STATISTICAL SENSE & SENSIBILITY

It seems clear, based on the above pictorial evidence, where Gervinho will be playing should Arsenal, as seems likely, buy him. His stats tell us that he made an average of half the number of passes per game compared to Nasri and falls between Arshavin and Walcott in this stat. He also falls between Theo and Andry in assists, but has ten times those of Nasri. His shots per game are similar to Nasri & Walcott but far superior to AA. Bendtner and Rosicky, who have also played in this area, have stats that do not bear scrutiny.

So are we to conclude that Gervinho is going to fill an area that allows Walcott to play Centre Forward and Nasri central mid field? Or is he being acquired to replace Samir wide, should the Frenchman be sold.

At 5’9 he is another one of Wenger’s low centre of gravity players who would be best suited for a wide position. In France he is viewed as a direct player, not afraid to attack an opposing defender. His dribbling skill is his main strength.  But, tellingly, he is considered to suffer from a lack of physical presence.

One stat that should generate some positivity is that he has just Won the Ligue 1 title with Lille; playing a key role in the club's success with an  impressive goals return. So in that respect he would be an unusual addition to the current Arsenal squad, as he would be that rarity at London Colney; A winner.

Oh, and one last thing; his real name is Gervais, which in itself would lead to an obvious nickname

http://youtu.be/FiG8E-iflsI

Gervais interview