Arsène Wenger has accused Internazionale of messing Arsenal around with their January move for Lukas Podolski. The manager responded to questions about the Italian club’s desire to take Podolski on loan by describing it as a “joke” and them as “not serious”.
“They talk,” Wenger said. “There is only talks. Podolski is a player of Arsenal football club and I want him to stay. Apart from that, what is to be professional is that as long as you are somewhere, you give your best to justify your wages and your love for the club. I hope that he will still be an Arsenal player at the end of January. Inter? That is a joke. Inter is not serious.”
Wenger said that Podolski was hardly at a stage of his career where his club would benefit from him gaining playing time and experience while out on loan. “That’s not the case for Podolski but players who need practice because they’re at a very young age,” Wenger said.
Representatives of Inter were in London for talks with Arsenal on Saturday and they are ready to pay a £1.5m loan fee for the Germany international. Wenger is over-loaded with players in attacking areas and he has admitted that, when everybody is available, he cannot satisfy all of them. Olivier Giroud, though, is suspended for the Premier League visit to Southampton on New Year’s Day while Wenger reported that Danny Welbeck was a doubt because of a thigh problem that he picked up in Sunday’s 2-1 win at West Ham United.
Podolski has started just two matches this season – against Southampton in the Capital One Cup and at Galatasaray in the Champions League, when he scored twice. He also scored the team’s last-minute winner at Anderlecht after coming on as a substitute.
“Podolski is part of a list of players that we are following,” Roberto Mancini, the Inter manager, said. “So we will see what will come of it.” Podolski, who joined Arsenal from FC Koln for £11m in July 2012, has 18 months to run on his contract.
