Arsenal are set to face Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The clash at the Emirates will see Bayern Munich’s Serge Gnabry come up against his old club.
Gnabry spent five years at Arsenal before leaving them for Werder Bremen in 2016. A year later, he moved to Bayern Munich.
TSG Hoffenheim assistant manager Moritz Volz has spoken to t-Online to preview this fixture.
Volz had two different spells at the north London club. The first one was as a player between 1999 and 2004 and the second as a scout between 2015 and 2019.
Arsenal signed Gnabry for their academy from VfB Stuttgart in 2011. Arsène Wenger, who was then in charge, promoted him to the first team a year later.
The 30-year-old had 18 appearances for the Gunners, who sent him on loan to West Bromwich Albion during the 2015/16 season. His situation has improved since moving to Bayern Munich, where he’s been a regular for several years.
Volz was specifically asked whether the Germany international was under-appreciated by Arsenal and if they regret not keeping him. When responding to that, the coach explained the Premier League side wanted to retain Gnabry.
“They were certainly a little annoyed, especially immediately after Serge left,” he said.
“But he wasn’t under-appreciated. He made his first professional appearances early on, and they were good. Then came injuries that slowed his momentum a bit.
“There were loan spells that didn’t go as planned. And ultimately, it wasn’t Arsenal who said he couldn’t make it, but he himself who said, ‘I see a different path for myself’. And that’s how it turned out.”
“The great thing is: You can’t overlook a quality like Gnabry’s – and that’s how he still made it to the very top.”