Lukas Podolski has told FourFourTwo why he had to leave Arsenal, despite his affection for former manager Arsene Wenger.
The German international joined Arsenal for an £11-million fee in 2012, in a window during which the Gunners also added Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla.
Podolski found the net 19 times in his first two seasons in north London, but fell out of favour after the arrival of Alexis Sanchez in the summer of 2014.
A brief loan spell at Inter Milan beckoned, before Podolski made a permanent move to Galatasaray in 2015.
Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo for our May 2020 issue, the 34-year-old revealed why he felt he had to leave the Emirates.
‘I didn’t get enough game time,’ Podolski explained. ‘I felt that I performed well and didn’t get the minutes I deserved.’
But despite lack of action forcing his exit, Germany’s third-most capped player looked back fondly on his time at Arsenal.
‘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,’ Podolski said. ‘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. I liked living in London, my family enjoyed it too.’
In 2014 Podolski also lifted the World Cup with Germany, and the forward continued his international career for two years after leaving Arsenal, including a cameo at Euro 2016.
He retired from international duty with a remarkable record of 49 goals in 130 games, scoring the winner against England in his farewell game in March 2017.
And despite the disappointing nature of his departure, Podolski reserved particular praise for legendary Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
‘He was a great manager and I really like him as a person too,’ said Podolski. ‘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, a style of playing.
‘He was the man who oversaw the club’s move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury, and won so many trophies during his 22 years there.
‘I’d be fascinated to see how he would have done in charge of another team.’