Gervinho to Jiangsu for a Reported €18 Million

Outside of perhaps Antonio Cassano, you'd be hard pressed to find a more controversial Roma player than Gervinho, though for far different reasons. While Cassano delighted us with this talent and creativity, the havoc he wrought off the pitch and in the dressing room far outweighed any contributions he actually made on the pitch. Gervinho, meanwhile, has been a model citizen since arriving with Rudi Garcia in the summer of 2013, but has managed to split the Roma populace in half with his maddeningly inconsistent play.

Gervinho broke into Roma like a bat out of Hades, cracking double digits in goals and assists in all competitions during the magical 2013-2014 season. However, in true Gervinho fashion, the ensuing two seasons have been fraught with inconsistency and injury.

Whether it was due to his heavy international workload during the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations or not, The Predator took a turn for the worse in his second season, particularly during league play where he played nearly 1,000 fewer minutes and managed only two goals, though to his credit, he still managed five goals in ten European appearances.

Coming off a more restful summer, many were optimistic that Gervinho could recapture his 2013-2014 form, and once the season truly hit its stride, that seemed to be the case. Gervinho was instrumental Roma's relatively strong showing through the fall, scoring six goals and setting up two more from late September through late October.

But then, as became custom, he dovetailed, finding the back of the net only once since Roma's 3-1 victory over Udinese on October 28th. While he looked as sprightly as ever, the chances and goals simply dried up, though I suppose we can say that about the team as whole if we're being honest.

While Luciano Spalletti initially gave some decent political spin to his Gervinho designs, it has become abundantly clear in the week or so since his appointment that he has no patience for Gervinho--you're either here in mind, body and spirit, or we'll replace you with an Italian-Egyptian facsimile.

But all's not lost for Gervinho, Chinese club Jiangsu were reportedly at Trigoria today to observe the team's trainings session and to negotiate for the Ivorians services, reportedly coming away impressed. Accordingly, and perhaps because their deal with Milan's Luiz Adriano fell through, they have reportedly lodged an €18 million bid for Roma's speedy 28-year-old winger.

While Gervinho was understandably reticent to accept the move, the word on the streets says he'll fly to China next week to complete the deal, one that we can assume comes with a handsome raise and an opt-out clause to follow Rudi Garcia to his next locale.

Part of this seems just a bit too good to be true, so we'll keep you posted, but for now it seems as though Roma managed to make a small profit on a now redundant asset.