Lukas Podolski says he has no intention of returning to Cologne just yet but hinted he could make the move when he’s out of contract at Arsenal in 2016.
The German international, a cult hero at his former club who returns to the RheinEnergieStadion whenever he gets a spare moment, has repeatedly hinted he’d like to end his career in his hometown but once again took the chance to stress his commitment to the Gunners cause.
Speaking at a promotional event that took place in his own personal box at Cologne’s stadium, the 28-year-old stated:
“I am under contract at Arsenal for another two years. What will happen then, we will see. It would be too early to retire at 31, I want to play for a few more years.
“We’ll see if it will be down there on that pitch. Maybe we will all meet again for a news conference in these rooms.”
Podolski was heavily linked with a move to Schalke in January but despite his comparative lack of playing time at Arsenal this term (he scored 12 goals in 27 appearances) it looks likely he’ll stay following a strong end to the season.
No doubt his country will be hoping he carries his good form into the summer as he looks to build on his amazing 112 caps.
Claiming he’s not heading to Brazil “to have a holiday or [to] take a look at the Copacabana,” he told press yesterday he wants “to have a good tournament,” and that “the national coach can count on me in any position. I’m going to Brazil full of confidence.”
Podolski also touched on the upturn in expectation at home with Die Mannschaft tipped as one of the World Cup favourites.
“Reaching the quarter-finals in 2006 was a huge success and turned Germany on its head. This year, you get the feeling that losing in the semi-final would fall short of expectations. But that’s sport for you.”
Indeed it is Lukas. Indeed it is.
Happy Birthday!!!,,, yaya
Whaaat, No Bugatti??…
Still can’t believe we signed özil…
Who do you believe won the 2013/14 FA Cup ?
Cologne is not his ‘hometown’.
No, but he moved there as a kid and joind FC Koln aged 5 in 1995. It’s as much his home team as Wilshere’s is Arsenal!
Sorry he was 10 in 1995! But the point is still the same, if not more obvious as Jack left Luton at about the same age
Love him. What a guy.
FC Cologne was also often affectionately referred to as FC Podolski when he played there. 🙂 And i think Podolski is alot better than what he have shown for Arsenal. Just like Kagawa is alot better than what he has shown for United. Perhaps they are not utilized correctly? Poldi scores alot more for both Germany and Cologne than he do in Arsenal. Also creates more chances and more importantly he does not dissapear for long stretches of a game like he often do in Arsenal, but is much more involved. Does make you wonder if he is utilized in… Read more »
Nooo! he can’t leave, he simply cannot!……..Said my instragram page. 🙂
I have to say some thing unrelated but important. If Cesc signs for Manure. I’ll hang my self.
It’s bad enough I have to see The Dutch skunk in a Manure shirt every week, I don’t think I can handle him hugging Fabregas like he is his old buddy.
That would be really nice to see him finish his contract here, then move to Cologne on a free. So little loyalty in professional sports these days, I think Poldi is a great example. You can tell how much that club still means to him.
I still am not over the FA Cup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Im still shaking after then till now…though age and alcohol could have something to do with it…but heck we won the cup!!!!!
I would have absolutely loved Podolski with 100% dedication had there not been the rest of the squad, all equally likeable.
#aha#
POLDI….!!!
#aha #9 #poldi #see you in two years #mourinhoyoutwat #aha
I thumbed up just by looking at #mourinhoyoutwat! 😀
Off Poldi topic but I see the early flurry of public offers from the Scallies and the Rags to buy anyone in a Southampton shirt have dried up. No doubt things go on behind the scenes. Wonder what we’re up to behind the scenes with our 100 million Monopoly money.
Thor’s Hammer is going Nowhere this summer
it is exactly where it should be…..on set ready for its role in the sequel next season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoSlmfmUDpg
While that’s nice of him, I hope to see better performances next season.
Sincerely Speaking,Podolski fits Arsenal Very Well More So On the Wings and as a Striker,It’s only that Mr Wenger doesn’t Prefer him So Much but he Is really a `deadly’ Shooter…believe Me…
off topic but bloody brilliant to see them pissing themselves haha
http://www.thefightingcock.co.uk/forum/threads/cmon-hull.10503/
haha. that was so good, I went through the ENTIRE thread 🙂
Fuck me, that is just TOO funny!
The only guy thinking clearly there is the “pakistani gunner” on page 2 😉
I started reading the thing (ignoring the name in the url) thinking it was a Hull supporter forum. Not wanting to revel in their misfortune I was about to close it, when some comment hit it home to me about who was actualy writing these things.
I think its fair to say that these “people” have some issues.
Good thing that us gooners are more civilzed
Thats good Pody!
He’s a cult hero at his former club, but then he’s also a cult hero at his current club!
The only club he’s not a cult hero at is Munich. Who insulted him just as badly as Madrid did to Özil when he left.
Not that Munich might want Podolski back, just that it doesn’t hurt to be gracious when you sell a player.
Let’s all be quite honest….he was poor in the Cup Final. He played 27 times this season, but would have been half that if Walcott had stayed fit and he’d now be looking to leave.
Have you considered the fact that he was out for 4 months?
Granted, he can sometimes let games pass him by but he is devastatingly effective and can provide the cutting edge we often lack. I feel he will improve next season and will have a big role to play in our season
Poldi is the reason why we have a united team #aha #abi. In other news, someone has put the Arsenal Parade parking sign on ebay! It is hilarious.
I hope he sees out his contract with us. Ive loved the guy since the 2006 world cup and remember thinking i wanted him at Arsenal. Was so happy when he signed. He can be so frustrating at times but i don’t think there’s a better sight in football than when Podolski lines up a shot and smacks it in. There’s something deeply satisfying about the way he hits a ball with that much power.
Didnt Germany get knocked out by Italy in the semi finals 2006?
Let’s get Samuel Eto’o just to piss off Mourinho – The special puppet.
He’s a very likeable bloke and I honestly thought he would do great things for us but if we are being honest he hasn’t been a success. That may been down to us and the systems we play or not who knows.
But if he did go it would be sad because he’s obviously a big personality around the club but from a footballing perspective we could do a lot better.
he can and that’s why wenger is so frustrated with him.
he’s going nowhere. at least this close season. we need a full squad and he’s part of it.
Thor will polish his polish hammer for the WC and 14/15 season.
Poldi is a wonderful asset to this team. Slag him off all you want for being “poor” in the final but the way Hull were set up we weren’t getting any joy until Sanogo came on. Remember, he came off the bench in the Swansea (?) game, got a goal and assist, and almost singlehandedly won the game for us, unfortunate own goal at the last minute it was #aha #prince #coyg
He has scored many clutch goals for us, and I still remember that one against Bayern when he bulldozed over Philipp Lahm and smashed the ball over Neuer into the roof of the net from an impossible angle.
12 goals in 27 appearances, but many of those appearances were like 5 min toward the end of the game As a sub. How many games is it if we look at minutes played? Alot less i Imagine.
In cologne though, he played as a striker. And in a season where they we’re relegated, he scored 20 goals. 1 less than Giroud whom played for a team that won the league in france.
I don’t get your point. In the end, it’s the style of play of the team that tells a players ability. That Cologne team that got relegated was pretty good at attacking and they were always looking for Poldi in the final third and he would blast it in from in and around the box. They were however, absolutely shite at the back. The Premier League is a lot of tighter at the back, and with our 4-3-2-1 counter attacking formation, Podolski will never find that kind of space as a lone striker hence why Giroud and even Sanogo has… Read more »
Fans at every PL ground next year should sing a rendition of “Happy Birthday to you” to Yaya when City come to visit next season.
………in the 31st minute, at EVERY away ground!!
No midfield additions this summer. 1) RB. Looks like Serge Aurier could be a possibility. Prefer Coleman bc of PL adaptation time but likely his valuation is too high. Aurier looks solid enough. ACN the only down side but Jenkinson and Bellerin are also vying for a spot at RB. Interesting times in that position. 2) Striker. There will be a lot of horse trading and gymnastics in the market before the dust settles with this one. The number of top strikers that suit our needs can be counted on one hand and will likely be partially dependent on the… Read more »
Wonder if there is a way to play Poldy closer to either of Sanogo or Giroud (or the new striker) in 4-4-1-1.
Sanogo adopted a more central role when he came on where Poldy remained effectively out wide coming in on occasion during the cup final.
Poldy has a success rate for Germany playing off the big man. I guess much will depend on midfield dynamics and the sort of opposition we face.
To play with a 4 man midfield will require larger players. Our midfield is full of small technical players, we can’t dominate with them in this formation.
Also Sanogo is a different beast. When deployed up front, he press the backline incessantly. It is good that he came on in the 2nd half and so he still had the legs to harass Hull.
Podolski doesn’t strike me as an in-your-face player. His best moments are when defenders lose track of him instead of being occupied with him.
I would like us to buy a winger an have him playing as striker. If he can bang them in for koln he can do better with our midfield, especially if we’re playing 4 4 2.
I wish the boss pairs him with Giroud in attack.I think he’ll do better for Arsenal as a 2nd striker rather than in the left wing.
we will need him as our super sub on the bench next season