It was a bitter blow for Arsenal to lose Samir Nasri in the summer. Arguably the best midfielder in the league last year his rise to form should have been ample cushioning for what was to be the inevitable blow last season of losing Fabregas. For the first half of the season it was, that is until we realised that he wasn’t going to sign a new contract. People have said it was down to the Carling Cup final, to Arsenal’s lack of success; however I heard from a source close to Nasri’s agent that the Frenchman never had any intention of signing a new contract once he knew that the Manchester clubs were interested. Whether it was the draw of money or the promise of greater success that forced his hand is down to the fans to make up their own mind. But what Arsenal fans should know is that whilst always a useful player he was not exceptional until the end of his second season. His jinxing run through the Porto defence which lead to his brilliant solo goal in March 2010 announced to the Emirates crowd just what he was capable of and from then on he briefly stole north London hearts before breaking them.

However, like I said, it wasn’t always like that. In the very same culture in which we expect great things from our signings instantly we also forget the lesser periods of a player’s career once they hit form. There is always a silver lining in football; no matter how dark and ominous the cloud appears to be and Gervinho should be Arsenal’s this year. He has come up against a lot of criticism for some of his performances but you have to remember that he’s playing in a new team, in a new league with a language that he doesn’t speak.

Comparison

So far Gervinho has played seventeen matches this season and in that time he’s scored two goals and has seven assists. In Nasri’s entire first season, in which he played forty-four games he only scored seven goals and got five assists. Now obviously Nasri was younger then than Gervinho is now but only by a couple of years and in terms of which of the players have dealt better with the adjustment to life in the Premier League it has definitely been Gervinho. People forget how hard it is to come from the French league. At the beginning Gervinho was taking too much time on the ball and was punished for it, he earned quickly from mistakes like that and has matured in to the league and the team at an alarming rate. You also have to remember that Gervinho has come straight in to a team that was bereft of form and had nowhere near the quality it did when Nasri arrived. Gervinho has been forced straight in to the deep end and has flourished in the process.

His form in front of goal undoubtedly leaves a lot to be desired but we know from his time in France that he can score goals and that the issue seems to be more one of confidence than ability. On the whole I don’t think that making comparisons between players is necessarily helpful but in this instance it highlights how well the Ivorian has done to fit straight in to Arsenal. He seemed to be our only planned signing of the summer and subsequently a lot was expected of him. His record suggests that he is fulfilling that. Gervinho has more assists and scored the same amount of goals as Nasri this season and he has only played one game more. What’s more Nasri is playing for the in form team and Gervinho is playing for one with temperamental form and confidence.

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When FootballFanCast asked Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn who he thought Arsenal’s best signing had been this year he had no hesitation in nominating Gervinho:

“I’d have to say Gervinho. He’s got loads of energy, terrific pace. Over the last couple of weeks people have said that his finishing hasn’t been great but the signs are there that he’s a creative player. I’m not sure that he’s going to get 15 or 20 goals in a season but he could quite easily get 10 or so and he’ll get plenty of assists. I think he’s started his career well at Arsenal.”

I’m not saying that Gervinho is the same sort of player as Nasri, nor that he will necessarily be as good, but for all those Arsenal fans bemoaning his performances so far this season it is important that a) he is appreciated for what he has brought to the club in desperate times and b) that he is given the necessary time to adjust to life in a vastly different league. The culture of demanding instant success from signings is based on ignorance of the demands of life in our league and for a player whose only real problem appears to be confidence in front of goal it vital that he gets the support he needs, not just from the manager but also from the fans.

For more Arsenal news and stories follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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