Tony Pulis expressed disappointment over Serge Gnabry’s impressive career after his disastrous loan move to West Brom.
The German winger, an Arsenal loanee who joined the squad in the summer of 2015, did not please Pulis or the Baggies faithful, appearing just three times and going without a goal or an assist.
Since that time, the now 28-year-old has excelled for Werder Bremen, Bayern Munich, and the German national team. However, the former West Brom manager has opened up about Gnabry’s time at the Hawthorns.
He stated (5 September, 34:00) on the Express and Star Baggies Broadcast that “We brought him in and he got brought off in a reserve game at the Albion, I think they played Aston Villa, after 30 or 35 minutes.
I’ll tell you a humorous anecdote. After Arsenal sold him to Werder Bremen for around £5 million, he transferred to Bayern Munich, and Kenty called to ask if I had seen Gnabry there. He replied, “It can’t be him; it must be his brother,” after hearing “He’s scored.”
“Some people tell me that the best thing that could have happened was for him to go to your place and not make the team because that would have gotten him all worked up. If Gnabry were performing like he did at Bayern Munich, we would have him in the lineup every single week. You don’t pick your best players.
Who’d have thought
There aren’t many transactions that are as bizarre to reflect on as Gnabry’s brief stint at West Brom since, it’s safe to say, no one anticipated that the German would go on to play a pivotal role for Bayern and be a regular for the German national team.
The former Arsenal loanee, who Pulis disclosed similarly failed to impress during his time at the Emirates and was sent to Pulis in an effort to regain some form and realize his potential, was entirely within his rights to be benched.
Many Baggies supporters will be left wondering what they could have accomplished if the Gnabry who is currently playing at the Allianz Arena had instead chosen to ply his trade at the Hawthorns, although it doesn’t seem like he had much desire in succeeding while on loan.
There can’t be many Champions League champions who would have had trouble playing for the West Brom reserve team for more than 35 minutes.
