Serge Gnabry explains why more youngsters should go to the Bundesliga | OneFootball

Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry believes the Bundesliga offers a better platform for young players than the Premier League.

Gnabry began his professional career at Arsenal before leaving to join Werder Bremen two years ago, and last summer the 23-year-old joined Bayern in a deal worth €8m before being loaned out to Hoffenheim.

The young German set something of a trend of young players leaving England to seek regular playing time in Germany, with the likes of Jadon Sancho and Ademola Lookman both following suit last season.

And Gnabry has explained why more and more young talent could soon be heading to the Bundesliga.

“I think it’s because of the big money that is around in football today, especially in England,” he told the Planet Fútbol podcast.

“If you have the top six clubs there, all their starting XIs are players that cost €50 million-plus. So for a young player to make it past, I would say the big thing is starting for that team is very hard.

“Now in the Bundesliga the level has gone up, but the quality has started to give young guys a chance. I think that’s very good, because everyone starts young.

“I think that’s the case comparing to the Premier League, it is a bit harder to break through there than it is in the Bundesliga at the moment.”

Gnabry represented a number of German clubs at youth level before leaving VfB Stuttgart for Arsenal at the age of 16 and the Germany international says moving to a new country with a new language at such as young age was an invaluable experience.

“I’m definitely proud of it,” he said.

“It’s a hard thing to do when you’re 15 or 16 years old, leaving all your surroundings behind, like I would say your comfort zone, where everyone knows you, where your family is around and all of that stuff. Just to make a new step, I wanted to do it.

“I wasn’t really scared of anything. A lot of people were telling me you can’t go to England. You will not make it. There are so many players who went before you that didn’t make it. So I really just said OK, let’s prove a point, because I’m not everybody.

“And for the first two years, everything went you could say as planned, as I wish it would have. Then after that not so much. But I would do it over and over again.”

Gnabry made his senior Gunners debut in an EFL Cup fixture against Coventry City and has since played 74 professional games at club level.

“The biggest thing is just to get the playing time,” he said.

“If you’re on the pitch, if you’re scoring goals, people can see you, people can talk about you, people recognise what you’re doing.

“It’s all different when you’re not playing, when you’re on the bench or not even in the squad. That’s what’s kind of happened to me before in the years at Arsenal. It’s a whole different thing.

“For the last two years I’ve been enjoying my football, coming out every week playing and improving day by day in training.”