fotbollsdräkter barn While far from the most prolific of players atArsenal, Lukas Podolski became a fan favourite during his three-year stay at the club.Fast, powerful and with a wonderful left foot, the German was a fine player and scored some sensational goals at the Emirates Stadium.But consistency was an issue. Brilliant one game and quiet the next, Podolski struggled to deliver the goods on a regular basis under Arsene Wenger.Indeed, his highest goalscoring tally came during his debut season, where he scored 11 Premier League goals in 33 appearances – a respectable, but somewhat underwhelming, return.A lack of game time saw the World Cup winner join Inter Milan on loan midway through the 2014/15 term, with a permanent move to Galatasaray transpiring in the summer.But despite leaving Arsenal over two years ago, he remains an avid fan of the club he won the FA Cup with in 2014.And that feeling is very much mutual when it comes to Arsenal fans, who might be interested to know his career is about to take a very unexpected turn.
Having joined Galatasaray just 18 months ago, Podolski has reportedly agreed to leave the Turkish giants in the summer.And his destination? The Japanese J League.Podolski, now 31, has plenty of playing years left in him yet, according to The Sun, he will joinVissel Kobe at the end of the season in a deal worth £2 million.
Quite why the winger wants to play in Japan is unknown, especially so given Vissel haven’t finished higher than seventh in the J League since 1997.Money could well be his motivation, and if that’s the case, Podolski looks set to be another sad case of players calling it quits at the top of European football in ronaldo juventus tröja favour of a final pay day.