It has been a while since Arsenal starlet and winger Serge Gnabry was talked about in the media. His performances for the German national side in the Rio Olympics this here has brought him back into the gossip-sphere. He has scored 6 goals in 5 games (not a bad tally for anyone!)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has also kept close tabs on the young gun, and feels that Gnabry has a definite future and a role in the first team at the Emirates.
In a report in The Daily Mail, Arsene Wenger has been quoted making a brief comment on the future of Gnabry.
Here is what he said:
‘I want to keep Serge Gnabry and extend his contract,’ Wenger said at his press conference on Thursday.
‘I think we stood by him. He went to West Brom, didn’t play, we had to rebuild his confidence. I allowed him to go to the Olympics to help Germany. ‘
‘I think he’s here now for a long time.’
Wenger is clearly keen to hold on the youngster, and why not? It seems like it has not been too long since Gnabry scored his first Premier League goal for Arsenal against Swansea, a game that Arsenal won 2-1 thanks to an Aaron Ramsey short range belter.
The young German had a poor loan spell at West Brom last season, making only 3 appearances for the Premier League side. Before that, he spent most of his time out injured, having last featured for Arsenal only 2 seasons ago. He did not make a single appearance for the Gunners in the 2014-15 season.
Gnabry is a quick, strong winger capable of playing intricate, one touch football on the wing as well as in the middle of the park.
While he has only played a total of 10 Premier League games for the Gunners, of all the 20 to 21-year-old squad members in Arsenal’s first team, Gnabry has been around the longest, having featured for Arsenal once in the 2012-13 season.
That was when Hector Bellerin was a reserves team hero, Chuba Akpom was several miles away from training with the first team and Alex Iwobi was still in the academy.
He is therefore a player with some experience , if not on the pitch at least as one of the first among Arsenal’s current group of youngsters who have either graduated from the reserves team into the first team, or come in this year due to their readiness/ exceptional qualities. Serge Gnabry is undoubtedly a talented footballer and it does not come off as a surprise that Wenger wants to hold onto him.
