Arsene Wenger has played down suggestions Lukas Podolski could leave Arsenal in January for as little as €5 million claiming a report in German publication Bild is ‘completely fabricated’ and that no offers have been received.
Currently away on international duty with Germany, the 29-year-old striker has again gone public about his frustration at not playing regular football at the Emirates going so far as to hint he’s open to a move in the New Year.
“He plays a position where there is a big competition,” Wenger told French station beIN Sports when challenged on the subject on Sunday evening.
“He came very late from his holidays. He started after his team-mates and was not good physically.
“It’s not established at all that he will leave at Christmas. It was me who sets the price and it [Podolski’s €5m valuation] doesn’t correspond at all to his price. He is not for sale and there is no offer.
“Today’s newspapers have an advantage. They know more than us. But the story is completely fabricated.”
The boss also touched on Abou Diaby, “He was the victim of an assassin’s tackle that went unpunished,” Danny Welbeck, “I have seen some qualities in him that I saw in Thierry Henry,” and Mesut Ozil, “I think we will see the best of Ozil in the seasons to come.”
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Big heads up to Get French Football News who tweeted Arsene’s quotes during his hour-long appearance on the show. You can follow them on Twitter – @GFFPressConf
Arsene is going to say no as it keeps Podolski’s value up that little bit more. I’m sure it’s only a matter of when he goes, as based on his last performance for Germany (this may be due to lack of game time) he didn’t look interested in trying hard.
I mean, I know he has many fans but he seems to be more well known at Arsenal for that picture of him smiling like a Cheshire Cat on the bench than his overall footballing ability.
ONE ARSENE WENGER
One arsene wenger that needs to step down
Agreed. He was once a great manager but now he is as Mourinho said a pure master in failure.’ Sure last season we won the FA cup, first trophy in 10 years and we won the ‘community shield’ this season. But we have not won the league for 10 years and we are doing fucking horrible against the top-teams in the Barclays Premier League. We look like a team of schoolboys in the big games, whenever we go in to a game now against one of the best team(s) of this division I expect us to lose. We do shit… Read more »
We’re not the only team who failed to land the central defender we needed last summer. It wasn’t exactly a good summer for available central defenders.
Why did he let Vermaelen go to Barcelona then? You don’t let a player go in a position you are short of without having an replacement first. I am sorry but there are plenty of defenders that would have worked excellent as backup. If there is a lack of Central Defenders? Yes, there probably is. We could have gone for Ron Vlaar, Winston Reid as replacements for Vermaelen. These players got experience in the league and are good enough to be backup’s. People should stop defend the failure of Wenger, there is no logic in it, so stop trying to… Read more »
you do realise that Vermaelen is still injured, right..
I stopped reading your comment as soon as I read ‘as Mourinho said’…
Come on hombre, don’t know that everything that comes out of José’s mouth is fucking pork slime???
I will have you know I have just completed the 2014/15 season on football manager and Arsene led the team to a domestic and European double. (he also feels like me and him could become friends)!
I hope diaby plays a part this season it’s been so horrible for him and the guy deserves a break. As for welbeck and Ozil only time will tell how high they can rise in arsenal colours and I don’t think poldi will be sold for less than 10 million euros
With how injury prone Diaby is, I think he should consider going back home and play for a ligue1 team. A Ligue less physical with more time between games and a winter break to lick your wounds in. Staying at the most injury prone club on the planet in the toughest league on the planet is probably not a wise career move for him tbh 🙂
Wenger. I love you.
For a moment I read Welbeck said that Diaby had qualities that he’s seen in Thierry Henry.
Well, of course. He would hardly be given a new contract this summer if Wenger didn’t like what he saw!
I like Podolski but the writing’s on the wall. As per usual, Wenger is going to deny the transfer until it happens in January.
Slowly phase out Poldi, Arteta, Flamini, Mertesacker, Monreal and Cazorla over the next few windows and continue with Ozil/Sanchez type signings and maybe we might win the league in the final year of Wenger’s contract.
Rosicky?
Rosicky is unphase-outable. He’s ace.
He’s hopefully leaving along with Campbell, Rosicky and Flamini.
So we’re struggling with depth due to injuries right now and your idea is to strip us out even more?
I prefer Podolski to wait until the end of the season to make a decision on his Arsenal future if he needs to make one… We are only into the 2nd quarter of the season, still a long way to go… Cannot afford to loose any player as we will be fighting on 3 fronts come January fa cup, champions league and premier league (hopefully).. We need to add players and not look to sell any
What’s the point in buying a pint of milk, and then not using it?
Either drink and enjoy they milk (personally I would use it in a banana milkshake).
Orrr don’t buy it at all.
If you mistakenly bought some milk thinking you would use it later, but decide you’d rather have some juice instead. Try and sell as soon as. Nobody will wan to buy some gone-off milk from you. So you’ll have to poor it down the drain.
But what happens when your milk goes stale?
What if you haven’t checked the milk to see if it’s stale or not?
5 million for a pint of milk??
The Witchsmeller Pursuivant will hear your case now.. Bloody Milk!
Poldolski is never stale…
http://youtu.be/SZgkvWCsn4A
Well, to be honest Podolski is a great lad. He loves arsenal but if he wants to go somewhere else due to the lack of game time then I think we should let him do so, if there are any clubs interested in january. He’s been a good player for us but has never really fit in to the way Arsene wants to play. He is my absolute favourite player in the arsenal squad mainly because of his personality. But I think it would be wrong to deny him to move somewhere else. After all they have short career’s, he… Read more »
On the general topic of Germans who came back from the world cup and play for Arsenal, Wenger said that Ozil came back with an injury.
why the f**k has he played pretty much every game till he was injured then? No balls to drop an expensive player? Tinkering with formation? Giving him a chance to prove something?
Does it have something to do with Wilshere (this season is “Wilshere Season,” where he proves Wenger right and everyone else wrong while the team struggles into fourth, so I am wondering if this has some connection too)?!!
Keep him. He is not the problem at Arsenal. .its the manager.
We can afford to off load him if a good offer comes in this Jan. Wenger is just playing the game. We aren’t using him too much and he isn’t maximising his career either, it would be best for both parties particularly if selling him on can bring us in a player in an area which we desperately need attention at Cback. Also set to leave (be it in Jan or more likely the summer) is Rosicky. There are players to replace them. Ramsey should be replacing Rosicky whilst Podolski’s vacated spot may well be taken up by Campbell or… Read more »
journalist; Arsene, when do you think the time will be right to say goodbye to the Arsenal fans? Wenger; How? Where are they going to?