Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski has been voted the second-worst signing of the January transfer window in Serie A this season.
A poll conducted by Gazzetta dello Sport found that Milan forward Alessio Cerci (46%) was the only player to receive more of the vote for the worst signing of the window than Podolski (36%) , which is fairly damning for the Germany international.
To say that Podolski has been a major disappointment at Inter is an understatement. He has yet to score since moving to Serie A, has only two shots on target and was the subject of ridicule recently when he took a corner, only to kick the flag before the ball, scuffing his delivery a few feet in front of him.
There is no chance that Inter convert his loan from Arsenal into a permanent deal this summer, and Arsene Wenger certainly does not want him back a the Emirates? So where does Podolski, who remember won the World Cup with Germany just last summer, go next?
According to his agent Ali Pektas, Turkey is a potential destination for the German.
“Anything could happen,” Pektas was quoted in the Star.
“Last summer he could have moved to Galatasaray, but it never materialised. Every summer Lukas and I go on holiday to Turkey.”
However, there is of course the possibility – however slim – that Podolski returns to Arsenal, which Pektas also remarked upon.
“For the moment he’s on loan at Inter, and when it ends at the end of the season he could return to Arsenal, where he still has a year on his contract. With regard to his future, all I can say is that anything could happen, even a transfer to Turkey. Why not?”
“He appreciates it [Turkish football] a lot, and he wants to keep playing at a high level.”
Podolski joined Arsenal in 2012 and scored 19 goals in 60 appearances for the Gunners, but most of his time on the pitch over the past 18 months came from off the bench with Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Santi Cazorla pushing him out of the side.
Where do you think that Podolski will be playing next season?