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Gervinho & Marouane Chamakh face Arsenal exit

By David OrnsteinBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section Arsenalcomments802

Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh

Gervinho and Marouane Chamakh are close to completing moves away from Arsenal, according to Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.

Ivory Coast international Gervinho, who joined the Gunners arrived in Italy on Sunday to finalise his transfer to Serie A side Roma for a reported £6.9m.

Chamakh, a free transfer from Bordeaux in 2010, is set to sign for Crystal Palace, although it has not been decided whether that will be on loan or on a permanent basis.

"Gervinho is on a good way to Roma and Chamakh is on a good way to Crystal Palace," said Wenger.

Both men were major acquisitions for the north London club but fell out of favour after promising starts.

Gervinho, 26, scored 11 goals in 63 appearances but said his farewells at the opening day of the Emirates Cup pre-season tournament on Saturday and will now be reunited with Roma boss Rudi Garcia, who he played under at Lille.

After a loan spell with West Ham last season, Chamakh failed to force his way back into the Gunners reckoning and is set to become Palace's most high-profile summer signing to date.

The 29-year-old registered 11 goals in his first season at Arsenal but failed to reproduce that form thereafter.

Wenger's men lost 2-1 to Galatasaray on Sunday - former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba scoring both goals as the Turkish outfit came from behind to win the match and the tournament - after a 2-2 draw with Napoli a day earlier.

Arsenal were booed off at half-time against Napoli and at full-time against Galatasaray, with many supporters urging Wenger to improve the squad.

His only summer signing to date is

Liverpool forward Luis Suarez remains Arsenal's primary target, as the Anfield club insist their Uruguayan front man is not for sale.

"If the club can target players that are going to improve the team, they are going to be very welcome because that's what we want - to get a better team, better players and compete to win trophies," midfielder Mikel Arteta told BBC Sport.

"But the club is working on that, it is in their hands and I'm sure they are going to do it."

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802 comments

  • Comment posted by U4079758, at 22:50 4 Aug 2013

    £6.9m for Gervinho, that's the biggest mugging since Arsenal paid £11m for Gervinho

  • Comment posted by U15799252, at 22:54 4 Aug 2013

    As a Liverpool fan I should be happy that Arsenal now have less squad depth but every year they loose players and still manage to get top four!! Have to give it Wenger really...

  • Comment posted by plath, at 22:53 4 Aug 2013

    I'm an Arsenal fan, but the fans booing the team for not winning a friendly is pathetic. I know they'll say "I paid money so I can do whatever I like". But it still looks totally embarrassing and crass IMO.

  • Comment posted by cjc92, at 22:52 4 Aug 2013

    @5
    I'd rather take my chances with no striker's than have Gervinho and Chamakh tbh

  • Comment posted by U15652326, at 23:23 4 Aug 2013

    There will be a lot more room in the Arsenal dressing room following the exit of Gervinho's forehead.

  • Comment posted by northbank123, at 00:19 5 Aug 2013

    Villa, Thiago, Gotze, Neymar, Isco, Illarramendi, Jovetic, Cavani, Neymar, Schurrle, Gomez, Tevez, Llorente, Falcao, Higuain, Soldado, Fernandinho, Paulinho, Navas, Mkhitaryan - attacking players that have moved so far for a combined fee of nearly £500m.

    Yet Wenger claims the market still hasn't come to life and will be astounded when clubs don't want to sell key players on the cheap in late Aug

  • Comment posted by N Ahmed, at 23:48 4 Aug 2013

    As an Arsenal fan, I will honestly admit, barring the North London derby, there is a huge lack of passion in the stands. Every time I've gone, I've been embarrassed to carry on chanting passionately because I am always on my lonesome. But the fans aren't to blame. Most die-hard fans, as much as they would love to, cannot afford the ridiculous ticket prices. I envy every other supporter right now

  • Comment posted by U15738246, at 23:32 4 Aug 2013

    I went to a Chinese buffet with Gervinho.

    It was £5 per head,

    They charged him £30!

  • Comment posted by A_FORCE_ONE, at 10:04 5 Aug 2013

    Arsenal fans stop listening to what all those thick pundits keep ramming into your ears and look at the facts for yourselves. The last time a checked,Arsenal had the 2nd best defence and were 3rd top scorers in the Premier League. Football is about teamwork and not the number of superstars you have in your team.This is the only season you have your first team intact.Give them a chance.

  • Comment posted by U15062831, at 13:00 5 Aug 2013

    Wengers sells RVP........ the best centre forward in the world to a rival for £24m ............then offers £40m for an unreliable crackpot.

    He seems to have forgot how he won all those trophies nearly 10 years ago.

  • Comment posted by micpin, at 23:13 4 Aug 2013

    Brilliant. Arsenal can't even win their own made up trophy :-)

  • Comment posted by U15420900, at 23:32 4 Aug 2013

    I think the boos earlier were more the fans giving Wenger a message rather than the players. Everyone is growing tired of hearing about big name signings for them to go elsewhere. All this talk about £70m to spend and no sign of any process towards landing anyone. Arsenal need to know fans are growing tired of only the shareholders being pleased.

  • Comment posted by James_32, at 23:38 4 Aug 2013

    Getting rid of Gervinho is like a new signing, he really is that bad.

  • Comment posted by northbank123, at 23:28 4 Aug 2013

    #39 With Wenger managing the tactics? Wouldn't get too far.

    He admitted that he doesn't change his tactics based on opposition. That's absolutely insane and it's the reason we're beaten before we even step out on the pitch every year at Old Trafford. The 4-5-1 system is so negative, so predictable and just doesn't work without a top striker (or with our squad). Yet it's used 38 PL games a season.

  • Comment posted by Arctangent, at 16:50 5 Aug 2013

    great to see those wastes of space replaced by two world class players. oh, no, hang on a moment!

  • Comment posted by Bursaspor16, at 22:49 4 Aug 2013

    I was at the match today and must say the fans are as bad as the team. No passion whatsoever.
    It's easy to blame Wenger for lack of quality and he too is guilty of allowing the team to fall behind their counterparts, but the so called fans need to improve as well. The loudest I heard them today was when they were booing Drogba. Sad really but funny when he scored two goals.
    Gooners r goners

  • Comment posted by U15691888, at 22:48 4 Aug 2013

    The odds have now improved for arsenal to win the title!

  • Comment posted by DMT, at 11:58 6 Aug 2013

    @743 Does it matter that Giroud may not get 25 Premier goals ? Last season the goals were shared around , and only 2 tyeams scored more in the Premier . So are we short of goals ? No . Anyway I reckon Giroud will get close to 20 this season . As for United ...you need to worry about your own team this season . I wouldn,t say you were guaranteed to win anything , although I concede that you may.

  • Comment posted by U15554219, at 16:52 5 Aug 2013

    All clubs are small clubs except Real Madrid if it's judged on fanbase and profit....

    Put that in your pipe and smoke it laughably ignorant children!!! Lol now rate me down because you know you have no reply to the bare facts of football that I just smacked you down with!

  • Comment posted by Doublerefuser, at 00:52 6 Aug 2013

    Chamakh was great at playing the false no.9 role - when he played you wouldn't believe that we had a striker on the pitch. As for Gervinho, I really hope that his medical at Roma involves an eye test to make sure he can see where the goal is.

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