Arsenal Transfers: Lukas Podolski Shines At Euro 2012
Lukas Podolski hasnt always been so successful at club level; after impressing so much at the 2006 World Cup, Podolski chose to join German giants Bayern Munich, snubbing offers from teams such as Liverpool and Real Madrid. After a promising start however, things took a turn for the worse. Podolski had scored two goals in the season already, when he sustained an ankle injury in training which ruled him out for over five weeks and disrupted his form for the rest of the season. The summer acquisition of Italian hit man Luca Toni limited Podolskis first team chances even further. He slipped even further down the pecking order at Bayern Munich until his former club Kӧln offered him a way out in the summer of 2009. After a slow first season rediscovering his form, he hit the ground running in the 2010/11 season, hitting 13 goals to help keep Kӧln in the top flight. The following season brought mixed emotions, as he enjoyed a prolific period in front of goal, netting 18 times in 29 games to finish the season as the Bundesligas fourth highest scorer; however Kӧln were relegated despite his efforts. On the 30th of April, it was officially announced that Arsenal had completed the signing of Lukas Podolski for a fee in the region of 10 million Euros, with the deal scheduled to go through on the first day of the transfer window. In signing Podolski, Arsenal have acquired a versatile and hard-working player, capable of playing as an out and out striker or a left winger and providing defensive cover. Podolski is also undoubtedly a player who puts the team above his ego: playing out of position to accommodate Mario Gomez for Germany is surely proof of this. He plays with intelligence and class, with an eye for a pass, a fantastic burst of pace and a ferocious left foot. He will give Arsne Wenger an additional option in attack, regardless of whether Robin van Persie stays or Olivier Giroud is signed. Arsenal have often been criticised for buying young, unproven, inexperienced players; but in securing the services of Lukas Podolski, they have the finished article and a marquee signing which Arsenal fans cant wait to see more of. Podolskis form at Euro 2012 is adding to this excitement. He became the youngest ever European player to be capped 100 times by his country; an achievement surely made more significant by the fact that Podolski plays for one of the best national teams in the world, where theres fierce competition for places (in contrast, Cristiano Ronaldo, who is the same age as Podolski, has been capped 93 times for a much weaker Portugal side). He now has the all-time appearance record of Lothar Matthäus in his sights as he looks to have yet another successful tournament with Germany, before joining the Gunners for pre-season.