Serge Gnabry has teased that Arsenal would be his preferred destination if he was to ever make a return to the Premier League, with the Bayern Munich winger making the Gunners “the favourite” to secure his signature.
Gnabry spent five years on Arsenal’s books between 2011 and 2016, but was restricted to just 18 appearances and a forgettable loan spell at West Brom which saw Baggies boss Tony Pulis brand him “not at the level” for top-flight football in England.
Those words will forever follow the 25-year-old around, especially as he has completed a remarkable turnaround by becoming a Champions League winner on the books at Bayern.
“You always hear a little bit about it or people in the UK ask me about it,” Gnabry told CBS of Pulis’ jibe.
“It looks like it won't stop, all I can say is I'm proud of the journey I've taken.
“To be a Champions League winner now when a couple of years back I was doubted is obviously a great thing for me.
“Of course after having struggled a lot it was difficult to pick myself up. The biggest thing is that self-confidence, that I knew what I was capable of. I never lost that. Obviously, you doubt it at some points but I never lost it.
“The second biggest point in that way is I was playing a lot, not having so many injuries, so many little things that kept me out of games. To just be consistent and being able to play every time, showing my performance helped me for the future. If I can play, I can show what I can do.”
Gnabry rebuilt his career at Werder Bremen, landing him a move to the Allianz Arena in 2017, and he is now one of the most destructive forwards in European football.
Those qualities may be sought out by other suitors at some stage in the future, with Gnabry admitting that Arsenal would be “the favourite” to take him back to the Premier League.
For now, though, he is very much focused on the present.
Having reached the top of the game, Gnabry insists that he would not change anything about his career path to date and considers his testing spell in England to have made him the player he is today.
He added on leaving home to chase his dream: “Most of all it's a test of character. You have to leave your comfort zone, your friends, your family. It helps you a lot in building strong character because you're in some way by yourself or in a whole new environment.
“It's always good for young people. I would recommend them to do it.
“I would do it over again if I was in that position because it helped my character a lot. You experience new things, also in other countries the leagues and teaching of football is also good. It's never a wrong thing to move abroad.”
