Arsenal’s Ivorian striker Gervinho is on the verge of joining Italian side Roma after an £8m deal was agreed. However, the Italian side need to sell players before the deal can be concluded as they don’t currently have the finances to complete the move. The funny-haired attacker will link up with his former coach at Lille, Rudi Garcia, who has taken the manager’s role at Roma.
He never really convinced Arsenal supporters that he was capable of scoring the goals required of an attacking midfielder / striker and his record displays how disappointing his stay at the Emirates was; 46 league appearances and 9 goals is not a spectacular return for a player that joined the club in the summer of 2011 for almost £11m. His Premier League debut ended in him being sent off for slapping Joey Barton and perhaps indicated a sign of things to come; poor decision making and a lack of quality when in the final third did nothing to endear him to Arsene Wenger, who mainly used him as a substitute.
Perhaps his old manager can bring out the best of him in Italy and Arsenal will surely be happy at receiving the majority of the fee they paid a few seasons ago and to reduce the wage bill even further. Thierry Henry he certainly wasn’t but Gunners fans will probably remember him for years to come, even if it is for his forehead rather than his shooting skills!