Serge Gnabry Determined to Make Most of Fresh Start Under Kompany
At 29 years of age, it’s fair to say that Serge Gnabry has experienced his fair share of highs and lows. Born in Stuttgart to an Ivorian father and a German mother, Gnabry started off at Stuttgart’s academy before eventually taking his talents to Arsenal in 2011 after turning 16. He was promoted to Arsenal’s first team shortly after and didn’t take long to make an impression under Arsène Wenger, becoming the second-youngest Arsenal player to play in the Premier League at 17 years and 98 days, second only to Jack Wilshere.
Gnabry enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2013/14, making 14 appearances and leading Arsenal to the FA Cup title — their first trophy in nine years — but his progress was stunted immediately as the German winger succumbed to a serious knee injury which caused him to miss over a year. In order to get back to top form, he was loaned out to West Bromwich Albion for the 2015/16 campaign, but he was unable to make a name for himself under Tony Pulis.
Five years after joining Arsenal, Gnabry returned to Germany and quickly made an impression, scoring 11 goals in 27 Bundesliga appearances as Werder Bremen finished eighth in the league. This prompted the attention of Bayern Munich, who triggered his €8 million buyout clause before sending him out on loan to Hoffenheim. Gnabry excelled under Julian Nagelsmann with 10 goals in 22 appearances, leading Die Kraichgauer to a third-place finish and Champions League qualification.
Photo: Gnabry’s 2017/18 heat map [Sofascore]
Gnabry was introduced into the Bayern Munich squad in 2018 as a replacement for the Juventus-bound Douglas Costa, and it didn’t take long for him to justify his price tag. Niko Kovač’s side would claim a domestic treble, finishing two points above Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga table, and Gnabry proved essential with 10 goals in 30 matches, second only to Robert Lewandowski.
Kovač was replaced by Hansi Flick in November 2019, a decision that proved fundamental for both Gnabry and Bayern’s success. Unleashed in an attacking role, Gnabry would produce a litany of blockbuster performances in the UEFA Champions League, scoring four goals vs. Tottenham Hotspur, a brace vs. Chelsea, a goal vs. Barcelona, and a brace vs. Lyon.
This secured Bayern’s spot in the final, where, alongside fellow Stuttgart academy graduate Joshua Kimmich, Gnabry helped the Bavarian giants edge Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 and win their first Champions League title in seven years. They would proceed to join Barcelona 2009 as the only team to win a sextuple, and Gnabry was duly rewarded by acquiring the #7 shirt from Franck Ribéry.
After adding another Bundesliga title to their trophy cabinet, Bayern would replace Flick with Nagelsmann in the summer of 2021. Reunited with his former manager, Gnabry managed to impress not just as a winger, but as a center forward, with Sadio Mané and Leroy Sané operating on the flanks in the 4-2-3-1 formation. In the above image, we can see Gnabry being closely marked on the right flank, and despite having to operate in a congested area, he manages to evade the pressure and bypass all three opponents.
Bayern’s Typical Formation Under Nagelsmann
Bayern were put to the test in the 2022/23 season after losing Lewandowski to Barcelona, but they managed to prevail with an 11th straight Bundesliga title on the final day of the campaign. Gnabry once again proved vital under both Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel, who replaced the former in the March international break, finishing as the club’s top scorer in the league with 14 goals as well as their joint-top scorer with Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (17).
Here, Gnabry is in the final third and looking to exploit a disorganized defensive unit, with Alphonso Davies finding himself unmarked on the edge of the box. Bayern’s aggressive, vertical counter-attacking rendered opponents helpless, and Gnabry was crucial in maintaining the width, dropping into the middle third as a false nine, and combining with his attacking teammates.
Gnabry has proven to be an observant playmaker who often makes the selfless, generous pass rather than attempting a shot from an unlikely scoring position. Here, he spots Mané making a blind side run and executes his diagonal pass to perfection, cutting apart the opposing defense in one fell swoop.
After seven consecutive seasons of scoring 10+ goals in the Bundesliga, Gnabry’s performances took a turn for the worse in 2023/24. Plagued by injuries, Gnabry managed just three goals and two assists in 10 Bundesliga appearances as Bayern Munich suffered a trophyless campaign and relinquished the league title to Bayer Leverkusen. Injuries have proven to be a constant scourge for Gnabry, who missed out on both the 2018 World Cup as well as the 2024 Euros due to fitness problems.
Having struggled for consistency since signing a new contract in 2022, it looked like Gnabry’s time in Bavaria was approaching its conclusion. Gnabry missed 28 matches due to injury in 2023/24 — as many as he had missed in the previous four seasons combined — and it seemed that these niggling hamstring issues would take a toll on his explosive movement.
With an €18.9 million annual salary, Gnabry is the sixth-highest earner in the Bundesliga behind Harry Kane (€25 million), Manuel Neuer (€21 million), Thomas Müller (€20.5 million), Sané (€20 million), and Kimmich (€19.5 million), and it appears that his astronomic wages proved a stumbling block in Bayern’s efforts to offload him from their squad. Despite interest from various Premier League sides, Gnabry remained at the Allianz Arena for the 2024/25 campaign.
So far, it has proven to be a wise decision for both parties. Gnabry has started in each of Bayern’s first five matches of the campaign, scoring an 82nd-minute winner at Wolfsburg to complete an improbable 3-2 comeback victory on opening day, whilst he also grabbed an assist in their victories against SSV Ulm 1846, Freiburg and Holstein Kiel and played the full 90 in their 9-2 demolition of Dinamo Zagreb.
He dropped to the bench on Saturday, replacing Kingsley Coman in the 57th minute and quickly making an impact in his return to his former stomping grounds. Bayern would proceed to score three goals in the next eight minutes, with Gnabry putting the finishing touches on a 5-0 demolition of Werder Bremen and guiding Bayern to yet another victory.
The Bavarians sit three points clear of Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, but they will be put to the test over the next month with a grueling schedule that will see them host Bayer Leverkusen and Stuttgart, both of whom finished above Bayern last season and travel to Aston Villa, Eintracht Frankfurt and Barcelona. They’ll be counting on Gnabry to continue to produce the goods.
Whilst he has plenty of work to do in order to beat out the likes of Jamal Musiala, Kai Havertz and Florian Wirtz to a starting spot, the signs are promising for Gnabry as he looks to earn a recall to the German national team for the first time since November. He has scored 22 goals and 9 assists in 45 appearances since making his international debut in 2016, and there’s reason to believe that he still has a big role to play under Nagelsmann as they prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Bayern are clicking on all cylinders under Vincent Kompany, and Gnabry has certainly played his part in their formidable start to the campaign. At 29, Gnabry is no longer the same fresh-faced winger that lit up the Premier League and the Bundesliga with his inventive dribbling and stellar creativity, but he continues to produce on both flanks and provide plenty of quality in the final third.
All signs point to it being a make-or-break campaign for Gnabry. Between Musiala (21), Coman (28), Sané (28) and Mathys Tel (19), Gnabry faces ample competition as he looks to nail down a first-team spot, which has only increased following the summer arrivals of Nestory Irakunda (18) and Michael Olise (22). With his contract set to expire in June 2026, the onus is now on Bayern’s veteran forward as he looks to make the most of his new opportunity under Kompany and convince the board that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
By: Jose Andrian Dwi Apriliyanto Halim / @AndrianDA15
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Pool / Getty Images