Lille has confirmed that it is negotiating with Arsenal over the sale of their star striker Gervinho. The sale price being bandied about is between £8- £12m. The Cote D’Ivoirian scored 15 goals in their Ligue winning season. Other clubs interested are moneybags City (which probably pushed up his sale price a few million with their interest), Spurs, and Newcastle. PSG are also keen on Gervinho but Lille are not interested in selling to their rivals.
Here is a clip – the immediate thing that strikes one is the bursts of acceleration, some very neat dribbling, and an ability to finish. Gervinho likes to take the ball wide on either flank and then cuts in using pace and foot skills. The other thing noteworthy is his ability to create his own goals. Here is a prime illustration at 1:50
He appears to be a bit of a free spirit and one hopes that is allowed to continue if his transfer succeeds because Arsenal can swallow you whole with its passing when a spark of individualism is all that is needed. Andrey Arshavin in his first season was just that before he became a cog in the machine.