Bayern Munich news: Bavarians manipulated Serge Gnabry into leaving Arsenal, claims Arsene Wenger

What's the story?

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has opened up about the circumstances surrounding German midfielder Serge Gnabry's exit from the Gunners, stating that he was manipulated into leaving the Emirates.

In case you didn't know...

Gnabry joined Arsenal in 2011 and made his debut at the age of 17. A serious knee injury in 2014 forced the German to miss over a year of football before his infamous loan spell at West Brom under Tony Pulis.

Gnabry left Arsenal in 2016 to join Werder Bremen where he impressed in his only spell with the club. The German international then joined Bayern Munich in 2017 but spent the first season on loan with Hoffenheim.

Since returning from his loan spell, Gnabry has developed into one of Bayern's most valuable assets.

The heart of the matter

Arsene Wenger, in an exclusive interview with the bein SPORTS, claimed that Bayern Munich manipulated Gnabry into leaving Arsenal in 2016.

We tried to extend his contract for a very long time and I think that Bayern manipulated behind the scenes, that if he went to Bremen he would join Bayern after.

He was always a very talented boy who lacked confidence in some stages, but we always thought we had a player who could achieve a lot.

The former Arsenal manager also added that for Gnabry to truly develop into an elite footballer, he will need to develop more consistency in his game.

A top-level career is consistency, if you look at the players that dominate our sport it’s the ones that show HUGE consistency and that’s what is it at stake. Can he maintain the quality of performances that he showed the other night?

What's next?

Gnabry will be hoping to continue his rich vein of form when Germany take on Estonia in a Euro 2020 qualification fixture next week.