Does this point to why Wenger was unsure about keeping Gnabry at Arsenal?
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has responded to Serge Gnabry’s stunning performance away to Chelsea last night.
The former Gunners youngster put in another exciting display against a Premier League club in the Champions League, scoring two at Stamford Bridge following an incredible four-goal haul away to Tottenham in the group stage earlier this season.
It seems pretty clear Gnabry is a player Arsenal should never have let go, and it’s pretty painful seeing him tear it up for Bayern now – even if many fans are also amused at seeing him demolish our rivals.
The Germany international looks like he’s only going to keep on getting better, but Wenger suggested after the game that there is one side to his game that makes him unsure about just how far he can go.
“This guy has no real limitations,” Wenger told beIN Sports, as quoted by Goal. “It’s more about how much does he want to suffer?
“He has pace, power, technical ability, he is very intelligent but sometimes he looks for the easy way. That was his problem.
“I sent him to West Brom and it didn’t work out at all. In fairness, I think we had an agreement with him and Bayern stole him away from Bremen.
“He is a good player. He has individual ability and collective ability.”
We’re not sure there’s much evidence of this, but then who are we to question the legendary Frenchman?
I don’t understand what was meant by Arsenal having ‘an agreement with him’ and then Bayern stealing him. I must have missed the history there
Even before he was bought by werder there were already stories in the papers that he would only spend one season with them and then move to Bayern and that’s exactly what happened I,m pretty sure there was an agreement between the 2 German clubs,if Bayern had come straight in for him he would have cost more and he wasn’t quite ready yet and needed playing,do werder got a good player and double their money,win win situation for both clubs!
Prof must have been referring to a buy back clause I think. Either way good for Gnabry. There is certainly no way of knowing if he would have become this good while staying back at Arsenal. A change of environment and ambition has done the young man a lot of good. At Bayern, coming second in the league is considered failure not to talk about aiming for top four. At Bayern, you must win the league. Nothing less. This helps push the players. Arsenal has no such ambition.
The fact that we have 2 arguably better players in that position buffers the pain of gnabry sale.
Wenger’s obsession with Walcott, and Ramsey at RW, even though Ramsey isn’t a winger, is the REAL reason Gnabry didn’t make it.
I remember Gnabry’s performance away at Swansea in the League, and one could tell he had a lot of potential, but Wenger had his “favourites”, and that was that!
U are point. There was no doubts about his abilities
Wenger made him our 2 youngest debutant only behind hnabry in 2013 which shows how much Wenger trusted him, at 17 years in 2013/14 season gnabry was already a starter which also shows support,the terrible knee ligament injury he sustained which took him out for close to 2 years was the biggest challenge to his arsenal career,by the time he came back,we have already signed Sanchez, there was walcot and ox,we had cazorla, ozil and Ramsey in the middle, Wenger sent him on loan to west brown to prove his fitness and gain playing time,tony pulis failed to use him ,Wenger recalled him in January just as we did with nkitiah this season,he played he players some matches with us he was offered a new deal buh he refused to sing opting to go back to Germany after having an amazing Olympic outing! All efforts to sign him proved abortive ,then we cashed in than to lose him for free! Any one blaming Wenger is just doing it out of beef!
Exactly!!! Gnabry is the one that chose to leave. Yes he was a talent but he obviously wasn’t showing this kind of form back then so it would have been difficult for Wenger to pick him ahead of Sanchez, Walcott and Chamberlain. If he was more patient I’m sure he would have gotten his chance. Like he did in the 2013/2014 season before he got injured.
Let me use this word “PERFECT” to comment your post. Tells the whole story and explanation.
@ThirdManJW
So right about that. But, AW does have a point. Serge didn’t want to put in his time on loan and got frustrated there. When he came back to us, he was out of shape and carrying a bit of extra weight…We did get set up by Bayern and Bremen. Had we knew Bayern were in for him, we might have got more money for him…IJS
What obsession Thirdman, the boy was injured for almost 2 seasons and not available for selection having been played regularly before his injury. When he came back from injury even though he was fit, he was offered a contract before he went for Olympics and didn’t signed it. I don’t see what Wenger did wrong there aside not cancelled his loan when Westbrom employed TP
Exactly!!! Thirdman just hastes Wenger. Plain and simple.
We all know Gnabry had potential but there was no way he was going to start ahead of the likes of Sanchez, Walcott or Chamberlain. He should have stayed at Arsenal and fight for his place. Besides he was getting chances before his injury. You fake fans just hate Wenger like he personally did something to you. And fact, Gnabry chose to leave your beloved Arsenal. He didn’t want to stay and fight for his place.
Non sense,he broke into the first team and was playing regularly until he got seriously injured against Bayern,he then needed playing time and went on loan at West brom but played only 12 minutes and the loan was cut short,pulis said yesterday that Gnabry wasn’t able to earn a spot in his team by then he was near the end of his contract and wanted to leave even though Wenger wanted him to stay(Gnabry own words 2 days ago)!!
The issue Wenger fails to address is why did he allow Gnarby to go on loan to a side managed by Tony Pulis? Let’s not forget this is a manager who played the game like it was on Hackney Marshes, not the Premier League. Why was this allowed? What good was ever to come from allowing a very promising and talented young player being part of a squad with the tactical instructions of a Sunday League pub team? This is what Wenger should be questioning as we all knew what was going to happen. Another in the very long line of mistakes by a then manager who had quite clearly lost his mind. And we are now forced to watch the ability Gnarby has at Bayern and not the Emirates.
Regardless of Pulis’ tactics he was still rubbish when he was there. How can you blame Wenger for that. He was out for nearly 2 seasons and he had to go somewhere for match fitness. And maybe West Brom were the only team that wanted to sign him on loan..did you ever think about that? Why do you fake Arsenal fans hate Wenger so much??? By the way Gnabry is the one that chose to leave, he didn’t want to sign the contract, stay and fight for a place in the team. That’s what Wenger means when he says he took the easier option and left for Germany.
@Neo my old cocker, you dare to call me a fake Arsenal fan? A typical comment from someone who watches the games from the comfort of his own bedroom. That’s a pathetic and childish comment PAL and you need to grow-up.
As regards Gnarby-the point I was making, and understood by anyone with any footballing sense, is that the type of football played at WBA under that prehistoric oaf Pulis, was totally alien to anything Gnarby would have been used to at any point in his still young career as a professional footballer. They were a pub team under Pulis, as were all the previous clubs he managed.So my point, which you clearly have not answered is why, of all the clubs avaliable to send a young player out on loan to, did Wenger allow him to go to WBA?
A simple question even a simple minded fan like yourself should be able to answer if you know and respect Wenger that much.
Yes you right West Brom didn’t play attractive, or in your words “prehistoric” football but he had to go somewhere to regain match fitness. So what would you have suggested then. He plays with the U23s for the whole season. Even if he would have played unattarctive football with West Brom, Wenger assumed he still would have learnt a lot playing week in and week out in a demanding league such as the premier league. I apologize for calling you a fake fan. I just get frustrated that fans blame every bad thing that happened to Arsenal on Wenger. And Wenger himself said he saw a lot of potential in Gnabry but Gnabry is the one who refused to sign the contract and left Arsenal. You could probably just put the whole situation to bad luck because if Gnabry wasn’t injured for nearly 2 seasons I doubt he would have been sent out on loan to regain match fitness.
@Neo-accept the apology. But the question is WHY Wenger allowed Gnarby to go to a club managed by Pulis.I won’t accept that nobody else would take him, and in my mind if he was fit enough for WBA he would have been better served staying at the Arsenal than playing under a Pulis. I believe Wenger got this one wrong.
Im afraid the truth is Wenger and all the people around him didn’t trust Gnabry. Wenger was starting to wobble, when this kid came on the scene and he wouldn’t drop the likes of Walcott or to a smaller extent Ox because he wouldn’t risk him because listening to him now, he wont admit fully, this kid is good very good but wenger says things like, if he really wanted it. Wenger kept farming him out and didn’t think he was good enough.
@Reggie-that’s my take on it too.Wenger had smoke opportunities to play Gnarby wide right, but he chose to play an inconsistent Walcott, injury prone Ox or completely out of position Ramsey.If Wenger rated Gnarby as highly as he said then he should have put him in the side.
You know what after I have thought about it, I have to agree with you. If Wenger truly rated Gnabry he probably wouldn’t have loaned him out in the first place and he probably would have received more chances. I won’t lie I also didn’t understand that one..playing Ramsey on the wing sometimes!?
I forgot about Ramsey being played out of position as well.