Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that he is very much hoping that Ivory Coast forward Gervinho returns after having been inspired by the goals for Ivory Coast in the African cup of Nations.

Gervinho scored the winner for Ivory Coast in the semi-final against Mali, which took their side to the final of the prestigious African tournament. Despite the presence of players like Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou, it was Gervinho who secured the winner for Ivory Coast.

The national team has been disappointing of late in terms of the number of trophies won, but Arsene Wenger has said that Ivory Coast have a real opportunity to win the African cup of nations and please their supporters. He also said that he hopes that Gervinho returns for club duty after having been inspired by the goals he scored against Mali.

Due to the participation in the final of the tournament, Gervinho will be unavailable for the match against Sunderland during the weekend. It is going to be very tough match for Arsenal given that Sunderland have been one of the inform teams in the Premier league over the last few months. The arrival of Martin O’Neill at the Stadium of light has certainly brought significant changes to the north-east club.

“It was a cracking goal against Mali. They were the better side but he made the difference. They scored only one goal, Gervinho made it and you can basically say he scored it on his own because he started on the halfway line and finished in a cool way,” Wenger told Footy Site.

Gervinho has become a much better player since moving to Arsenal and the goal he scored against Mali is a perfect example of it. Arsenal cannot win the Premier league right now, but they can aim for a Champions League qualification.

He might be back in time for Arsenal’s big game against AC Milan, which the Champions League betting online suggests is a game in which Arsenal will need all the help they can get!