This morning Arsenal forwards Lukas Podolski and Joel Campbell have been linked with moves away from the Emirates. With Wenger seemingly happy to see both players depart, surely a new striker signing is on the horizon? You’d hope.
There was lots of reports that Podolski would leave the club, but Giroud’s injuries dampened that idea. However Arsene Wenger said yesterday that he felt Podolski was not an alternative to Giroud:
“He can score goals. He’s not a real centre forward, he’s a striker on the flank or behind the striker but he’s not the target man.
“He has a role to play but at the moment the experiences we had when he was a target man, he likes to come to the ball. He is not the guy who likes to go too much behind, he likes to come to the ball. He’s a very good link player. At the moment I see more Sanogo, Sanchez, players who are really good at going in behind. Not Podolski.”
It’s always seemed like Wenger has not been Podolski’s biggest fan, and if the Gunners manage to land a striker in the next few days, I wouldn’t rule out Podolski still departing.
Promising Arsenal youngster Joel Campbell is yet to really get a chance for the Gunners, and he might have to wait even longer. Arsene Wenger said this on the Costa Rican: “He is in the squad at the moment, I would like to keep him.”
That’s not definitive and the manager did say some forwards would have to leave if a new player came in. With a lack of target men in the squad, Arsene might be looking to sell one or both of these youngster in order to create squad place for a target man up top. We’ll see what happens before the window shuts on Monday night.
Reports in Portugal from OJogo and Record today say that Campbell’s agent Joquin Batica was in Lisbon trying to organise a move to Benfica on Friday.