Tony Pulis may never live down West Brom claim - Bayern Munich have had last laugh | OneFootball

Serge Gnabry proved Tony Pulis wrong in spectacular fashion after his failed West Brom loan

Tony Pulis’ successful managerial career will always have one moment in particular from West Brom that he won’t look back on too fondly.

Serge Gnabry’s success at Bayern Munich has given him the last laugh after his difficult loan spell with the Midlands outfit.

The forward spent the first half of the 2015/16 campaign on loan at Pulis’ West Brom, arriving from Arsenal with a lot of promise.

The German international was considered one of their brightest young talents from the academy system, and it was hoped that he could gain some valuable first team experience at Hawthorns before potentially breaking into Arsene Wenger’s plans at the Emirates.

He’d already made eight appearances in the Premier League in 2013/14, including five starts, as he earned his first genuine minutes of senior football before a serious knee injury kept him out of the squad for around a year.

Gnabry even bagged a first senior goal in a 2-1 win away to Swansea City on 28 September 2013, highlighting just why there was so much excitement surrounding him.

But Pulis wasn’t as convinced, and he played just one time in the Premier League for Albion before returning to Emirates in January 2016.

Tony Pulis’ infamous criticism of Serge Gnabry at West Brom

Gnabry struggled to make an impression on Pulis, who was hoping to oversee a mid-table finish in the Premier League for West Brom in 2015/16 after the club had just earned a 13th place result in the previous campaign.

The now 67-year-old complained that the winger was not prepared to make the jump from academy football to the Premier League, when asked about his lack of game time in October 2015.

"Serge has come here to play games but he just hasn't been for me, at the moment, at that level to play the games," said Pulis, via ESPN.

"He's come from academy football and not played much league football - does academy football really prepare players for league football? And we're talking about Premier League football here.

"As a manager you pick a team that's going to win a game of football.

“You pick your best team - you don't leave people out because you don't like them, because of this, that and the other."

This eventually led to him being recalled by Arsenal that January, with Gnabry making a sole appearance in the top flight for the Baggies.

The Arsenal youngster came off the bench in a 3-2 loss to champions Chelsea, playing just 13 minutes of league football, as well as two cup games, during his spell under Pulis.

Serge Gnabry’s Bayern Munich success after West Brom, Tony Pulis disappointment

Gnabry’s time at Arsenal didn’t last much longer, as he was unable to cement himself as a part of Wenger’s first team.

He initially signed for Werder Bremen in 2016 before moving to Bayern after just one season with the Bundesliga club.

A loan spell at Hoffenheim showed his potential, as he contributed 10 goals and five assists in the German top flight to help the team finish third in the table.

Upon his return to the Allianz Arena, Gnabry played a key hand in six title wins in seven years, as well as a Champions League triumph in 2020.

He’s made over 200 appearances for the European giants, scoring on more than 70 occasions, becoming one of the top players in the world in the process.

While Arsenal may have some regrets regarding their decision to sell him to Werder Bremen, it’s Pulis’ comments about his lack of quality that really stand out.

In some ways, it’s quite strange that Wenger would sanction such a loan move given the obvious clash in styles between his Arsenal side and the Welshman’s team at the Hawthorns.

But, regardless, it’s a massive blunder that hasn’t reflected well on Pulis in the years since as Gnabry has very much had the last laugh - even if the ex-Baggies boss may have been right at the time of his comments.