Lukas Podolski Claims Lack Of Game Time Disrupted His Arsenal Career

Lukas Podolski feels he was not given enough of a chance to prove himself at Arsenal.

The German arrived from FC Koln in 2012 and spent three years at North London, his final six months away on loan to Inter Milan.

Podolski started off his Gunners career in splendid fashion, making 42 appearances out of which 33 were starts. Unfortunately, an injury disrupted his growth at Arsenal, allowing the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud to cement their spots in the first team.

“I didn’t get enough game time,” Podolski said to FourFourTwo. “I felt that I performed well and didn’t get the minutes I deserved. 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.”

Podolski scored 31 goals in his 82 appearances with Arsenal, along with his 17 assists. That is a decent record for a striker dropping in and out of the squad. Arsenal fans were privy to some stunning thunderbolts from the German.

“My relationship with the fans and players was positive,” Podolski continued. “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.”

Podolski was never meant to be a starting forward but he won the fans’ hearts with his professionalism. He probably came to the club at a wrong period but his contributions are definitely valued by Arsenal.