Gervinho's price is now higher than ever.
During his time representing London's "Arsenal", he was a joke in England. However, now the 27-year-old footballer has revived his reputation at "Roma" club and is once again causing terror among the defenses of Europe's strongest teams.
In recent times, both the champions of the Premier League and the strongest team in Italy have experienced how difficult it is to stop Gervinho in optimal form.
In UEFA Champions League matches, "Manchester City" defenders Gael Clichy and Martin Demichelis had to constantly work on the left side. At one point in the first half, Gervinho simply bypassed this pair as if they didn't exist, and only Joe Hart saved the "citizens" from conceding a goal.
On Sunday, the representative of the Ivory Coast caused confusion every time he attacked the defense of Turin's "Juventus." Making a wonderful pass, Gervinho created a goal for Juan Iturbe and provided a great opportunity for Miralem Pjanic.
After these two matches, "Roma" has re-established itself among the strongest teams. The draws in England have given the "Giallorossi" good chances to break through to the Champions League quarter-finals, while the controversial loss to "Juventus" with a score of 3-2 only highlighted that the team from the Italian capital is capable of fighting for the "Scudetto".
However, it was possible to fight for victories in the last two matches. Of the four missed goals, three were scored from the penalty spot, and for the fourth, defender Leonardo Bonucci's precise shot from outside the penalty area had a significant contribution to the success.
The main culprits for the draws and the loss are, of course, the Roma players, with Gervinho in the lead. The African's first touch and finishing in Manchester often disappointed the Italian fans, while in Turin, Gervinho had a great chance to put the team ahead with a score of 3-1.
"We did enough to win, if we look at Gervinho and Pjanic's chances," said coach Rudi Garcia after a Serie A match.
Although this player should not be judged solely on his goal tally, as last season only Francesco Totti and Alessio Cerci had more assists in the top Italian league, in order to fully utilize his potential, he certainly needs to improve his accuracy in front of goal.
"If Gervinho could finish attacks well, he would be like Cristiano Ronaldo," said club legend Totti a few months ago.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid forward scored 51 goals in the 2013-14 season, and now has 17. After a hat-trick against Bilbao Athletic in a match, the Portuguese has scored 13 times in 6 matches in the Spanish league.
In comparison, Gervinho managed to beat the opponent's goalkeepers 9 times throughout the last season in Serie A. Although the number is not small, it is only the twentieth result in Italy. Before Christmas, the African forward failed to score a goal for three months, and then in 2014, there were empty periods of two months.
This year, despite two assists and eleven created opportunities for his teammates, Gervinho scored only once in the past six league matches and hit the target three times out of six. However, it is worth mentioning that in the Champions League match against Moscow's "CSKA", where "Roma" celebrated a victory with a score of 5-1, the Ivory Coast national team player scored a double.
"Yes, sometimes it's just a mental fog when I'm near the opponents' goal. Maybe my foot speed doesn't match my thinking speed," Gervinho said before the match against Juventus.
"But with the help of technical staff, I have certainly improved my concentration in the crucial attacking stage."
When looking at the improvements on the field, Gervinho lacks very little to become one of the most dangerous forwards in Europe. He runs fast, starts well, controls the ball well, and is creative. Since moving to Roma, he has been tearing through the opponents' defenses every week.
However, in order to become a complete footballer like Ronaldo, he needs to score more goals. At the current pace, the player will end the season with six or seven goals in his Serie A account. This is completely inadequate if Gervinho wants to become the best player in the league. And, of course, this will not be enough for Roma in the fight for the "Scudetto".
These thoughts are shared by "Goal" journalist Carlo Garganese.
