The Cote d'Ivoire international says he opted
for a transfer to Serie A this summer because
the Gunners boss had little faith in him
becoming a success at the Emirates Stadium
Roma forward Gervinho says former manager
Arsene Wenger did not give him the chance to
reach his full potential at Arsenal.
The 26-year-old Ivorian forward said he did
not always have the confidence of his French
boss but is looking forward to a new challenge
in the Serie A, after being moved on from the
Emirates earlier in August.
"[Arsene] Wenger, well, I think he's one of the
great coaches," he told reporters.
"He's someone I have great respect for and I'm
also very happy to have been able to play for
his club. Overall I just think it's his opinion.
"After five years, that's it, I'm gone. That's his
opinion. I think forwards need to feed on the
confidence of their managers, I would have
preferred to have that chance.
"But that wasn't the case and the page had
already turned.
"But now I'm totally focused on Roma and
working with Rudi Garcia - for me that's the
most important thing right now."
Gervinho insisted he enjoyed his time at the
north London club, but feels more playing time
at Roma will see him improve.
"I think I had a great time during my spell in
England, especially at Arsenal. I really enjoyed
playing for that club," he added.
"It's true that I did not think I would leave
after two seasons, but I'm pretty happy, but I
don't really agree with the thought that
everything was negative for me at Arsenal.
"I reckon I could have done better if the
circumstances were different, I need a lot of
playing time and that's why I decided to leave
the club."
The Ivorian insisted his move to Roma was not
a step back in his career, claiming he was due
a change of scenery after two years in London.
Gervinho was a second-half substitute in
Roma's season-opening win away at Livorno,
with the capital club's next assignment a home
date with Hellas Verona on Sunday.
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