"We have choices in midfield," Wenger said. "We have [Abou] Diaby and [Jack] Wilshere coming back [from injury] so we have lots of people in there.
"However I see a positive future for [Gourcuff]. I think he will come back to his best level. He has been out for four or five months and what happens to him now is normal. He's played his first few games only on his desire and, after an injury, it's normal to have a dip. Between January and June will be the key moment for him but I think he will be back to his best."
The 25-year-old Gourcuff currently plays in France with Lyon. He has struggled since moving there from Bordeaux in 2010, but Wenger remains an admirer of the former AC Milan player. He wanted to bring him to Arsenal on loan last summer, but Lyon declined the bid.
Gourcuff battled injury toward the end of his debut season with Lyon. An ankle problem cost him most the preseason, and the surgery to correct it kept him out for nearly three months of the current campaign. It is unknown how much Lyon boss Remi Garde values the French international, as he removed the fit-again midfielder in the 65th and 54th minutes of Lyon's last two league games.
Lyon was the strongest club in France most of the last decade, winning seven straight Ligue 1 championships (2002-08). However, its fortunes have declined in recent years, as the board is less reluctant to pay top salaries than it was five years ago.
Gourcuff is one of the highest earners at the club. It is more likely that he will move in the summer than during the January transfer window.
Photo via Flickr/toksuede
