After leaving Arsenal for Werder Bremen Gnabry is showing big potential

Serge Gnabry was understandably skeptical when he received a phone call claiming he had been selected to represent Germany at the Olympics. “The coach called me up, but I had to think about it for a bit whether it was true or not,” he told German media company RND. “There are so many hoax calls from radio shows and I really did not want to be a victim of that.”

The 21-year-old had just completed a frustrating season at club level. Loaned to West Bromwich Albion last summer, he made a handful of appearances before manager Tony Pulis admitted publicly that Gnabry was not up to the required level. “He’s come from academy football and not played much league football,” Pulis told the Express and Star. “As a manager you pick a team that’s going to win a game of football.”

Other sources claimed the German was too selfish with the ball, and that this meant he struggled to work well with his teammates on the field. Eventually recalled by Wenger in January 2016, Gnabry had made just one league appearance for the Baggies, coming on as a substitute against Chelsea.

Playing at the Olympics allowed him a temporary escape from his club frustrations, although he may not have predicted what came next. Germany finished second in the tournament, with much of the talk being about Gnabry’s performances. Netting 7 goals and earning a silver medal, questions began to surface over whether this could be the year that Gnabry finally broke into the Gunners’ line-up, during what would be the last year of his contract.

“He showed them all today,” said German coach Horst Hrubesch. “It annoys me that he has never been given enough trust at his club.”

One club that were willing to invest faith in Gnabry was Werder Bremen. The German club agreed a £4.5million fee for the 21-year-old, and after sampling regular competitive football with Germany he opted to accept their offer instead of sign a new deal with Arsenal.

“I’m not surprised [he’s done well] at all,” former Gunners teammate Isaac Hayden told Yahoo Sport UK. “He was 15 when he arrived and we were in the same age group. He had a difficult spell at West Brom where he didn’t really play and then obviously he came back and got injured. He just needed that chance to play, and he wasn’t going to get that at Arsenal.

“There’s a few of us that have left, some have gone on loan, others permanently. We always knew it was time to leave and I think it was just a matter of where we were going. He had a few options in the Premier League and the Championship, but going back to Germany was the right move for him and fair play he’s doing really well.”

Accepting that a breakthrough at Arsenal seemed unlikely, he opted to return home after a consultation with two fellow Germans. “I’m very happy to be here [at Bremen],” said Gnabry. “Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil have only said positive things about the club. The Olympics were a personal highlight for me and I’d like to carry on my development here at Werder.”

His return to Germany has worked out brilliantly for both player and club. Bremen may sit just above the relegation spots in the Bundesliga, but things would be far worse without him. Finding the net again in the club’s last game before the winter break — a 1-1 draw at Hoffenheim — it took him to 7 goals for the season and will likely fuel rumours that Bayern Munich want to sign him.

Bayern were reported to have an agreement in place with Werder for his transfer in August, although Bremen’s sporting director Frank Baumann vehemently denied it. Adding a further layer of complexity, Werder supervisory board member Willi Lemke indirectly confirmed live on television that some kind of deal had indeed been done with Bayern, although that has never been officially confirmed.

If the Bavarian giants did indeed bid for Gnabry, (Director Michael Reschke has watched Gnabry in action a number of times) they would be buying a full German international. The 21-year-old netted a hat-trick on his debut against San Marino in November, with BILD even opting to call him “the shooting-star of the Bundesliga”.

Eager to concentrate on his immediate future with Bremen, Gnabry has been handed significant responsibility by his club. Often the fulcrum of the team’s attack, his direct and aggressive style of play makes him a dangerous proposition. Wrestling with a struggling side, and the departure of his manager in September, neither has slowed him down. Instead, the winger has shouldered the responsibility well, and is currently the third highest scoring German in the Bundesliga.

His season will recommence later this month although he has already done enough to earn praise from Mesut Ozil, with Arsene Wenger also admitting he was eager to keep Gnabry in the summer.

“The move away from Arsenal was not easy for me after five years in London but going to Werder Bremen was a good decision,” Gnabry told ESPN FC. “It was very important for me to get game time in order to develop as a player.”

Although Gnabry chose to leave the Emirates he has been keen to note their influence on his career, and is refusing to rule out a return. “I would not be the player I am today without England,” he said. “For example Arsenal’s quick game which I learned. If you train as a young man with top players for three years then it is clear you will improve.”

Taking a bold approach with his playing career, he has been duly rewarded for the risk he took in leaving Arsenal. Not only a starter, but also a key player at Bremen, perhaps now he won’t be so pessimistic when taking phone calls.