Arsenal prepare to unleash Gervinho
149 comments September 12th, 2011
Amidst all the excitement over five deadline day arrivals, it’s been easy to forget about the one major transfer Arsene managed to complete before the season actually got underway. It’s a player he tracked over several summers, before eventually snapping up for a cut-price €12m. And this week, Gervais Yao Kouassi – or ‘Gervinho’, as you know him – will finally return to the fold.
So far, we’ve seen only glimpses. He managed 75 minutes at Newcastle before getting himself sent off, and has since then only been eligible to play in the two legs against Udinese. However, those fleeting appearances bode well. In fact, ever since scoring two goals in the opening minutes of his Arsenal debut in a friendly with Koln, Gervinho has promised much. This week, at last, he will be available and able to deliver.
I’ve spoken already this week about how I believe replacing the likes of Fabregas and Nasri with like-for-like players was always going to be impossible. That said, whilst I’m sure Arsene originally intended to deploy Gervinho alongside Samir Nasri, the Frenchman’s departure makes the Ivorian his de facto replacement: a goalscoring winger who can play from either flank. There are marked differences between the player, and consequently Arsenal need – and indeed, have already begun – to evolve a new style. One based upon a stronger, more durable spine, and explosive pace on the flanks. Gervinho is integral to that second part. He’s an interesting blend of our other two wide options: like Walcott, he is lightening-quick; like Arshavin, he’s an unpredictable and effective dribbler.
Against Newcastle, prior to the intervention of Joseph Barton, this unpredictability bordered on the infuriating. Dangerous runs ended with miscued passes or scuffed shots, as Gervinho showed plenty of promise but little end product. Against Udinese, there was a marked improvement: he was much more direct, brilliantly creating the crucial goal for Robin van Persie with this run and cut-back.
Had Theo Walcott’s finishing been more finely attuned, he would have had another assist too. It was an enthralling performance, but we haven’t seen him since then. He’s missed games with United and Swansea, popping over to Africa to play and score for the Ivory Coast in the interim.
Arsenal fans have waited patiently to see more of this curious character. On Tuesday, the wait ends. Gervinho is likely to start in Dortmund, and I’d expect him to play at Blackburn on Saturday too. In fact, I’d expect him to very quickly become a regular member of the Arsene’s preferred XI, cutting in from the left to combine with Robin van Persie are darting on to through-balls from Mikel Arteta.
There are reasons to be excited. Arsene has spoken of Gervinho’s impressive performances and “full confidence in trainingâ€. This is a player who arrives having just won a double in France, and eager to make a name for himself in a new country. And a player, crucially, who escaped the scarring experience of Old Trafford.
He’s fresh, he’s fast, and he’s fed up of waiting around to show what we can do. Unleash The Gervinho.
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Further reading: Gunnerblog welcomes Gervinho: The Ivorian with the Brazilian name
