Arsenal Already Have Their Own Leroy Sane

Arsenal have reportedly joined the chase for FC Schalke wonderkid Leroy Sane, but don’t the Gunners already have the same type in Serge Gnabry?

Leroy Sane is the talk of the town. He’s the bees knees. A regular German Fonzie. Every club wants him and for just cause. Sane is making a very strong impression in his first full season with FC Schalke. In his 19 starts between the Bundlesiga and the Europa League, he has notched six goals and five assists. That is a solid return for a 20 year old.

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FC Shalke are renowned for their ability to churn out young German prospects and Sane is just another of the same mold.

Given his versatility, speed and technical ability it only made sense that Arsenal was going to be ‘in’ on the guy at some point. The Gunners have entered the fray and are staring down Barcelona’s pursuit of the lad. Goal.com indicates that Liverpool have also been keen on the winger’s undoubted abilities, so we may be heading to a good old fashioned transfer stand off.

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Then again, doesn’t Leroy Sane strongly resemble someone that Arsenal already have/had? Serge Gnabry is also a 20 year old German winger that has all the potential in the world. He broke through at the age of 18, appeared in just over 450 minutes of play, nabbed a goal and a token Arsenal injury.

Since that time, he has disappeared.

Make no mistake, Gnabry was ready to challenge for a first team spot last season, but his season-long knee injury from the previous year kept him out for the duration of the campaign.

The next order of business was a horrific loan that saw Gnabry gain just 12 minutes of play time at West Brom and now Gnabry is back at Arsenal. 20 years young, German, talented and ripe for a fresh opportunity. That is Serge Gnabry.

Leroy Sane had a similar path, minus all the tragedy. He broke through at the age of 19 (a bit slow on the uptake), and scored three goals in 600 minutes in his debut year. That year (2014/15) would have been the year that Gnabry used to challenge for a first team spot. It was that year that the knee injury kept him sidelined. 

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I would bet my fresh 2015/16 Olivier Giroud kit that Serge Gnabry could have scored three goals in 600 minutes had he been able to retain his health at the end of the 2013/14 season. He was on the fast track to the first team and that was all cut short by injury and Tony Pulis.

Plus, Gnabry outshone Sane in every other statistic in their debut years. Gnabry made far less poor touches, he was dispossessed less, he passed better and he created better. The only thing Sane had on Gnabry was minutes and goals.

Give Gnabry 19 starts and he can mimic those numbers that Leroy Sane is putting up this year.

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Arsenal are currently shopping Serge Gnabry around for a new loan deal, despite my plea to give him a shot in the first team. Whatever the case, a move for Leroy Sane is silly. If Serge Gnabry is on the peripherals, Sane would be also.