It has become a familiar path. A player in the Premier League struggles for game time, the seasons pass since his feted arrival and he seeks an opportunity in Italy’s Serie A, where the transfer budgets are lower, the chances of progress in the Uefa Champions League more slender, but the salaries at major clubs are still high, with an illustrious tradition to go with it.
Slipping down
Lukas Podolski joined Inter Milan on loan almost as soon as the winter transfer window opened, possibly ending his two-and-a-half year stay at Arsenal. His outings in the starting XI for the London club had been dwindling, his place in the pecking order at centre-forward below Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck, and his usefulness diminished by the impact made by Alexis Sanchez.
A Torres or a Gervinho?
Inter may be as good for him as Roma have been for his former Arsenal colleague, Gervinho, who moved for similar reasons 18 months ago. Or he could find himself as lonely as Fernando Torres, who left Chelsea for AC Milan in August. Torres has already moved on, to Atletico Madrid, after one goal in 10 matches.
The prodigy
Podolski, 29, is younger than one would expect, given his accomplishments. He has 120 caps for Germany, for whom he made his debut at 19. He was voted best young player at the 2006 World Cup and took home a winners medal in 2014, though he appeared in only two games in Brazil.
Bouncing back
Podolski has recovered from his career derailing before. He joined Bayern Munich in 2006 but, as at Arsenal, found himself mainly a back-up, his powerful left foot utilised from the bench. So he returned to Cologne, where he is regarded as a hero, and thrived, prompting Arsenal’s interest. Inter, for whom he made his debut as a substitute in a draw with Juventus, hope they can rejuvenate him.
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