Podolski on Arsenal time: I didn’t get enough game time; Wenger was like grandpa

Lukas Podolski claims he was unfairly sidelined during his time at Arsenal but insists he had a positive relationship with the club including then manager Arsene Wenger.

The former Germany international joined the Gunners in a £15million switch from Cologne in 2012 and went on to score 31 times in 82 games during his three years which saw him lift the FA Cup.

But despite his high profile move, Podolski struggled to hold down a starting role at the Emirates Stadium and by January 2015 he was loaned out to Inter Milan before joining Galatasaray a few months later.

'I didn’t get enough game time; I felt that I performed well and didn’t get the minutes I deserved,' he told FourFourTwo.

'On the other hand, if you look at my stats, I played in about 80 matches and was directly involved in a lot of goals by scoring or assisting.

'My relationship with the fans and players was positive. We won the FA Cup in 2014, which was the club’s first trophy for quite a few years. And I liked living in London, in Hampstead. My family enjoyed it, too.'

Despite his lack of playing time though, he states he enjoyed an excellent relationship with Wenger who helped convince the forward to leave Cologne to move to the Gunners in a telephone exchange held in German as well as English.

The 34-year-old credits the club's recent success down to Wenger and praised his skills as a manager as well as a person.

'He was a great manager and I really like him as a person, too,' Podolski added. 'He was like a grandpa: a very intelligent man, who was nice to talk to. He could speak lots of languages and never yelled.

'He was Arsenal: he created everything. Arsene created a style of playing. He was the man who oversaw the club’s move to the Emirates Stadium, and won so many trophies there.'

Podolski though admits he nearly ended up in the Premier League much earlier than 2012 after appearing to struggle during his time at Bayern Munich.

The current Antalyaspor star had joined Munich in 2006 following his first spell with Cologne but failed to get a regular run in the team before Manchester City looked to sign him in 2009.

'I met them [City] in a hotel in Munich. I had other offers, from Germany and other countries, and could have earned more money, but I wanted to play for Cologne again. I don’t like the way people talk about my time at Bayern. I was young, I played with top players, I scored lots of goals and I got plenty of assists.'

One player who has starred for Bayen in recent times is Serge Gnabry, who has been a key player in recent times for the German champions, especially in the Champions League where he has scored six goals against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.