Arsene Wenger to Keep Lukas Podolski at Arsenal?

Lukas Podolski had been all set to pack his things and go on a temporary vacation to Italy on a loan deal with Inter Milan, but since then, a lot has happened.

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The first little snafu that popped up was Arsene Wenger saying that Inter’s pursuit of the German international were “a joke” (via the Telegraph).

Secondly, Wenger expressed his desire to keep Podolski at Arsenal.

The entire statement is reported by ESPNFC: 

"That is a joke. Inter Milan is not serious. It is nothing serious. They talk, there is only talk. Podolski is a player of Arsenal Football Club and I want him to stay. Apart from that, what it is to be professional is that, as long as you are somewhere, you give your best to justify your wages and your love for the club.”"

While Wenger’s words are rarely ever taken seriously, one has to wonder what exactly the plans with Lukas Podolski are. There really is no benefit to keeping him in North London if he is never going to play. It will just lead to more frustration on his part and a wasted team spot for Arsenal.

I still believe that Podolski has plenty to offer Arsenal, but he’s never given the chance to play. With Giroud and Welbeck both out, Podolski’s path is parting like the red sea, but now Theo Walcott may leapfrog him into the starting XI.

It’s struggle city out there for Podolski. When he plays, he contributes, but for some reason, Wenger just doesn’t like playing him. Good thing January is only a day away. We can finally figure out the plan and stop speculating.

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