Arsenal and Germany youngster Serge Gnabry was one of the players who made a huge impact at the Rio Olympics 2016. The winger scored six goals in the tournament and was adjudged the best player of Germany ahead of Borussia Dortmund’s centre-back Mathias Ginter and Schalke’s attacking midfielder Max Meyer. After a disappointing year in his club career, Gnabry has successfully been able to put his name right back into the limelight with his excellent performances for his national team as they reached the finals of the Olympics and returned home with a silver medal.
Gnabry is one player who has been with the Arsenal squad since joining the youth academy in 2011 at 16 years of age from Stuttgart. The young winger was able to make his first-team debut in the 2012/13 season, coming off the bench in a League Cup game against Coventry City and becoming Arsenal’s third youngest player in the league’s history. Next, he made his Premier League debut against Norwich and finished the season with 4 appearances in total.
The following season, he featured 9 times for the Gunners in the Premier League when the team was in a crisis as the wide players were sidelined with injuries. Gnabry impressed that season making 14 appearances in total and also scoring his first professional goal in the match against Swansea City in the Premier League in the process.
While the winger was very impressive whenever he got his chances to be on the pitch, he had to deal with an unfortunate injury which halted his progress and ruled him out for most of the 2014/15 season. Since then, he has found it very hard to break into the first team or get game time.
Last year, Wenger realized that he desperately needs to have some match practice and sent him on loan to West Bromwich Albion but it turned out to be a failure as Pulis didn’t trust the player who was nominated for the Golden Boy award at Arsenal in 2013 and as a result, the player made only one appearance for the Baggies. Clearly frustrated by the fact that West Brom loan is going badly for the winger Arsenal recalled him in January. Having played just 12 minutes in the Premier League in an entire season after missing almost the entirety of the previous through injury, it was really a tough as well as frustrating time for Gnabry.
Arsene Wenger as he does most of the time with a young player realized that and allowed him to leave for the Olympics where he excelled playing brilliantly for his nation, winning the Silver medal. After his exploits, the player has regained his lost confidence but to keep his momentum he now needs to play regularly. He just can’t afford to have another stagnant phase this time round. Unfortunately, at this moment it doesn’t look like he would be getting a lot of game time at Arsenal but Arsene Wenger is adamant about keeping the player in the club who signed a five-year contract in 2014 and not sell him. Thus the most feasible solution for the scenario would be a loan move.
It is reported that several Bundesliga sides are interested in the player. Hertha Berlin is on top of the list with Schalke. Schalke’s sporting director Christian Heidel has remarked that 17 of the 18 Bundesliga clubs want Gnabry. Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, wants to send the player on loan but make sure before that the club extends his contract, for the Frenchman is sure of the winger’s qualities and knows very well that he will be an important player for the club in the future.
