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Gervinho has finally spilled the beans on his transfer to Arsenal and spoken about why he chose to move to the North London club. Although the transfer is not official yet, Gervinho said it was only a matter of time before all loose ends got tied up and he was unveiled as Arsene Wenger’s first big name signing of the summer.
The hard-working and tenacious Gervinho enjoyed a very fruitful season with French champions Lille, during which he scored 15 goals and was one of their most important players along with Moussa Sow and Eden Hazard. This understandably led to him attracting the attention of many big clubs including Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester City and probable employers-to-be Arsenal.
He contributed to Lille winning a historic Ligue 1 and Coupe de France double with his calm finishing, intelligent passes, selfless decoy runs and versatility. The 24 year old Ivorian can play either up front or as a wideman, which is a big tick in Arsene Wenger’s books. He spoke with enthusiasm about Arsenal’s style of play and his future there when he spoke to English tabloid The Sun. He said-
“I chose Arsenal because it’s a young group within which I will be able to integrate easily. I could develop more over there. There’s only a few details left to sort out.”
When he was asked whether he was taking a risk moving to a club who hadn’t won any silverware for six years, he denied it vehemently and said that he would do his utmost to help Arsenal break their recent trophy duck.
“A risk? Not at all. I’m going to Arsenal to play. The best risk to take is to look to score goals and to play a lot.
“In football you have to take risks if you want to win. I’m going to Arsenal to win.”
In spite of being linked with a number of clubs, Gervinho maintained that he had a very easy decision to make once Arsenal entered the race. He gave a glowing review to the Premier League and said that he was itching to test himself at the very top level of football. He spoke to France Football and said-
“I had no hesitation. None. But in a transfer there’s always a period of analysis and negotiations.
“All sides had to be satisfied so that things could develop smoothly.
“I’m going there to play, not to be on the bench. Arsenal love the game. And I love teams that love the game.
“The Premier League is a notch above. It’s maybe the best league in the world. I want to live that sensation.”
The completion of this transfer seems a mere formality, and it looks like Arsenal have finally signed their first player of the summer after Charlton right back Carl Jenkinson.
