Ayeni Olusegun
Munich
From an injury-blighted spell at Arsenal to Bayern Munich Player of the Season 2018/19, Serge Gnabry has come a long way for a young footballer. The 24-year-old forward joined Arsenal from his hometown club, Stuttgart, in 2011. Failing to make any reasonable impact in an otherwise stacked team, Gnabry went on loan in 2015 to West Brom under Tony Pulis with the hopes of getting regular playing time.
Six months into his loan spell, the young striker was recalled as he struggled to make the cut in Pulis’s plans. At the end of the season, Werder Bremen snapped up the budding star for a reported Euros 5 million and he went on to light up the German football league. Bayern came calling soon after and an eight million euro deal followed albeit another loan to Hoffenheim – a move he credits for his development.
"Julian Nagelsmann (former coach of Hoffenheim) fascinated me. Before the move, I had played against Hoffenheim and in the second half of the season… well… we took a real hiding, but their style of play appealed to me, it was so attacking,” Gnabry told the Bundesliga website recently.
Having tasted success last year with the Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal, Gnabry who was Bayern Munich’s second highest goal scorer behind the mercurial Robert Lewandowski now has his sights on Champions League success. The five-time UEFA Champions League winners are drawn in Group B alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Olympiacos and Serbian side Red Star Belgrade.
Last season, Bayern were outclassed by eventual champions Liverpool. With the exit of stalwarts Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, the German champions are eager to get back to the pinnacle of European football. They have added Croatian winger Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan and Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona. Both players arrived on loan, joining Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez in Bavaria.
"Obviously new players are in, I think we have a strong team. There have been big changes with Arjen and Franck leaving and now with Uli Hoeness stepping down. But football continues and we have to be a stronger team.
"Last year we had a difficult draw in the Champions League with Liverpool. I think it wasn’t far off for us to go through. We are a strong team and the chances are there for us to go far this season,” Gnabry said during a chat with MENA journalists in Munich, recently.
With club success came the national team – where in Rio, he helped the German Olympics side to a silver medal losing the gold to Brazil. At the Olympics, he was joint top scorer alongside teammate Nils Petersen and a call up to the senior national team followed. Now, Gnabry is a part of a young core of players in the German national team looking to put to bed a horrible World Cup run in Russia as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar beckons.
"The World Cup is still a bit far, but obviously I hope to be in the team. Hope Germany can win it this time.
"I am looking forward to the tournament in Qatar, we are all excited especially to see what they (Qatar) can pull off. For us to go there I’m sure it will be a good tournament,” Gnabry said during a chat with MENA journalists in Munich.
Munich
From an injury-blighted spell at Arsenal to Bayern Munich Player of the Season 2018/19, Serge Gnabry has come a long way for a young footballer. The 24-year-old forward joined Arsenal from his hometown club, Stuttgart, in 2011. Failing to make any reasonable impact in an otherwise stacked team, Gnabry went on loan in 2015 to West Brom under Tony Pulis with the hopes of getting regular playing time.
Six months into his loan spell, the young striker was recalled as he struggled to make the cut in Pulis’s plans. At the end of the season, Werder Bremen snapped up the budding star for a reported Euros 5 million and he went on to light up the German football league. Bayern came calling soon after and an eight million euro deal followed albeit another loan to Hoffenheim – a move he credits for his development.
"Julian Nagelsmann (former coach of Hoffenheim) fascinated me. Before the move, I had played against Hoffenheim and in the second half of the season… well… we took a real hiding, but their style of play appealed to me, it was so attacking,” Gnabry told the Bundesliga website recently.
Having tasted success last year with the Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal, Gnabry who was Bayern Munich’s second highest goal scorer behind the mercurial Robert Lewandowski now has his sights on Champions League success. The five-time UEFA Champions League winners are drawn in Group B alongside Tottenham Hotspur, Olympiacos and Serbian side Red Star Belgrade.
Last season, Bayern were outclassed by eventual champions Liverpool. With the exit of stalwarts Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, the German champions are eager to get back to the pinnacle of European football. They have added Croatian winger Ivan Perisic from Inter Milan and Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona. Both players arrived on loan, joining Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez in Bavaria.
"Obviously new players are in, I think we have a strong team. There have been big changes with Arjen and Franck leaving and now with Uli Hoeness stepping down. But football continues and we have to be a stronger team.
"Last year we had a difficult draw in the Champions League with Liverpool. I think it wasn’t far off for us to go through. We are a strong team and the chances are there for us to go far this season,” Gnabry said during a chat with MENA journalists in Munich, recently.
With club success came the national team – where in Rio, he helped the German Olympics side to a silver medal losing the gold to Brazil. At the Olympics, he was joint top scorer alongside teammate Nils Petersen and a call up to the senior national team followed. Now, Gnabry is a part of a young core of players in the German national team looking to put to bed a horrible World Cup run in Russia as the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar beckons.
"The World Cup is still a bit far, but obviously I hope to be in the team. Hope Germany can win it this time.
"I am looking forward to the tournament in Qatar, we are all excited especially to see what they (Qatar) can pull off. For us to go there I’m sure it will be a good tournament,” Gnabry said during a chat with MENA journalists in Munich.