Lukas Podolski has left Arsenal to join Inter on a loan deal after what has been a rather disappointing campaign for the Polish born German national. After many injuries sustained in the forward ranks in a rather usual fashion, many fans hoped Podolski would get another chance to prove his mettle. It was not to be the case as the ‘aha-man’ got very few meaningful opportunities to show what he could offer the team when called upon.
Everyone knew deep down prior to this season that the departure would come sooner rather than later, with Podolski growing more and more frustrated with the lack of game time with the departure finally culminating in the form of a loan deal to Inter Milan.
But to be fair to Podolski he certainly showed that he still retained the crucial quality of being a clinical finisher. His goals/minutes ratio was one of the best, if not the best at the club. Personally, I always hoped that he’d get his chance to show that he is more than just a sweet left foot. But for some reason Arsene Wenger never really trusted Podolski enough to award him with a permanent starting place. Whatever the reason, it was better for a player of such pedigree to leave and get some playing time under his belt rather than to simply rot on the bench. I couldn’t stand a world in which Podolski is unhappy. I’m hoping he can return to the club after his loan spell and help the Arsenal cause. I was sad to see him in Inter’s colors but I was sadder to see him cold on the bench.
Podolski has made a few comments directed at Wenger who allegedly did not wish him a good bye. Maybe Monsieur Wenger was thinking it was just a loan deal and that he would see Podolski in the summer? I hope that there is no animosity between the two. Podolski is understandably miffed at Wenger for not giving him enough opportunities to prove himself and that’s fair, but I hope he can make his peace with that. At a club like Arsenal I would really be pained to see any sort of hostility among the family.
His ‘Thor’s hammer’ of a left foot missed sorely as much as his Instagram posts. I was very happy to see that Podolski has lots of love for Arsenal fans. He was one who was adored by us all. He has given us lots of memories to be cherished with not only his on-field screamers, but also his off the field activities. The ‘I’d rather retire than join Spurs’ comment endeared him to the Arsenal fans and he’ll also be remembered as a true Gooner.
The silver lining of this deal is that Joel Campbell will get more opportunities (hopefully). He showed a lot of promise in his display vs Hull in the FA cup and he has all the attributes to cut it at the top level. I loved how dynamic our front three was in that game with Sanchez, Walcott and Campbell interchanging at will. We got to see Sanchez the play-maker that day and he was as good at giving perfectly weighted through balls to teammates as he was at putting the ball in the back of the net. Just imagine the hysteria that would’ve engulfed the Emirates had that Sanchez chip gone in at the far post! The Chilean is a gift from god, and of course Arsene Wenger is the postmaster. The man secured his signing while playing beach volleyball in Brazil – that’s the stuff of legends if you ask me.
We’ve got Özil, Ramsey, Flamini and Giroud back into the picture for the home game vs Stoke. I’ve waited too long for the day when we have Alexis Sachez and Theo Walcott wreaking havoc playing alongside each other with Özil playing behind them feeding them delicious passes. Add Giroud up top for some beautiful hold up play and Rambo behind Ö for obvious reasons, and you have a tantalizing mix of players with the ability to rip apart any defence of any team on this planet. I hope that this dream of mine will be fulfilled. We could be seeing Giroud up top flanked by Walcott and Sanchez, with Ö and Rambo behind them as early as the trip up to the blue side of Manchester.
Let’s come back from dreamland and just take things slowly and concentrate on one game at a time. I hope we can turn in a committed display against Stoke this sunday. Hoping to see Özil and Walcott get a start alongside Alexis and Giroud. Should be interesting to see who Wenger picks to start between the sticks too.