Arsenal must PLAY Podolski or SELL him! But which?

The Arsenal and Germany international forward Lukas Podolski has made no secret of his frustration about his lack of playing opportunities, pretty much ever since he signed for the Gunners over two years ago. Arsene Wenger has ofvten brushed off the German’s complaints but it looks like the Frenchman now has to make a decision.

It did look as though Podolski had convinced the Arsenal boss of his worth to the team last season, after a long lay off with a hamstring injury had cut short his good start to the season. But then Podolski seems to have returned to north London after the World Cup winning exploits with Germany in Brazil and he is back to square one.

Whether that is a fitness, form or attitude issue is unclear, but there really is no point having a player in the squad that does not want to be there or one that you do not trust to do a good job if called upon. And Podolski could fit both of those descriptions if Wenger keeps him at the club after the January transfer window and does not use him.

It is very important to the 29-year old to continue his international career, so his appearance in their qualifier against Gibraltar will have helped. And hopefully Podolski will feature again when they face Spain in a friendly on Tuesday.

Then Wenger will have the perfect opportunity to build on that and get him firing for the Gunners. If not, we might as well cash in and either sign another striker or give young Joel Campbell more of a chance. What would you do about Podolski, Gooners, and what do you think Wenger will do?

Tags Campbell Germany Wenger

39 Comments

  1. Forget Poldi…..Its a f@kin disgrace that club of stature, tradition & history has yet NOT won the Champions League!
    Bloody disgrace, the dunts running the club have aboslute no amibition or RESPECT For the club!!!

    1. The champions league requires a great deal of luck to win and you can’t fault the club for ambition. In 2005 Arsenal set a record of 10 consecutive champions league clean sheets, knocking out great teams such as Real Madrid and Juventus. We dominated it that year. Very bad luck in the final with a sending off, losing our best keeper and conceding an offside goal. In the past 2 seasons, we have spent big tbf.

        1. What are you trying to prove. Every penny in the club is put into football related matters. How’s that not ambition? These are baseless claims/

          1. Every penny in the club is put into football related matters.
            ———————–
            Or according to Arsenal’s OFFICIAL accounts – the cash reserves (£170m+ at the last release).

            1. You ain’t got a clue what you’re taliing about. At that stage of the season, the clubs cashflow is negative. That was march 2014. We spent plenty net in the summer on players as well as other club expenses and upgrades on youth and training facilities.

        2. Yes, we’re the biggest club never to have won the Champions League. With the team and players we had, we should have won it at some point between 1998 and 2006, but we didn’t. I think not winning the Champions League is Wenger’s biggest failing, but that’s not to say he hasn’t been successful. 10 consecutive clean sheets and reaching the last 16 for over 10 consecutive years and reaching the final are great achievements in themselves, but there are some who judge success only on winning, I’m guessing you’re one of them.

    2. If i was the manager i would use my team in such a way that they provide for Poldi to get the best out of him but wenger is always clueless and has zero tactics no wonder we draw or loose games from winning positions. what ever he likes about playing boys out of position i believe even God doesn’t know. Monreal center back and Chambers right back really????

  2. His royal dumbness, King Wenger has said it all: “I set the price [for Podolksi and every player Arsenal has sold or will sell].”

    You see that? Huh? Huh?

  3. Podolski has to fight for his place, his grate in the box but not much els, I think Arsen could off used him more when we play teams that park the bus that’s when Podolski is worth his weight in gold but AW always brings him or other subs in the final ten not much time to do anything.

  4. Wenger has failed to get the best out of “prince podolski” by making him a bench warmer, when he should be playing because he is one of best clinical finishers on his day! If he does leave it is wenger to blame!

      1. Hard to be a good striker from the left wing – or the bench even.

        Podolski is our best finisher since Henry.

  5. Wenger has a history of
    holding on to players
    but not playing them much.
    Fabianski Viviano Manone
    Miquel Squilacci Vermaelen Djourou Jenkinson
    Coquelin Diaby Frimpong
    Ryo Campbell Rosicky
    Arshavin Gnabry Podolski
    Sanogo Bendtner Park Chamakh.
    We could have bought Ronaldo Messi Neymar
    Pique Suarez Coentrão Ramos Arbeloa Reus
    and more with money wasted on Wengers dead wood.
    And people keep saying Wenger was on a limited budget.
    Give me a break!!!

    1. Tbf none of those keepers were good enough to start and Fabianski was only good in his last season when Szczesny got 16 league clean sheets. Djourou and Squilaci got loads of games but weren’t good enough. Jenkinson played plenty of games with Sagna’s injuries. Miquel has been shipped out on loan most of the time as being involved in under 21’s as he should do. Coquelin was on loan and not good enough. Frimpong and Diaby were injured. Nearly all of those players were injured, on loan or not good enough. You are seriousl deluded if you think Park and Chamakh cost the same as Messi and Suarez!

      1. I did not compare Messi and Park.
        Its the whole group cost.
        Add to that list sub standard
        or under performing players like
        Denilson Flamini Kalstrom Arteta Monreal
        Giroud Ozil Gervinho or long term injury
        prone Wilshere Walcott Ramsey Gibbs Chamberlain.
        The entire squad has underperformed for
        the last 7 years at 150 mill in wages each year.
        So 1,000 million pounds of underperformance
        would have easily bought the players I listed.
        Just saying.

    2. Well said. Finally the truth you is out. Wenger has been wasting money on deadwood but people keep saying we got no money. He bought these player and pay them high salary yet most are full of shi*, I just wonder did he got the commission from all these deadwood.

  6. It wouldnt be any surprise to me if joel campbell is sold, because of the nonsense wenger is doing at the club! Joel wants playing time so he would eventually leave arsenal!

  7. I think something is really wrong with Wenger.When I read his interview about Messi playing out of position I couldn ‘t stop laughing.

    “When Messi sees that Ronaldo
    has scored so many more goals
    than him, it will play on his
    morale,” he told BeIn Sport .

    “On the wings, he cannot maintain
    his goal average. In the long term,
    he won’t be happy.

    “The best player in the team has
    a power within the club. He can
    make the coach better if there is
    chemistry between them.

    “So, if his position doesn’t suit
    him, it weakens the team as
    whole.”

    This guy is funny, he is known for playing his players out of position ( Ozil, Cazorola, Ramsey ).I feel like he is mocking the fans.

    1. Remember that Messi is competing in direct competition with Ronaldo. This means that he needs to be in a role to be competing with Ronaldo’s goal tally. That’s not to say Messi is effective out wide. Cazorla has been playing left wing since 2005. He is known as a left winger. Ozil has played the majority of games out wide for club and country. He got 17 league assists in a season from the right, cutting in from his left foot. Zinedene Zidane is miles slower than Ozil yet played fine out wide.

    2. This really show how illogic he is.The man can say things and do the opposite time after time.
      Watch he said ,he said it before,the team need a DM Patrik Viera style.
      We will see if he gonna get one in the transfer window.

  8. even if we sign messi ronaldo etc…

    wenger would either play them at the wrong positions or keep them at the bench….

    time for a change….time for a new manager

  9. Can’t help but feel United will beat us next week. Not because they outplay us, but because of our ‘defence’, if you could call it that.. I get the feeling we will be the more dominant side, but they’ll take the chances they get..

    1. Mike United have defensive problems to and now even bigger with goalkeeper. We will kick their ass come next week.

  10. Koscielny, Mertesacker, Chambers, Szczesny, Debuchy, Gibbs, Welbeck, Walcott, OX, Giroud, Flamini, Sanchez, Podolski and Ramsey all play in their correct positions. But when Wenger shifts Cazorla or Ozil out wide, people complain he likes playing players out of position. LoL. Selective memory some of us have 😀

    1. Also Wenger is playing Cazorla and Ozil on wing not on CM role or CB role, but some of the fans have reacted here like even if we buy great players, they will be played at wrong positions like Reus as GK, Ronaldo at LB, Messi has DM, etc.

  11. ‘….or attitude issue is unclear………..’
    ———————-
    About time Wenger got over it – most unbecoming of a leading manager.

  12. Why is this Podolski chat still going on, he is either out or in january and my money is on out, either way we would not have gain or lose much.
    All i want to hear about is DM and CB.

  13. Seems like its either gonna be Wenger or Podolski leaving the club, and it aint gonna be Wenger. I’m fukkin sick of that old shlte economist. Right now, its not our defense that is our weakest link – its our manager. No tactics, no injury-avoiding agenda, no intention of actually buying the class players we could afford. Apparently the 100M GBP went up to 130 after cashing in on Vela, Fabregas and Vermaelen, leaving our summer spending of approximately 80M incredibly 50M under budget.

    What we could have bought with the last 50M:
    -Snapped Costa right before the sly Mou’s eyes, dropping the purchase of Welbz for 16M, making it a total of 16M difference.
    – Varane, Laporte, whoever able to replace Vermaelen really, somewhere around 25M.

    Im not gonna complain about the purchases he did make, even though Welbeck will forever be a last minute panic-purchase in my eyes. Sanchez and Chambers have performed a lot better than i would dare to predict.

  14. Hes going. Wenger saying hes not for sale is just in response to the reported tabloid price of 5m. Wenger playing hard ball to push the price up.

  15. One thing with Mr. Wenger is Pride. He’ll do one thing over and over which every footballer, fan, analyst, coach or (even ball boy) can understand its wrong but he’ll still do it to show to the world that he’s right and everybody is wrong.
    Age has done some pretty bad things to Wenger’s reasoning and the man no longer differenciate Champion’s league trophy, League title, league cup, FA and Top four Trophy. Worst still, the man can no longer remember Substitution is allowed in Football

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