Top 10 things you need to know about Gervinho plus video of him in action

Lille striker Gervinho closing in on Arsenal switch and is set for his Gunners medical today.
But what, apart from his horse-frightening tonsorial choice, do we know about the 24-year-old? Allow MirrorFootball's John Sutton to enlighten you...
1) Gervais Yao Kouassi, as his grandma no doubt calls him, is an Ivory Coast international currently playing in France for Lille. He was born in Anyama - whose other famous sons include Hannover 96 striker Arounna Koné - on May 27 1987.

2) Primarily playing as a striker, his deft skills, surging power, 15 goals and 10 assists helped push Lille - who were only fourth in 2009-2010 - to the Ligue 1 title in the season just ended. The versatile forward is also able to play out wide if needed. Check out some of his highlights here:



3) Our hero earned his nickname while with his first club, who he joined as an 11-year-old. He explained: "When you get in the football squad at ASEC Abidjan they give you a nickname. Because we had a Brazilian coach, we were given Brazilian names. It's basically a variation of your name, the Gervinho comes from Gervais. For me, the name has stuck."
4) The coach may have been Brazilian, but Gervinho's early mentor was former France midfielder Jean Marc Guillou, who joined Abidjan in 1998 and produced players such as the Toure brothers, Emmanuel Eboué, Salomon Kalou, and Didier Zokora.
5) Gervinho remains a close friend of Chelsea's Kalou, who acts as his unofficial interpreter when he has to talk to English-speaking reporters on international duty.
6) At 15, Gervinho moved on to another Ivorian club, Toumodi FC, where he was a youth team-mate of the third Toure brother, Ibrahim. He then followed a well-trodden route from the Ivory Coast to Belgium, joining Beveren in 2004.

7) Beveren is where Gervinho is likely to have first been clocked by Arsene Wenger - who, coincidentally, was given his first coaching job by Guillou. The Gunners had a co-operation agreement with the Belgian side until 2006, which resulted in Eboue's 2005 move to North London.
8) Though Arsenal were attracted by Gervinho's 14 goals in his first two seasons at Beveren, his next move was to France in 2007. Although he managed only eight goals in 59 appearances for Le Mans, he emerged as a player to watch. Moving on to a Lille side also including Premier League target Eden Hazard, he won the French Double this season. It was Lille's first title since 1954 and first French Cup triumph since a year later.
9) Captain of the Ivory Coast's Olympic football team, Gervinho made his senior international debut in 2007 before being picked in the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations squad. He's scored five goals in 19 appearances for his country and was voted man of the match when they played Portugal in the 2010 World Cup.
10) Gervinho seems like a laugh. He said when asked what made him fall for girfriend Nafi: "It was love at first sight... actually it was a gun..."