Podolski on his way to Arsenal

Soccer: Germany striker Lukas Podolski will join Arsenal for the start of next season, his current club Cologne have confirmed…

Soccer:Germany striker Lukas Podolski will join Arsenal for the start of next season, his current club Cologne have confirmed. The 26-year-old, who has 95 caps for the national team, will move to the Emirates for an undisclosed fee after both clubs and the player reached agreement over the deal.

Podolski told www.fc-koeln.de: “The move to Arsenal provides a great opportunity for me to gain experience in international competitions at a top European club.”

Podolski, who started his career at Cologne before rejoining them in 2009 after an unhappy three-year spell at Bayern Munich, added on the club’s official website: “I have made this decision not against Cologne but for this great opportunity and the good of my own individual development.

“This was not an easy decision for me at all, as Cologne, our fans and the city are something special for me. I will always carry Cologne in my heart. We need to pool our strengths now and have to be fully focused on our survival in the Bundesliga.”

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The Poland-born forward, who had one year left on his contract with the Bundesliga strugglers, has scored 18 league goals for a side battling relegation so far this term, his best ever top-flight return.