The right switch that made Wiltord belong

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Tongue out, head bobbing up and down, shoulders hunched and feet shuffling along in an exaggerated manner. No, this is not the description of a Jerry Lewis sketch but the bizarre ritual that has now become Sylvain Wiltord's trademark goal celebration. It is still nowhere near as famous as Alan Shearer's one-arm salute or Thierry Henry's jig by the corner flag, but at least Wiltord's merry dance is being performed on a regular basis this season.

With 11 goals for club and country so far this term, Wiltord is in his richest vein of form for more than two years. You have to go back to the 1999-2000 season, when he was wearing the Bordeaux colours, for the last time the Frenchman was hovering around the top of any scoring charts. Since then, Wiltord has been through the gamut of emotions. First he scored the equaliser in the final of the European Championship, a precious last-second goal that took the eventual winners into golden goal extra-time against Italy.

Fresh from his success in the Low Countries, Wiltord went on strike because Bordeaux would not grant him the transfer abroad he so craved. Six weeks of intense negotiations followed, during which time he was forced to train with the juniors, until a fee was agreed between the French club and Arsenal. Then, having won his battle to move to London, Wiltord faced a considerable challenge to force his way into the starting XI.

No wonder Wiltord can be intense. One French journalist once observed that "the man is as approachable as the north face of Everest on a blustery day". Looks, however, can be deceptive, as those closest to him vouch for his humour and enthusiasm. "I can tell you that Sylvain is a very happy person," a smiling Arsène Wenger insists. "You would be surprised. In the dressing room he is a very bubbly character, someone who really gets involved. His problem is that he does not look for media contact, either here or back home in France, so people have formed this negative image of him."

Wenger is not one to splash the Arsenal cash in the way of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, so when he forced his board to part with £13m for a relative unknown, you knew the player had to be special. What no one, including Wenger, could have known is that the player would take quite so long to establish himself in the first team.

As a result of his tricky start, Wiltord considered leaving on a number of occasions, most seriously in January of last year for Paris St-Germain. Having made such an effort to get to Highbury, he felt rejected by having to sit on the bench. But it is to his credit that he decided to stick it out and prove he was worth the money the club had paid. "I would have felt like a bit of a failure if I had jumped ship after just four or five months," he says. "I wanted to do well."

Wiltord's transformation is all the more impressive when you consider that he had to reinvent himself as a right midfielder. He clearly did not like the role at first, stating his displeasure on several occasions. But he knuckled down, listened to Wenger, learned his new trade and found the ability to adapt. These days, Wiltord is the most consistent, and arguably the most valuable, attacking asset at the club after Henry. "It was a real transformation for him," Wenger explains. "Early on he struggled with the position, particularly from a tactical point of view, but today Sylvain is a very important player. But that does not surprise me. I knew his history, so was aware he had played on the right as a youngster. I felt, looking at his work-rate, he could do it. He gives us penetration from deeper because he is quick and can make late runs."

Wenger continues his lavish praise on the man who is likely to lead the attack against Roma in the Champions' League on Wednesday because of injuries and suspensions to the other strikers: "I'm delighted because when Sylvain plays in that position [right side] our game always looks a lot more mobile. He gives us so many more options. At the start he didn't like it but now I think he loves it because he is successful there. There's a lot of animation there and I certainly feel that it's his best position." Predictably, Wiltord disagrees. "I would still prefer to play up front," he says, "but the coach says that I offer more on the right side. I didn't really know all that much about the role, but I have slowly become used to it."

Perhaps Wiltord's moods can be better understood when put in the difficult context of his background. He comes from the hip-hop Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Marne, where only tough characters survive. As a youngster, he had to compensate for his lack of height by proving he was strong and athletic. For a long time overlooked by professional clubs, he has followed a tortuous route to success. Unlike his fellow French team-mates Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira, he did not start his career young or at an established club. Having played for his home town and then joined FC Joinville-le-Pont, he did not get his big break until he was past 20. Rennes were the suitors and, under the astute guidance of Patrick Rampillon, Wiltord quickly developed into a promising striker. "Sylvain was always a quick player and a quick learner," says Rampillon, who still runs the Rennes Academy. "He was willing to learn and that is the most important characteristic about him. He had to fight hard early on."

Wiltord is not a great fan of comparisons, but when he was once mentioned in the same breath as the former Arsenal great Ian Wright, his eyes lit up. "Like Ian," he said excitedly, "I love to have fun in the dressing room and have a laugh with everybody." One day Wiltord may even catch Wright's infectious smile.