One for the near future? Serge Gnabry

At the start of the season many were surprised to hear the boss, Arsene Wenger declare that Serge Gnabry would likely feature for the first team this campaign. A rapid rise for the 17 year old who just two seasons ago was part of the youth setup at VfB Stuttgart. So does Gnabry really have what it takes to make the Arsenal first team or will he fail to make an impact like so many other prodigious talents in the past?
Gnabry was born in Stuttgart; the son of an Ivorian father and German mother. A sprinter growing up, he chose to ply his trade in football after being convinced that his talent would be best served on a football pitch by the coaches at Stuttgart. A natural winger, Gnabry ability to match his pace with finesse and deft touches expedited his progress through the youth ranks. Gnabry’s rapid development generated many admirers with Arsene Wenger moving in for him at the age of 15 to ensure that on turning 16 he would formally move to Arsenal. While moving for international prospects just shy of turning 16 isn’t surprising, Arsene’s desire to tie down the player only further illustrated how highly he rated him already.
Although Serge Gnabry was signed last summer it was the transfers of Bellerin and Toral from Barcelona that took the spotlight. However it was Gnabry who stood out most from all the prospects signed. A dazzling start with the Under-18s where he scored six goals after just eight games lead to a call up to the Reserves squad. While his goal scoring record wasn’t as impressive as with the Under-18s, his impact with the Reserves was immediately felt where his play was dominated with bursting runs down the flanks, him constantly taking on and beating players and his delightful laid off balls to team mates in the box.
While Gnabry’s pace has impressed many scouts across Europe, Arsenal have been greatly pleased with his skill on the ball and his physical development. Gnabry’s fantastic close control of the football and his ability to change pace and direction has led many to compare him to a younger Thierry Henry. In addition, his physical development over the last year has many at Arsenal optimistic that Gnabry will be physically capable of dealing with the rigors of the English game.
Serge’s rapid rise through the ranks at Arsenal culminated with him making his first team debut vs. Coventry at the Capital One cup. Although coming on at a time when victory was virtually assured, Gnabry showed fans glimpses of why he is so highly rated within the club by making numerous dangerous runs made down the left wing and creating a couple of great chances, all in all a fantastic cameo for a player still only 17 years of age.
Gnabry’s addition to the first team however has lead many to wonder if Arsene’s decision to push him closer to the first team has to do with the current situation surrounding contract rebel Theo Walcott. After all, Arsenal have always had numerous wingers to pick from it has felt like a strange move to register Gnabry as part of the squad when he could instead be on loan elsewhere. But there is a real feeling within the club that Gnabry is a talent in the same vein of a Cesc Fabregas, a man among boys when playing with the Reserves and who isn’t too far off from lacing it up with the first team at Arsenal.
The opportunities for young Serge however may be difficult to come by as Arsene Wenger continues to tinker with the lineup; pushing Gervinho upfront while giving Chamberlain opportunities in midfield. And although it is expected that he will ply his trade for the Capital One cup squad I fully expect him to get a few PL minutes under his belt. It should also be noted that Gnabry was also named to Arsenal ‘A’ Champions League squad and there are strong rumors linking him to a possible spot on the bench for Arsenal’s tie vs. Olympiakos tonight.
Serge Gnabry’s emergence should in no way be taken for granted as a lot is expected of him already. The coaching staff rate him extremely highly to the point that a loan move is not an option for the player and there is genuine excitement over his involvement with the first team over the coming years. A player with natural pace and delightful skill, expect Serge Gnabry to make the left wing his own and maybe one day walk in the footsteps of a majestic left-winger who had a fantastic eye for goal.
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Are we on the new server yet? Any chance of hearing about the direction of the site? Should we be expecting more pieces like this one? Will any efforts be made towards making it more user-friendly for the long (and long-time) posters, despite their (our) bad attitudes? Edit features, readable colors, etc…… Inquiring minds and all that….
As for the topic at hand….Young players with talent ARE exciting. Liverpool supporters are (or were) living off Raheem Sterling….England (and Arsenal) supporters get excited by players like Theo and the Ox and Jack Wilshere. Gary Speed made young Aaron Ramsey his Captain…. A decision which will be rescinded by the new Wales manager today….
What do those teams have in common? They’re not very good. In other words, young talent is exciting when you need distraction from first team troubles…. Of course, I hope Gnabry comes good and contributes sooner than later. Just keeping things in perspective…..
Gnabry’s best chance for a real run out will be at Reading at the end of the month. We have extremely winnable matches all month and, just behind not dropping ANY points AND not losing ANY regulars to injury, bringing some other players into the mix should be our top priority. Sagna and Wilshere (and Sneezy and Diaby) are the big ones, but some others could step up as well, including Gnabry.
What it all points to is that the team has depth but at an overall (very) modest level. Stag makes a certain point about Theo’s stats but he’s a contract rebel (i.e., he’s posturing for a move, while lying about money) and as good as gone. And I’m sorry but City chose Scott Sinclair over Theo while Pool tried to gather their spare change to buy 30 year old Dempsey rather than our (and England’s) bench “phenom.” Is that the guy we should have as our highest paid player alongside Arshavin?…. (Ugh, look at me, sinking down into the sarcasm myself….)
Instead, I think the plan is for them to lead out the kids for a real Carling, er, Capital One Cup run. City are out, United play Chelsea. It’s actually possible that we look OK in that competition. Or if not, maybe in the FA cup. Competition for places can only occur if kids (and elders) get a real run out, in front of real fans, even if those paying 15 pounds are less cynical than those paying over a hundred.
If we can get a 25 man deep “collective belief” going, who knows, it might carry over to the real matches and keep (er, get) the points rolling in….On that note, it was nice to see Gervinho look for a pass and then look again when the ball came right back to him (our 2nd vs Olympiakos) and for Giroud to head a long ball on for a goal. Things will be tougher against a real English (i.e. fouling) club, but it’s a match we should (and must) win.
Anyhow, Serge on, I say….
No. Still working out kinks with migrating the db over to the new server. Grrr.
No new direction. Just hoping that the move means the edit button sticks around, people don’t get unessecarily marked as spam and the site doesn’t shut down on game day.
My current hosting company I’ve been with for 10 years on other sites I run. But their primary business is gaming servers which are big attractions for hackers and it really causes issues for this site. So hopefully next week.
@highburyterracesteve, I know, I know…
the last thing Arsenal Football Club need, is a player who scores 10 goals, and gets 10 assists every year… and WANTS to be an “Arsenal Legend”.
I mean, when he says that, what he really means is…
“GIVE ME MORE MONEY”…
The guy has never complained publicly about money, or wanting to leave the club…
and you can attempt to spin his statistics any way you like, but they speak for themselves.
He’s a good player.
I hope the kid makes it.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him get some playing time
with the first team in the League Cup…
why not?
But with these high lofty expectations, you get unachievable fulfillment.
Hell, you have Theo Walcott, as your 2nd leading scorer, and a regular contributor to the team, and he’s a BUM and major disappointment to many Arsenal “supporters?”??
Yet, Liverpool and City are interested in him as a striker?!
The worst part is, that if Serge becomes a star, or super star… you know the current regime will SELL HIS ASS to the HIGHEST BIDDER, whenever they get the chance…
If you’ll sell RVP to one of your biggest rivals IN YOUR LEAGUE, everyone’s for sale.
nice story and all, but we tend to let time tell around here. remember fran merida: the next francesc fabregas? last i heard, atletico sent him on a year-long loan to some team in portugal. they sent him back early because he was that ineffective. that was last season. i haven’t heard anything about fran this year.
fran is talented, no doubt. my point is it takes more than just talent to make it as a professional footballer. when merida quit arsenal, i remember arguing with fred about why he quit. in my opinion, it happened after a cup tie against west ham. at that time, it seemed pretty clear to me that, despite his talent, he had issues that needed resolving or he would struggle to make it as a pro.
sorry, bro, but i simply don’t get excited about prodigies anymore. once they’ve forced their way into the team and prove they can be stars, then i get excited. that means gnabry’s got to prove better than podolski and gervinho, not to mention myaichi. the list is simply too long with arsenal boys tipped to be the next big thing only for them to fail. like i said, we’ll let time tell.