Lukas Podolski - How Arsenal Should Use "The Prince"

As you probably have read or heard by now, Lukas Podolski is on the verge of signing for Arsenal. A reported £10.9m deal has been agreed in a four year deal, worth about £100,000 a week. But how will Arsene play him is the question on everyone’s minds. In this article, I will assess the possible positions in which the player dubbed “The Prince” in his home town can play.

Firstly, many people are saying that Lukas is a direct replacement for RVP. This is surely not the case. First of all, it is looking likely that RVP will remain an Arsenal player. The only way in which he will leave is if Arsenal fail to finish in the top 4. If so, as part of the Podolski deal, he will assess other options if Arsenal were to finish fourth.

Therefore, the most likely scenario is that both RVP and Podolski will be Arsenal players next season. So how will they play? Well, if Arsene decides to stick with the current formation (which he most likely will) then Podolski is most likely to play on the left wing. This would suit him as he regularly plays on the left, whilst cutting inside and shooting with his lethal left foot. This could cause problems for Gervinho as he may have to drop to the bench and be used as a part-time player.

Another option is that he would play as a second striker, playing just behind RVP. As Podolski is a very adaptable player, he is more than comfortable of playing in this position. However, there are many other players who are more than capable of playing in this position, e.g. Wilshere, Rosicky, Benayoun, Diaby, AOC. Also, with the possibility of Wenger signing another attacking mid such as Hazard or Goetze, it is doubtful that Podolski’s main role will be just behind RVP.

So, to sum up, it is looking most likely that Podolski’s main position is most likely to be up front on the left. Surely, his left foot will prove to be lethal for Arsenal.

Also, I just felt like mentioning, that in the 2006 World Cup, Podolski was named the World Cup’s Best Young Player ahead of accomplished and top class players like Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo.

Lukas Podolski has been the Koln’s star player this season with 16 goals and 4 assists in the 20 games he played in this season. He also has an excellent scoring record with Germany, with 43 goals in 95 matches for the “Mannschaft”. I’m really looking forward to seeing him play next season as a Gunner.

Written by Zain MahmoodFollow him on Twitter @zaigum