Wenger's decision to sell Arsenal's "future legend" earning £320,000 per week was a greater error than that of letting go of Van Persie

 Arsenal: Serge Gnabry sale was worse than Van Persie

Arsenal has experienced a lot of success under the leadership of Mikel Arteta, with the team currently marching towards their first Premier League title since 2004. The Gunners have been well-recruited, and their playing style captures the imagination, making it hard to find any issues with the high-flying squad. Their progress has been measured and imperious, with this season being nothing short of magical.

With the potential triumph, it would make all those years of ridicule and scorn for fans of the club almost seem worth it. Despite all their successes, there have been a few painful departures that still sting fans today. One such departure was that of Robin van Persie, who left the club for Manchester United in search of immediate success. He had grown disillusioned with the lack of competition for major honours at the Emirates, and his departure was a significant loss for the club.

However, there is another departure from north London that could be argued as an even bigger blunder, and that is the sale of Serge Gnabry. Although the sale of Van Persie hurt, the money lost on Gnabry is nothing short of astronomical.

Gnabry was loaned out to West Bromwich Albion during Tony Pulis's spell as manager. Pulis famously noted that "Serge Gnabry is not at the level to play for West Brom," and yet now he stars for Bayern Munich. His rise to the top of European football started with his £8m exit from the Emirates. He now boasts 76 goals and 50 assists in just 208 games for the Bavarian giants, which has bore multiple trophies including four Bundesliga titles and a Champions League.

This emergence has unsurprisingly seen his value rise too, which peaked in 2020 when Transfermarkt rated him at an astronomical €90m (£79m). From the insignificant fee he left for to how much he has grown, it marks one of Arsene Wenger's biggest blunders during his illustrious spell in north London. It is this value upshoot, plus the success the £320k-per-week magician has gone on to achieve, that makes this far worse than when they lost Van Persie.

Although Arsenal got just £24m for Van Persie from their fierce rivals, it was admittedly reaching his twilight years. The Dutchman would win just one Premier League after moving and had enjoyed the bulk of his impressive 274-goal career under Wenger's leadership. It pales in comparison to Gnabry's glittering career, who was once branded a "future Arsenal legend" by journalist Freddie Paxton back in 2014. Unfortunately, he did not reach that level at Arsenal despite these suggestions, and he would instead continue to star for a different European powerhouse to this day.

Arsenal's decision to sell Gnabry may have seemed reasonable at the time, but his subsequent success at Bayern Munich highlights the mistake made by the club. Arsene Wenger was renowned for developing young talent, and Gnabry was considered one of his most promising prospects. However, the German was unable to make a significant impact at Arsenal, and his departure was therefore seen as a logical move.

However, Wenger may have underestimated Gnabry's potential, and it is clear that his career has flourished since his departure from Arsenal. While the club has certainly made some astute signings in recent years, their failure to keep hold of Gnabry will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest mistakes in their history.

In conclusion, the sale of Serge Gnabry was indeed worse than that of Robin van Persie. Although Van Persie was a crucial player for Arsenal, the club had already enjoyed the bulk of his impressive career, and his departure