Arsenal have become defined by their recent history of poor decision-making in the transfer window from Arsene Wenger’s time through to the early stages of Mikel Arteta's tenure.
The Gunners let go of important talent due to an inability to guarantee a clear pathway to regular first-team football. Looking back, it is easy to say with regret that the club made errors in their judgement and have seen so many go on to flourish elsewhere.
Donyell Malen, Ismael Bennacer, Yunus Musah and most famously Serge Gnabry have left for bigger and better things and become crucial components of the setups at Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan, Valencia and Bayern Munich respectively.
Gnabry caught up with presenter and Arsenal fan Chunkz in 2019 for Pro:Direct Soccer and told him how much he and Arsenal were missing his talents since he has developed into a world-class winger and Champions League winner with Bayern.
“Always a Gooner though, always a Gooner,” said Gnabry.
Later in the interview, Chunkz continued to press the German international and he replied, “ As I said, it was the hardest decision but, in the end, I think it worked out well. But, as a club, Arsenal are top.”
The interview takes on greater meaning two and a half years later with the now 26-year-old is struggling to agree on a new contract with Bayern Munich. Sky Sports claim that the chances of renewing are ’50:50'.
His current deal expires in 2023 meaning he will have just one more year to run when this season comes to an end. Bayern could well be tempted to cash in on the winger as a result, with talented youngster Jamal Musiala coming through in addition to Leroy Sane and Kingsley Coman already at the club.
Gnabry is valued at £63m according to trusted football site Transfermarkt, but football.london understands that Arsenal are preparing for a significant summer outlay backed by owner Stan Kroenke. The Gunners could be in a position to tempt the German champions into a sale if they are successful in securing the Champions League stage Gnabry deserves to play on.
With Gnabry’s affiliation and underlying association with Arsenal, a move may not be all that unlikely. Gnabry has won everything possible with Bayern and there is clearly some unfinished business in north London.
Mikel Arteta is building a youthful but exciting team to watch and Gnabry’s versatility to play in any of the front three positions would give the Spaniard plenty to think about.
The idea of Gnabry and Bukayo Saka playing together in the same team is a tantalising one but the future of Nicolas Pepe would surely be affected by any possible deal.
With Pepe among the first-team options, there are four current options in the wide positions and Gnabry could be reluctant to join faced with the possibility of yet another battle for regular minutes.
Both Lyon and Marseille enquired about Pepe in the January window and if he did move on, it would open the door to a move for a player Arsenal know well. A wide forward could offer some flexibility to the two attacking players Arsenal are expected to target this summer and Gnabry would certainly fit the bill.
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