Sport nationArsenal will always regret letting this exciting talent depart the Emirates Stadium as a youngster.
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Arsenal have taken great pride in their Hale End academy throughout the years.
It was, of course, a notable hunting ground for Arsene Wenger during his triumphant years in the capital. Think Tony Adams, who had already graduated when the Frenchman arrived, think Jack Wilshere, think Hector Bellerin too.
Truth be told, no one quite expected such a reliance on it once Wenger departed the Emirates. Unai Emery was the man to hand Bukayo Saka a first-team debut but it’s under Mikel Arteta where England’s Player of the Year for two seasons running has become the poster boy of this great club.
Eddie Nketiah has taken on Thierry Henry’s iconic number 14 shirt, Emile Smith Rowe has the number 10 and a certain Folarin Balogun has even been sold for £35m. It’s safe to say Hale End has never been brimming with more talent than it has in the last five years or so.
How many goals has Saka scored for Arsenal?
The 22-year-old’s first goal for the Gunners came in typical fashion. You don’t need two guesses to work out how.
Playing in the Europa League under Emery’s reign, Saka took the ball on the right-hand side and drove infield before curling the ball beyond the goalkeeper from the edge of the box.
It’s a finish now synonymous with the young winger. Just think of that fizzing drive against Nottingham Forest on the opening weekend of the current season, or his delicious curling effort against Manchester United from range last term.
There’s an Arjen Robben vibe to it, although Saka is now doing his best to surpass the great Dutchman’s legacy in the game.
Since that moment as an 18-year-old against Eintracht Frankfurt, the England star has only gone from strength to strength.
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He was named in the PFA Team of the Season for 2022/23, won the PFA Young Player of the Season and is now a Ballon d’Or nominee having crashed home 43 goals and 45 assists in 189 first-team matches. The consistency at which he both creates for his teammates and finds the net himself is extraordinary.
Yet, he’s not the only winger from the Arsenal academy to produce similarly excellent numbers. Step forward, Serge Gnabry.
What did Serge Gnabry achieve at Arsenal?
The German’s senior debut for the Gunners came 11 years ago now, in September 2012 as Wenger handed him his bow against Coventry City in the League Cup. Less than a month later, he would make his league debut, becoming the second youngest Arsenal player to do so at 17 since Jack Wilshere.
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Gnabry may not have found the net that on either day but his career since has been a remarkable one having moved to London for just £100k.
He had to wait a year later to score his first in Arsenal colours, finding the net against Swansea City in a 2-1 win. It was a landmark moment and one that set the tone for the rest of his time in football.
Despite never achieving too many regular starts, the attacker impressed with his exciting performances, although left the club with only a solitary goal and two assists to his name at senior level.
Why did Gnabry leave Arsenal?
The Germany international eventually left in an £8m deal to Werder Bremen in 2016, citing his lack of opportunities.
In an interview after departing, he said: “I was still confident I could’ve got in the team but I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to be fourth or fifth choice any longer.
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“It was the hardest decision I had to make in football, leaving a club like Arsenal – the fans, the players – but to keep playing I had to take a step back and it was the right decision.”
Where is Serge Gnabry now?
After leaving north London, the 28-year-old’s career has been remarkable. Now capped 43 times with Germany, the winger has taken the Bundesliga and continental football by storm.
At Werder Bremen, he only played 27 times but scored 11 and assisted two before inevitably joining Bayern Munich.
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He enjoyed a successful loan spell away from Bavaria at Hoffenheim where he netted ten and assisted seven during 26 appearances before returning to Munich with a point to prove.
Since becoming a permanent member of the Bayern squad, Gnabry has been simply sensational. He once scored four goals against Tottenham in an enthralling 7-2 Champions League win for the Bundesliga side, a night that no doubt Arsenal fans revelled in.
Those are just four of 15 Champions League goals, while the exciting flanker has also registered an enormous 60 Bundesliga strikes for his current employers.
How does Saka compare to Gnabry?
It would feel rude to compare his fortunes to Saka’s, but that’s what we’re going to do anyway.
Serge Gnabry vs Bukayo Saka
Metric
Gnabry at Bayern
Saka at Arsenal
Games
224
189
Goals
82
43
Assists
51
45
Transfer value
£48m
£104m
Data via Transfermarkt.
Of course, Saka’s breakthrough has come later and it would not be a surprise if he goes on to usurp Gnabry’s fortunes but even last term, the latter outperformed Arsenal’s current world-beater.
Indeed, in 2022/23, the England wide man found the net on 15 occasions while registering 11 assists in 48 appearances. As for Gnabry, he posted 17 goals and 12 assists in 47 outings.
Arsenal may well have great regrets about letting the German talent leave during the final years of Wenger’s reign. He has, after all, scored 103 goals since, but Saka’s emergence on the scene has certainly helped them watch on from afar knowing it wasn’t a total disaster to cash in.
Matt is the senior editor of one of Snack Media’s flagship websites, Football FanCast.
Having graduated from the University of Huddersfield in 2018 following a course in Sports Journalism, he began at Snack eight months or so later as part of the writing team. Although a huge Arsenal fan, he has covered a wealth of clubs from Leeds United to Celtic and Sunderland, with his footballing knowledge covering vast reaches. After a spell as assistant editor to FFC, Matt then became chief editor of the site in late 2021.
His experience counts work at the Press Association, where he was featured on Sky Sports & The Daily Mail. Before arriving at Snack, he was first the Arsenal editor at VAVEL, before becoming the site’s Premier League editor. Matt has added experience in club media too, having worked with Chesterfield FC during the 2017/18 season.
Also boasting a love for broadcast media, his voice has been heard across Love Sport Radio, Arsenal Fan TV and various football podcasts.
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