Arsene Wenger has stated that he believes Bayern Munich "manipulated" Serge Gnabry into leaving Arsenal for Werder Bremen in 2016.
The German winger left the Gunners when Wenger was still in charge at the Emirates Stadium, after just a handful of appearances for the senior team.
However, after just a year in the Bundesliga, Gnabry was on the move again when Bayern Munich came calling.
Gnabry has since forced his way into the starting XI at the Allianz Arena, including a starring role in the 7-2 win against Arsenal's bitter rivals Spurs, and also become a regular in the German national team.
However, Wenger has hinted that he believes Bayern were making covert moves to try and encourage the young star to leave London.
"We tried to extend his contract for a very long time and I think that Bayern manipulated behind the scenes, that if he went to Bremen he would join Bayern after," Wenger told beIN Sports.
"He was always a very talented boy who lacked confidence in some stages, but we always thought we had a player who could achieve a lot.
"He came back from a very bad experience on loan at West Brom where his confidence was destroyed. I tried to rebuild him because I believed in him."
However, Wenger says that despite Gnabry's impressive recent performances, he is not yet the finished article.
"A top-level career is consistency," he added. "If you look at the players that dominate our sport, it's the ones that show huge consistency and that's what is at stake.
"Can he maintain the quality of performances that he showed the other night [against Spurs]?
"Bayern had just won 3-0 at Paderborn, you wouldn't expect them to come and put seven goals away at Tottenham.
"I think it was one of those nights where everything goes for you and everything against Tottenham."
