Five winter window destinations for Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski

Following claims made by Lukas Podolski that he is unhappy at Arsenal, who are 33/1 to win the Premier League with Coral, we have come up with five suggestions of clubs that he could end up at, if proposed talks with Arsene Wenger break down.

Currently on international duty with Germany, the striker said: “I am not happy with the situation at the moment – It would be wrong to suggest that I am.

“I still have fun playing football but when the competitive element of it is taken away from me, the one I enjoy so much, then I am not happy,” Podolski continued, who has been criticised over his willingness to track back.

“I have to think about will happen this winter and will look to hold talks with the club. There were no offers [in the summer]. In football you can’t sadly just go looking for a club but have to see what comes.”

So, where do we think Podolski would be a good fit for? Here’s what we came up with…

West Ham
Sam Allardyce could probably do with more options up front, with Andy Carroll’s injury-prone status and Carlton Cole getting older. That would leave only Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, who have both excelled since arriving, though Podolski would upgrade the level of quality in front of goal, and pairing him up with Carroll could be interesting. The Hammers are currently odds-on at 4/6 to finish in the top 10.

Borussia Dortmund
He could prove to be a useful makeweight, if Arsenal decide to pursue a bid for Marco Reus, though, according to reports, Dortmund, 14/1 to win the Champions League, were tracking him a while back. The Gunners bought Podolski for what was considered a bargain at £10m and may still be able to recoup around £7m.

Schalke
Gelsenkirchen club Schalke may accept Podolski as a makeweight for highly-rated talent Julian Draxler. Arsenal had a bid turned down for the 21-year-old Bundesliga talent last January, and Wenger could return again by offering the 29-year-old in part-exchange.

Cologne
A move back to the club Podolski knows best may see his career finish where it began. He thrived when moving from Bayern Munich back to home comforts. Out of the spotlight, Podolski may start to blossom again if a move back to Germany’s fourth largest city materialises.

Lazio
Serie A has often played host to many German strikers near the end of their careers, including Oliver Bierhoff and most recently Mario Gomez. However, the opportunity to link back up with veteran compatriot Miroslav Klose in the Eternal City may prove to be an attractive option.