Date: 26th May 2015 at 7:45pm
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Lukas Podolski is a popular player amongst Arsenal fans generally speaking. Whether he is popular for his happy go lucky social media exploits or his performances on the pitch is open to question.

Generally speaking, he comes across as a very nice chap indeed and he possesses some eye catching qualities. There aren’t many sweeter left foots in Europe, that much is true. However, Podolski’s Arsenal career has quickly gone sour. Despite his scoring feats, you never quite get the sense that he is totally participating in a match.

He seems to exist only on the fringes, occasionally reminding us of his presence with a swipe of his jackhammer left foot. His movement, or lack thereof, can be an issue too when Arsenal meet teams with deep, well manned defences, as they frequently do.

He is a player that requires service and, frankly, Arsenal’s dynamic has shifted further away from his qualities. Podolski is sound, if unspectacular, in possession, but the Gunners don’t play a possession game anymore. They have been prepared to surrender possession in favour of control and, as such, they are hugely reliant on the quality of their transitions. The German is just not suited to this type of football.

There is a big emphasis in dribbling in the Arsenal set up now, with the likes of Cazorla, Alexis and Oxlade-Chamberlain (who has averaged a league high 5 completed dribbles per game this season) relied upon to carry the ball into the danger zone.

Again, Podolski is just not suited to this style. In essence, his great quality is being able to hit the ball very hard and with great accuracy. A very commodifiable skill for a footballer, no doubt, but it just hasn’t proved to be quite enough for a club at Arsenal’s level. He was on the verge of being sold last summer until Olivier Giroud’s injury in the final week of August put those plans on ice. Even with the likes of Özil, Giroud and Walcott injured, Podolski struggled for minutes and, understandably enough, a mutual decision was made to loan him to Inter Milan in January.

At this point, Podolski seemed quite intent on leaving Arsenal. However, his spell in Italy has not panned out as planned. He has only scored one goal (it took him almost four months to score it) and has been publicly criticised by manager Roberto Mancini for his lack of dedication. The German unwittingly spawned a viral vine with the worst corner kick ever taken back in March.

Unsurprisingly perhaps, the amenable German international has begun to make more cordial noises about his Arsenal future, with Mancini quite bluntly ruling out a permanent transfer. Still, everything that has happened since January seems to indicate that resurrection at Arsenal is even further away than it was on New Year’s Day.

Put simply, Arsenal have not missed him and Inter have not been impressed by him. Arsene Wenger will certainly entertain offers for Podolski, with his contract a year away from expiry. Even in the event that Joel Campbell, Theo Walcott and Yaya Sanogo all leave. One feels that would be best for Podolski too.

The issue will arise when he discusses terms with his suitors. He is one of Arsenal’s best-paid players and it seems unlikely that, at 30, with clear signs of having regressed, anybody will want to match that valuation.

Arsenal will certainly have to swallow a loss in terms of the fee they can expect, for their hand is weak contractually and Podolski is approaching his lean years. Unless the club are prepared to give him a free transfer (effectively, paying him to leave) then Pole himself is probably left contemplating a pay cut.

Ultimately, Podolski’s Arsenal career looks set to mirror Andrey Arshavin’s, only sans the love handles and the addition of a few hashtags.

 

One response to “Why Arsenal need to cut their losses on this star”

  1. Mike says:

    Good player in the right set-up and with the right freedom on the pitch. Not a left winger and not a striker. More of a CF sitting between the striker and midfield. I hope he goes because I would honestly rather see Campbell, Silva or Gnabry get a chance in the squad.