Arsenal always have nearly a whole team out on loan every season, and Arsene Wenger normally picks their destinations carefully to try and match the level of their ability in the hope that first team experience will help them improve their game.
But probably this season’s biggest disappointment on loan has been the Germany U21 international Serge Gnabry who has not been able to prove himself capable of getting into Tony Pulis’ West Brom side. Wenger has great respect for Pulis, so he would have listened carefully when the Baggies boss said earlier this season: ‘Serge has come here to play games but he just hasn’t been for me, at the moment, at that level to play games.
‘He’s come from academy football and has not played much league football. Does academy football really prepare players for league football? And we’re talking about Premier League football here.
‘As a manager you pick a team that’s going to win a game of football. You pick your best team, you don’t leave people out because you don’t like them, because of this, that and the other.’
So Pulis is not impressed,and we all would have expected Gnabry to be ready for the Premiership now he has reached the ripe old age of 20, but he has now been sent back to Arsenal to see what Wenger wants to do with him.
So now how can the German redeem his career? The latest rumours say that Chris Hughton is willing to give him a chance down in the Championship, but even if he has a good few months down there will it be enough to persuade Wenger to give him another chance at the Emirates?