London calling: Cologne striker Lukas Podolski will
join Arsenal this summer
Lukas Podolski will become an Arsenal player at
the end of the season after Cologne accepted a £10.9million bid for
the Germany striker.
Sportsmail
revealed last week that Podolski had agreed personal terms with
Arsenal and that the only obstacle to a deal going through was the
clubs’ respective valuation of the 26-year-old.
An initial near-£18million
asking price was dismissed as prohibitive by Arsenal, who began the
bidding at around £8million. With Podolski underlining his
eagerness to spearhead Arsene Wenger’s attack by quickly settling
on personal terms, however, the Gunners came back with an improved
offer that was reluctantly accepted by the Bundesliga
club.
Podolski is now due at Emirates
Stadium once the Bundesliga season ends and will sign a four-year
deal worth over £100,000 a week.
Cologne manager Stale Solbakken
reacted to Sportsmail’s account of Podolski’s imminent departure by
admitting he feared he would lose his prize asset this
summer.
‘He has been very interested for
the past few weeks,’ said the Arsenal centre-back. ‘He has sent me
a number of text messages, and I have told him this is a great
place to work and Arsenal are an amazing club.’
Sportsmail
reported last month that Arsenal were eager to convince Robin Van
Persie of their ambitions by bidding for Podolski and his Germany
team-mate Mario Goetze.
While Borussia Dortmund are in
no mood to let rising star Goetze leave without a fight, Cologne
quickly realised they had little hope of keeping Podolski, in the
wake of Arsenal’s approach.
German connection: Mertesacker hopes to be playing
alongside some of his compatriots next term at the
Emirates
Wenger followed up his
interest after Podolski impressed Arsenal chief scout Steve Rowley
with a consistent run of form that has brought him 16 Bundesliga
goals this season.
Wenger has been under mounting
pressure to make the calibre of signings needed to dispel any
misgivings Van Persie may harbour about committing himself to the
club beyond a contract that runs out at the end of next
season.
Polish-born Podolski is in his
second spell at Cologne, after having mixed fortunes during a
three-year stay at Bayern Munich, but has done enough on the
international stage to leave Wenger in no doubt about his
pedigree.
Wenger has also been encouraged
to pursue a long-standing interest in the left-sided frontrunner by
a firm belief that he has the pace and physical strength to thrive
in the Barclays Premier League.
