FC Cologne confirm Podolski joining FC Arsenal

The transfer of German international Lukas Podolski from his home club FC Cologne (1.FC Köln) to English Premier League side FC Arsenal was finally confirmed by both the clubs yesterday, weeks after the news had first come out in the media of both Germany and England. The exact transfer fee was not disclosed.

FC Cologne will be losing their own son and their identity as many say, but for Podolski personally moving to Arsenal under a coach like Arsene Wenger is a wise career move then moving back to Cologne in 2009 after three years in Bayern Munich has only been about stagnation for a player who should be regularly playing UEFA Champions League.

Podolski with his 18 goals has scored close to half of Cologne's 38 goals this season, but still the club will have to see what happens on the last match day against Bayern Munich and if they can retain the relegation playoff spot.

The timing of the announcement wasn't the best, but what has been this season for FC Cologne. Most likely the announcement was made by the club to give the fans a chance to say goodbye to their local hero at home at the Rhein-Energie Stadion.

About signing for Arsenal Podolski said, "I'm so happy to be joining Arsenal and the Premier League. They are one of the top clubs in Europe with a huge history."

"There are many top-quality players at Arsenal and their style is fantastic," Podolski added.

FC Arsenal are getting a real striker and winger who could be a great addition to Robin van Persie upfront and with Germany team mate Per Mertesacker at Arsenal this should make Podolski's arrival at the Gunners easier then he needs a suitable surrounding to perform.


Here an article I had written a few weeks ago: Could Lukas Podolski succeed at Arsenal?

Could Lukas Podolski succeed at Arsenal?

The transfer of German international Lukas Podolski from his home club FC Cologne (1.FC Köln) to English Premier League side FC Arsenal is according to the German and English media a done deal, only the official confirmation is awaited from the two clubs and the player.

Podolski, who has a contract until summer 2013 at FC Cologne, has been sought after by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger for quite some time now. He had bid for Podolski last summer and in the winter transfer window, but Cologne and the player did not want to make the transfer happen at the time.

Things have changed over the last few weeks with Podolski no longer happy with the non-existent progress in Cologne and is said to have handed in a transfer request for this summer, which has been accepted by the club. As per reports in the German tabloid Bild the transfer fee is in the region of 13 Million Euros with Podolski set to earn 7 Million Euros at Arsenal.

The question that comes to mind is if Podolski can make it in London? The Gliwice-born (lies in Poland) footballer had joined FC Cologne in 1995 as a youth player, made his professional debut at the club and then went on to play three years in-between from 2006 onwards for FC Bayern Munich, but things didn't work out and he returned to Cologne in 2009 for a fee of 10 Million Euros.

Since then it is said that Podolski can only perform at FC Cologne and for the German national team. But now Podolski, who turns 27 this summer, could opt to try his luck in London where he would find a fellow German international in Per Mertesacker and a manager in Arsene Wenger, who speaks German and is known to handle players very well. It could be the right step to further develop his career.

This season Lukas Podolski is the lifeline of FC Cologne in the Bundesliga relegation battle with the striker having scored 16 of the clubs 31 overall goals. And he has reiterated that he would give everything for the club until the very end, which nobody doubts knowing his affection for the club and the city.

Could Wenger be the new France coach?

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger could be a target for the French Football Federation as replacement for Laurant Blanc post the 2012 European Championships in Poland and the Ukraine.

This has been disclosed by the French Journal du Dimanche with infos from FFF insiders who say that French football is not developing under Blanc and they need a seasoned coach to take France internationally forward.

Wenger would surely fulfill the criteria for the job of French national coach and FFF president Noël Le Graët is said to favour Wenger to take over, but there could be competition from Real Madrid who could look for a replacement if Jose Mourinho leaves the Spanish giants and Wenger also has a running contract with Arsenal until 2014.

The 62 year old Arsene Wenger has been the coach of English Premier League side FC Arsenal since September 1996, but this season has been one of the most difficult for the Frenchman since in London. Before coaching Arsenal Wenger had been at Nagoya Grampus Eight (Japan), AS Monaco and AS Nancy-Lorraine back home in France.

FC Arsenal rebuild team on deadline day

French coach Arsene Wenger of English Premier League side FC Arsenal has done something which he is not known for, buy players in haste to rebuild a crumbling squad after seasoned Gunners in Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Gaël Clichy and Emmanuel Eboué all left the club.



Especially the 8-2 drubbing on Sunday against rivals Manchester United will have opened the eyes of Wenger that he needed to bring in quality and quantity to sustain a long English Premier League and Champions League campaign with continental qualification a must to bring in the necessary funds for the clubs future.



So Wenger started his rebuilding process by signing five players over the last few days for key positions within the team. It all started with South Korea captain and striker Chu-Young Park from French side AS Monaco, then Brazilian Andre Santos was bought from Fenerbahce Istanbul in Turkey, German international centre-back Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen, Spaniard Mikel Arteta from Premiership rivals FC Everton and the loan signing of Israel international Yossi Benayoun from cross-city rivals FC Chelsea.



This means Arsenal reinvested close to 30 Million Pounds of their money generated from their sale of Fabregas and Nasri, while Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner was send to AFC Sunderland on loan and Armand Traoré left for Queens Park Rangers.



Now the work starts for Arsene Wenger to make a team out of these talented players. It will be interesting to see if Wenger sticks to his philosophy of playing football or adopts a more practical approach with little time for his team to gel ahead of the upcoming games.