Ex-Arsenal Forward Slams Arsene Wenger For Not Giving Him More Playing Time

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Ivorian spent two underwhelming campaigns at the Emirates. 

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New AS Roma front man Gervinho has blamed Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger for his departure from the north London club this summer, according to reports in the Mail on Sunday.

The Ivory Coast international left the Emirates to move to the Italian capital last month for an undisclosed fee after spending two largely unproductive campaigns in the Premier League under the Frenchman’s management.

Wenger signed the 26-year-old from Ligue 1 side Lille in the summer of 2011 for a sum of £10.8m and in his two years with the Gunners, Gervinho struggled badly for form in front of goal.

In total, the Ivorian managed to find the back of the net on just the 11 occasions in his 63 matches in all competitions for the club, including an equally disappointing nine strikes in his 46 Premier League contests for the Gunners.

However, Gervinho has now laid the blame for his failure to hit the target more often in the capital squarely at the feet of the man who brought him to Arsenal, telling the Sun on Sunday that: “I was not getting much time on the pitch and was in need of this time to improve and play my best football

“Wenger was not prepared to give it to me.”

And the forward has also claimed that the Frenchman’s insistence on playing him in an unfamiliar position out on the wing did not help him settle either.

“Also my position on the wing was not what I was expecting and I wasn’t happy with it,” added Gervinho.

“It would have helped had he shown more confidence in me.”

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