Podolski ‘unhappy’ at Arsenal

Arsenal F.C. striker Lukas Podolski has admitted he is ‘unhappy’ at the club amid rumours linking him with a January move to Italy.

According to reports, Italian Serie A giants Juventus and Napoli are interested in the Germany international, but the player is not ready to quit the club.

After Olivier Giroud was ruled out for up to three months at the start of the season, it appeared Podolski would have a ‘chance’ at regular first-team football with the Gunners.

However, that ‘chance’ was diminished when Arsene Wenger brought in the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck in the summer.

Sanchez has been absolutely fantastic in recent weeks, having scored five goals in his last three appearances in the English Premier League, while Welbeck has not found the back of the net in his last five games.

“At the moment I am not thinking about changing the club. No question,” Podolski said.

“I cannot be happy with my current role in the team, That would be nonsense, if I say the opposite. We will see what happens. I want to play and I still have a lot of fun playing football.

“I love the competition, going out there for 90 minutes, fighting your opponent, if you take this competition away from me I am not happy.

“We’ll see what happens in winter. If nothing happens, I stay. It is not that I am completely unhappy. But if you can’t do what you want to do in your life, then it is difficult.

“I don’t know the reasons for my situation, you gotta ask the coach [Wenger].

Addressing ongoing rumours linking him with a January exit from the Emirates Stadium, Podolski added: “You always have some rumours when you don’t play.

“Currently there aren’t any changes, neither have there been any talks, we will see what happens in the winter.

“Of course my goal is to play and when I don’t get that chance I have to go seek a solution for myself and look for talks, that will happen in the next few weeks.”

With Theo Walcott and Yaya Sanogo back in the team after return from injury, Podolski has been pushed further down Wenger’s pecking order.

A January exit is imminent. The only debate is where Podolski will ply his trade in 2015. At the moment, Italy seems the most likely destination, but that can change in a matter of seconds. Stay tuned.