Former Arsenal forward Serge Gnabry has been linked with a surprise return to the Emirates this summer as Arsenal prepare for a busy transfer window.
Gnabry, who left the Gunners in the summer of 2016, looks set to leave Bayern Munich ahead of next season after failing to agree to a new contract with the German giants. According to a report from German news outlet Sport1, the 26-year-old wants to leave Bayern due to the player wanting to feel like he has an important role into the team, as well as his desire to play in a more central position rather than on the wing.
Mikel Arteta's side are in the market for one or two new centre-forwards this summer and could look to Gnabry as one option with the German international wanting to play through the middle, rather than on the wing where Arsenal already have the likes of Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Emile Smith Rowe. The Gunners have been linked with moves for Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus and Roma's Tammy Abraham, but Gnabry could offer an exciting alternative due to his versatility and love for the club.
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So, if Gnabry was to make a shock return to the Emirates in the summer, what sort of impact could he have on Mikel Arteta's side? Could the German forward help improve the side? We simulated the 2022/23 season with Gnabry in the Arsenal squad and this is what happened.
We 'signed' Serge Gnabry for Arsenal in July 2022
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for the 25-year-old to join Arsenal at the start of the summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. This is what Gnabry's in-game profile looks like on FM22.
The German international has exceptional Finishing (16), Long Shots (16), Off The Ball (17), Flair (16), Acceleration (17) and Balance (16) for a versatile forward, meaning he has all the attributes to perform in any role in Arsenal's attack. Gnabry tends to shoot with power, use the outside of his foot and cut in from either wing, with his ability to shoot with both feet making him a threat wherever he is in and around the penalty box.
The 25-year-old had a brilliant return season at the Emirates, scoring 18 goals and registering nine assists in 54 appearances for the club, playing mostly as a centre-forward. With 16 goals in the Premier League, Gnabry finished the season as the third-top goal scorer in the top-flight proving he can perform as a striker in Arsenal's system.
The German international averaged a match rating of 7.05 ranking him as a the fifth-best performer at the club, only behind Bukayo Saka (7.43), Emile Smith Rowe (7.32), Martin Odegaard (7.13) and Kieran Tierney (7.07). Gnabry showed his ability to press and win the ball back high up the pitch averaging a tackle success rate of 70%, more than any other attacker at the club.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what the Gunners' best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Arsenal best XI (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, White, Gabriel, Tierney; Partey, Vitinha; Saka, Odegaard, Smith Rowe; Gnabry.
Arteta played Gnabry in his favoured position as a centre-forward, supported by Smith Rowe, Odegaard and Saka. The Gunners did sign Vitinha from Porto, who features in the best XI, but other signings Luis Muriel from Atalanta and Ismailla Sarr from Watford didn't make the cut to feature in Arsenal's best XI for the 2022/23 season.
So, how did Arteta's side perform in the league and cup competitions after signing Gnabry ahead of the 2022/23 season? Lets take a look.
Arsenal's results from the 2022/23 simulation
The Gunners finished second in the Premier League, ahead of the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United, as Arteta's side qualified for the Champions League. Whilst Arsenal were able to leapfrog their rivals in the league table, they remained some way off Liverpool's quality, finishing 19 points behind the runaway champions.
The Gunners had the third-best goal difference in the division with +32, and were able to turn losing positions into draws and winning results thanks to Gnabry's goal contributions in attack. In comparison to the 2020/21 season, Arsenal finished six league positions higher, with 15 more points and a better goal difference by +16.
In the domestic cup competitions, the Gunners suffered a shock defeat in the Carabao Cup semi-finals losing 1-0 to Watford before being narrowly defeated by Liverpool in the FA Cup Fourth Round as Gabriel Martinelli scored a late consolation goal. In the Champions League, former Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez scored against Arteta's side as the Gunners were dumped out of the competition in the quarter-finals following a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
Overall, if Serge Gnabry were to sign for Arsenal ahead of the 2022/23 season, the German forward could have a massive impact on the performance of the Gunners' squad, scoring 18 goals and registering nine assists from striker, firing Arteta's side to a second-place finish in the Premier League and leapfrogging City and Chelsea in the table. Our simulation suggests that further signings would be needed in defence and midfield if Arsenal are to challenge across all competitions, but there was a clear sign of progression with Gnabry leading the line.
Would you like to see Serge Gnabry sign for Arsenal next season? Let us know in the comments!
