Arsenal reject is the perfect footballer, according to his new coach

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Arsene Wenger is renowned for his trust in young players, so why he allowed Serge Gnabry to leave after singing his praises remains a mystery.

Werder Bremen coach Viktor Skrypnyk is adamant that former Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry is a “perfect” footballer, as reported by ESPN.

The 21-year-old was one of the stars of the Rio Olympics this summer, netting six times in six games as Germany were forced to settle for silver after losing to hosts Brazil in a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Despite a disillusioning loan spell at West Brom last season (below), which was cut short after he appeared in only 12 minutes of Premier League action under Tony Pulis, Arsene Wenger admitted that he had high hopes for a player he believed would develop into a long-term fixture in his Arsenal side.

“I want to keep Serge Gnabry and extend his contract,” the Frenchman told the Daily Mail last month. “I think he’s here now for a long time.”

In a bizarre twist, however, Gnabry departed for Bundesliga strugglers Bremen just over a week later for a fee of around £8 million, according to SkySports, much to the delight of his new boss Viktor Skrypnyk.

“I am delighted he’s with us,” the under-pressure Werder boss said, according to ESPN. “I hope what he showed [in the 2-1 loss to Augsburg] already was the worst he can play.

“I think he’s capable of fulfilling everything that we expect from him. He already is perfect.”

Wenger was subjected to understandable criticism after sanctioning the cut-price departure of a young player finally showing signs of fulfilling his vast potential.

With Joel Campbell and Jack Wilshere (below) also spending the season away from the Emirates, Wengers’ squad will be stretched to breaking point if the annual injury crisis rears its head again.