Should he stay or should he go, (aha). Lukas Podolski has been on the verge of a transfer out of Arsenal FC for months now, according to various media reports. The German international has also spoken out on the frustration of continuously being left on the bench.
Podolski has been an unused sub 12 of the 24 games he’s been named in the Arsenal squad, and in his eyes, can only be seen as surplus to requirements. He’s only started twice for Arsenal, both in cup competitions. He hasn’t started a Premier League game at all this season. For a player that won the World Cup six months ago, that’s got to be a sobering feeling. Even if he didn’t feature in the latter stages of the tournament, you can’t help but feel he was great for the squad moral and attacking class you could rely on.
Podolski is 29-years-old now, 30 in June. His contract runs till summer 2016. Arsenal will be in no rush to make a decision on his future this coming January. He’s shown time and time again that if he even if he is brought on in the final period of a game that he’s as clinical as ever, and there appears to be no rust no matter how little he is used. So there’s very little reason to loan or even sell Podolski from the club’s point of view. Yaya Sanogo is likely to go out on loan to gain experience making the German’s role as part-time super sub more important.
Arsene Wenger did however leave a bit of wiggle room for a move after the West Ham fixture by saying, “there is nothing concrete on Podolski. At the moment nobody goes out. But there is a lot of competition upfront.” We know that Wenger keeps his cards very close to his chest when it comes to transfers, but maybe a deal for the right price could tempt the French boss.
With the frustration growing you have to wonder, will the player push a move himself? And does he feel the need to play week in week out as priority over money and maybe even Champions League football? Back in April the player was quoted talking about his situation and how it clashes with the clubs stature “It’s not always easy when you play for a big club but of course I am not happy to always come out and watch from outside. You cannot be happy with this situation.”
With Inter Milan poised to make a bid, Roberto Manicini has publicly stated that Lukas Podolski is part of a “wish list”. You can see why Inter would be keen to take the experienced international on board. He has one of the best conversion rates in the Premier League. From the 2009/10 season through November 2014 Podolski’s conversion rate was 27.9%. That’s impressive, and reinforces the players’ argument for more game time. In addition, a move to Serie A could very well suit Podolski’s style of play.
Personally I feel that Lukas Podolski should be staying put this winter but this should be his last season at Arsenal. No matter his affection for the club and its fans, he should make the most of the rest of his career. Knowing Wenger tends not to hold players back once a transfer is on their mind, I believe he definitely will be on the move come the summer of 2015.
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