Arsenal striker Lukas Podolski has now officially confirmed he will be joining Turkish side Galatasaray after being away from the Emirates during the second half of last season while on loan to Italian squad Inter Milan.
Podolski has made it known that he wanted to leave Arsenal, where he was unlikely to see substantial minutes after coming back from being on loan, and instead was looking for a club that could provide him with meaningful first-team playing time.
With only eight starts for Inter in Serie A play last season, Podolski will look to rebound from falling his form in the recent months that saw him fall out of favor under Gunner’s manager Arsene Wenger.
Galatasaray will look to capitalize on the deal with Podolski, which cost the Turkish side upwards of €2 million, by bringing the striker out of his recent shortcomings and fill a much needed role with the exit of Goran Pandev.
Podolski may also be looking at a substantial pay cut from his days at the Emirates, dropping for a reported £100,000 a week to around half of that after his move to Istanbul.
After finding lackluster performance in England and Italy, a move to Glatasaray may be exactly what Podolski needs to regain his old form and produce on a consistent basis.
