Arsenal Transfer News: Gervinho's Departure an Underrated Loss for Gunners

To say Gervinho's two-season stint with Arsenal was a disappointment would be a massive understatement. That said, life without the Ivorian forward won't be much easier for the Gunners.

According to Arsenal's official website on Thursday, the club has officially parted ways with the 26-year-old, who has since signed with Serie A side AS Roma.

At first glance this move is hardly a debilitating one for Arsene Wenger's crew. But considering the Gunners have yet to add any notable talent this summer and don't appear to be making any progress in their pursuit of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, losing an experienced first-team player like Gervinho could bruise Arsenal's hopes of winning titles this season.

There's no doubt Gervinho came up incredibly small in his first season at Emirates in 2011-12, scoring just four goals in 37 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners.

Unfortunately, after rebounding to start the 2012-13 campaign—netting five goals in Arsenal's first seven matches—he would hit another painful dry spell, scoring just two goals the rest of the way to finish with seven in 26 appearances. 

But it's unfair to judge success merely on goal count. Keep in mind Gervinho only played in 18 Premier League matches for Arsenal last season, scoring five goals and recording three assists in those matches. 

Therefore, he was on pace to score 10 or more goals had he played the entire Premier League campaign. That's important to remember considering only Theo Walcott scored more than 12 league goals for Arsenal last season, scoring 14 in 32 league appearances. 

There's no excuse for Gervinho's inability to finish in the final third during his two years at Emirates. But with Arsenal remaining far too quiet on the transfer market (aside from the constant Luis Suarez drama and the occasional Matthias Ginter chatter), Gervinho's value will show in his absence. 

It's difficult to blame Arsenal for moving on. After all, Arsene Wenger gave Gervinho plenty of time and opportunities to turn things around and prove he was worthy of first-team duties.

But at the same time, if the Gunners don't land coveted forward Luis Suarez before the end of the summer transfer window, the impact of Gervinho's departure will become magnified. 

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