LONDON, ENGLAND — Former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry has insisted that leaving the club was the right decision for his career, a move that could serve as a warning for current young talent Myles Lewis-Skelly as he faces uncertainty over his playing opportunities at the Emirates.
The German international, who joined Arsenal from Stuttgart in 2010 at the age of 16, made only 18 senior appearances before spending time on loan at West Bromwich Albion. He eventually left for Werder Bremen in 2016 in a deal reportedly worth £5 million, a move that proved transformative for his career.
Gnabry’s performances in Germany earned him a move to Bayern Munich a year later, where he developed into an established international and one of the Bundesliga club’s leading attacking players. Reflecting on his Arsenal departure, Gnabry told Kicker: “It was the right decision [to leave Arsenal]. Everybody who compares my development over the last four months to my time in England before that can’t come to a different conclusion.”
He added that Arsenal had wanted him to remain at the club but that increased playing time was central to his decision. “That was the main reason for the transfer – I wanted to get more playing time and it worked. Arsenal wanted to keep me, badly. But I had to look after my development,” Gnabry said.
The situation bears similarities with Lewis-Skelly, who has emerged as one of Arsenal’s most promising young players but faces strong competition for his preferred defensive position. The 19-year-old made 30 appearances last season and was occasionally deployed in midfield by manager Mikel Arteta. However, the arrivals of Piero Hincapie and Bruno Guimaraes, alongside Riccardo Calafiori and Jurrien Timber, could make regular opportunities more difficult.
Football London reports that Lewis-Skelly has been offered to Manchester United and Chelsea as Arsenal consider his future. Gnabry’s career demonstrates the potential consequences of limited opportunities for emerging players, and the German’s success after leaving Arsenal serves as a reminder that sometimes a departure can be the catalyst for a player’s full potential. For Lewis-Skelly, the coming weeks could prove decisive in determining whether he follows a similar path or fights for his place at the Emirates.
