When Lukas Podolski arrived at Arsenal from German side FC Koln in 2012, big things were expected of him as he was already a star in his homeland and had been a regular for the German national team for several years. To say that he has not lived up to his billing will be an understatement. Podolski is from those rare breed of footballers who perform better on the international stage as compared to the club level.
His record of 19 goals in 60 games for the Gunners partially hides the disappointing level of performances that he has given over the course of three seasons with the club. He started brightly but faded badly. So, the news that he might be leaving the Gunners this summer for Turkish club Galatasaray , who have reportedly bid £1.5 million for his services , did not come as a surprise to Gunners fans. Podolski made just 13 appearances for the club last season before being loaned out to Inter Milan in January.Even at the Italian club, he was able to find the net just once in 17 appearances.
The 30 year old has just a year left on his current contract and wishes to depart in search of regular first team football. Galatasaray manager Hamza Hamzaoglu had recently revealed that the Turkish club were interested in both Podolski and Andre Pierre Gignac.
Arsenal already have ample options in attack and Podolski is well down the pecking order and is surplus to requirements, especially with Arsenal mooted to bring in a new striker this summer. The Germany International , who has scored 48 goals in 125 games for Germany, has himself previously claimed that he is not interested in a bit part role at the Gunners.
A deal is on the cards and is expected to be formalized in the coming days.