Arsenal Transfer News: Gervinho's Decision to Stay Is Gunners' Loss

Arsenal fans hoping to see the club free up some cash and separate themselves from Gervinho this summer are going to be disappointed. It appears as though the 26-year-old forward is set on staying with the Gunners. 

According to Sky Sports, the Ivory Coast national had been linked to Turkish club Fenerbache and French club Lille, Gervinho's former team. However, he is set on returning to Arsenal and earning his spot, telling Sky Sports:

"

I have a contract until 2015 with Arsenal and I intend to honour it. There is always speculation in the papers, but I am looking forward to a good holiday and to come back to Arsenal. I want to win my place in the starting line-up week in, week out.

"

While his determination to turn things around with his current club is admirable, both parties may have been better off to just go their separate ways. 

Gervinho came to the club in 2011 as a highly touted transfer, and expectations were high. With 15 goals in 35 appearances for Lille, it was expected that Gervinho would add the extra scoring punch to the lineup that the Gunners needed. 

However, that just hasn't been the case. Gervinho only scored four goals in 28 appearances in his debut season in England. His most recent campaign only yielded five goals in 18 appearances, bringing his grand total to nine goals. 

That's just not going to get the job done. 

It's not for a lack of talent, though. One look at Gervinho's highlights from his days with Lille, and it's easy to see the potential that made him an alluring prospect in 2011. The problem is that he's just not a good fit with Arsenal. 

According to WhoScored.com's average rating metric, the forward is only averaging a 6.76 rating per game—that's 17th on the team. 

For a team that's looking to get into the top three of the Premier League as soon as possible (and very close to doing so), there's no time to see if Gervinho will ever find his confidence and rhythm with the team, especially with the possibility to add exciting young players such as Lyon's Clement Grenier to the roster. 

Now, the club must hope that Gervinho's desire to stay with Arsenal is an indication that he will turn things around next season.