MX23RW : Sunday, February 2 10:46:49| >> :60:2029:2029:

Lukas Podolski: 'I deserved more game time at Arsenal'

Former Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski claims that he "deserved" more game time at the club but pays tribute to his old Gunners manager Arsene Wenger.

Former Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski has claimed that he did not get as many minutes as he "deserved" during his time at the Emirates Stadium.

The Germany international joined Arsenal in 2012 and made 33 Premier League appearances during his debut campaign for the Gunners, scoring 11 goals.

Podolski made just 14 more Premier League starts under Arsene Wenger after that, though, eventually leaving on loan for Inter Milan in January 2015 before joining Galatasaray on a permanent basis later that year.

"I didn't get enough game time; I felt that I performed well and didn't get the minutes I deserved," he told FourFourTwo.

"On the other hand, if you look at my stats, I played in about 80 matches and was directly involved in a lot of goals by scoring or assisting. My relationship with the fans and players was positive. We won the FA Cup in 2014, which was the club's first trophy for quite a few years. And I liked living in London, in Hampstead. My family enjoyed it, too.

"[Wenger] was a great manager and I really like him as a person, too. He was like a grandpa: a very intelligent man, who was nice to talk to. He could speak lots of languages and never yelled. He was Arsenal: he created everything.

"Arsene created a style of playing. He was the man who oversaw the club's move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury, and won so many trophies during his 22 years there. I'd be fascinated to see how he would have done in charge of another team."

Podolski made 82 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 31 goals and registering 17 assists.

ID:395441: cacheID:395441:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2550:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal manager Unai Emery reacts on November 28, 2019
Read Next:
Unai Emery open to Serie A move for next job
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2481063538-334
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Everton236892328-526
16Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!