mirror and say that I tried as much as I could.
But how could his Emirates departure have been avoided?
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His only loan stint away from the Emirates appears to have been the final nail in the coffin to his time in north London. If things went differently in the Midlands, he could have been an Arsenal regular instead of being sold six months later.
Looking back, it’s a shame that he couldn’t have caught the eye with the Baggies, with numerous other Gunners youngsters going on to enjoy impressive loan spells in recent years.
Arsene Wenger wanted to offer the winger a new deal, but following limited first-team opportunities and his poor West Brom loan, you can’t blame him for wanting to return to Germany.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and it looks as if Gnabry will continue to make the Gunners rue their decision to sell him over the coming years.
