Gervinho being mobbed by new teammates

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was delighted with the showing of Gervinho on debut against Cologne.

The former Lille striker struck both goals in the 2-1 friendly win.

The brace, the first a deftly executed lob and the second a brave and well-timed tap-in, bode well.

Wenger was understandably delighted Gervinho got off the mark so quickly.

“If you went six weeks without a goal for a striker you raise questions,” reasoned the Frenchman.

“But now it’s out of the way. You could see how quick he is to get behind defenders. He has qualities that are always very interesting for a team like us.”

The relatively inexpensive £10.7m fee that secured Gervinho’s release from Lille may help to unburden him.

Is he a bargain?

“I hope so,” said Wenger. “We look first at the quality of the player and, after, if we have the money, we spend it.”