While it is just about the understatement of the century to say that Arsenal have not exactly taken the summer transfer window by storm, at least not yet, we have been more proactive than ever about the future. Many young players from the academy that I and many other Arsenal fans were expecting to stay at the club and possibly feature in the League Cup games and Champions League squad have gone out on loan.
While I must say a quick word about Wellington Silva and wish him well on joining Bolton Wanderers after a decent season in La Liga with Almeria, it is safe to say that the future of our young German international has showed more promise up to now.
The dynamic winger/forward was so unlucky to miss around the whole of last season after doing so well and breaking into the first team the previous year, but he is back and fit now and has joined Tony Pulis at West Brom on a season long loan.
This is a bold move from Arsene Wenger who must have been tempted to keep him, but the Frenchman has always had a long range view and is clearly trying to do the best for the player. Under Pulis, Gnabry should be in a team that is not fighting relegation all season and hopefully his pace and ability to counter attack will be just what the West Brom boss wants and so he should get a lot of game time.
Going to another big club, in Europe or England, might have seen Gnabry on the fringes, whereas going to a struggling club or one in the lower leagues might not have honed his technical skills as Arsenal would like. So is this just about the perfect transfer move for Gnabry and for Arsenal in the future?