Gervinho
Lille's Gervinho celebrates his goal during their French Ligue 1 soccer match against Sochaux at the Lille Metropole stadium in Villeneuve d'Ascq REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that the club’s newest signing from the French club Lille OSC, Gervinho, is capable of making an instant impact in the English Premier League.

Gervinho, the Ivory Coast international, joined the team during training this week and has immediately impressed Wenger the way the player has adjusted and adopted.

“He looks to me like he has adjusted very quickly,” Wenger told arsenal.com. “Let’s hope it goes quickly for him.

Wenger, however, knows that all his newest additions will take time to settle down at the club but hopes Gervinho will experience the same success as Marouane Chamakh, who signed for Arsenal last summer and enjoyed early success after he arrived from France’s Ligue 1.

The Arsenal manager also admired the Ivorian’s flexibility in the team’s front line and is expecting stern competition after his arrival to the squad.

“He is a positive threat to everybody up front,” Wenger said. “He can play on the right, he can play on the left and he can play through the middle.

Gervinho will compete for a place in the team against the likes of Dutchman Robin Van Persie, Mexican Carlos Vela, Englishman Theo Walcott and Moroccan Chamakh.

Wenger said Gervinho can prove to be a dangerous player in the EPL as he will be joining a squad that is full of quality, according to a report by arsenal.com.

The new forward has already drawn acclaim from the football pundits as he is expected to see the same amount of success as that of Chelsea’s Ivorian forward Didier Drogba.

Gervinho joined Lille in 2009 for a reported fee of nearly €6 million (8.5 million USD) on a three year contract from the Ligue 1 side Le Mans. He scored a total of 28 goals in 67 appearances. He also helped Lille win both Ligue 1 and Coupe de France in his second season at the club.