He maybe one of the most unpredictable, erratic and frustrating players on the planet but there is no doubt that Gervinho has the talent.
On his day, he can open up teams with his dribbling ability, troubling defenders while his pest-like movement creates space for his teammates to exploit. There is also his quickness and directness, which gives Arsenal a different dimension.
The only downside is that Arsenal fans have seen very few glimpses of these ‘good days’ as the former Lille man is one of the most inconsistent players in the Premier League – let alone in the team.
So unpredictable is the wide man that not only his team-mates, but he himself probably, has no clue what he will execute next. The fact that he’s a confidence player – who needs consistent games and support to do well – doesn’t help anyone’s case either.
As the 2012/2013 season ended, Gervinho was linked with a host of clubs including Galatasaray, Marseille and Lyon, but the Ivorian brushed the speculation aside. However, the speculation grew even more when the winger was left out of the Arsenal squad heading to Asia for their pre-season tour.
And as of now, it looks like Serie A side, Roma are the frontrunners for Gervinho’s signature with Sky Italia and La Gazzetta reporting that the Ivorian has agreed terms with the club and that a potential £7m fee could be agreed soon.
It is sad that the explosive winger, who was a star for Lille in 2010/2011, couldn’t quite reach those heights with the Gunners but a move to Roma would be beneficial for all parties involved.
In Roma’s case, they now have another attacking addition, improving squad depth as the Italian side already contain the likes of Erik Lamela, Miralem Pjanic, Pablo Osvaldo (who Arsenal are reportedly interested in) and Mattia Destro.
New Roma manager, Rudi Garcia, was the man in charge for Lille during Gervinho’s success in France and could get the best out of him.
For Gervinho, he would get a fresh start in a new league, which he may be better suited for, and with more chances of game time in Italy, he could thrive and see his stock increase. As for Arsenal, recouping anything from £6-10m would be good business while approximately £50k per week in wages would be saved.
“Every time you change club, you become a different player,” as quoted by Gervinho; Roma fans could see a different player and it will hopefully be the player who bagged 15 goals and 10 assists in 2010/2011.