Yoan Gourcuff’s contract with Olympique Lyonnais ends at the end of season and he has been linked again with Arsenal in the latest edition of France Football.

After all Arsene Wenger, does like a good bargain and a free transfer would certainly be one of those. The 28-year-old has had a difficult five years at OL. He was dubbed the ‘new Zidane‘ but did not live up to his billing with his club team or the French National team.

He could be good friends with another Arsenal Frenchman in treatment room, his statistics say it all: he has played 23 full Ligue 1 game in five seasons.

His current wages are estimated at £75,000 per week plus £30,000 in bonuses and he has never justified his £15m transfer fee after a succession of injuries that really compare with his former France teammate – his tally reached 16 injuries and a total of 700 days off sick out of five years.

Gourcuff (1)

 

Would Wenger really sign a Diaby number 2?

He has also had many problems with the National team as well being unsettled with not many friends in the team besides Hugo Lloris and he famously fell out with Franck Ribery prior to the World Cup 2010. The French WAGs were invited to the training camp in Morocco and Wahiba Ribery was allegedly becoming way too close with the playmaker.

It was well know that other forwards did not want to pass the ball to him or make any runs while he was on the ball. One famous video session by Raymond Domenech, the then coach, had to be postponed because they were clearly showing all those internal problems an,d as we all know, France’s 2010 World Cup campaign ended in disaster with a player’s strike.

He was also criticised for his attitude at AC Milan by the great Paolo Maldini.

Would Arsenal sign a player that attracts such controversy and with a terrible medical record?

He is probably one of the strongest players in the world on the technical side but there is no guarantee that he can reach the level he had prior to signing for Lyon.

Pass.