Lukas Podolski did not play an important role in Arsenal and was sold to Galatasaray for a transfer fee of €1.8 million which is actually a good decision for him as he now has a bigger and better chance to play in the main team of a club which would not have happened anytime soon if he had decided to remain with Arsenal but Per Mertesacker does not seem to agree with this transaction.

The vice-captain of Arsenal, Per Mertesacker announced his disappointment to the media about the departure of Lukas Podolski as the German defender was not happy to see his former national teammate leaving Arsenal.

Per Mertesacker said: “It is a shame to lose Lukas as a team-mate. His left foot is a weapon which I did not see with many players. On his day, he can still make the difference. I wish him good luck in Turkey.”

Before eventually deciding to join Galatasaray, Podolski tried his luck in Italy as he made a move to Inter Milan on a loan deal but it was an underwhelming period of time for the German forward as he made 17 appearances and only scored 1 goal.

The 30 year old player is hoping that this time around things will be different and taking into consideration that Podolski has joined a club where in terms of quality and pressure it isn’t as high compared to the Italian League, Serie A. Podolski has a better chance of scoring goals and spending the last few years of his career on a high note.

Having the chance to end his playing career by scoring goals on a consistent basis is what Podolski desires to do and his thirst for goals is hungry especially after having spent such an underwhelming campaign at the Emirates Stadium.