Should Arsenal Get Rid Of Striker Amidst Exit Rumours?

While Arsenal sit top of the Premier League with a two point gap, they are still without a few key players. Arsene Wenger has been missing the likes of Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Lukas Podolski for some time now, and the latter has been linked away with Atletico Madrid and Borussia Dortmund both being mentioned. But should the Gunners let him go?

The Germany international instantly won over the Arsenal fans when he arrived from Koln last year as his personality sparkled as much as his displays. Due to his blistering pace, Podolski has been deployed on the wing rather than his preferred striker role for much of his career, but has still scored 18 goals in 45 games for the Gunners.

He made 33 appearances last season but only played two full games, which sparked an apparent frustration in the forward. But he still hit 11 goals in his time on the pitch, created 31 chances and accumulated a shot success of 61%.

He started this season in similar style with two goals in two games and completed 90% of his passes, but an injury has now sidelines him for some time.

For me, Podolski is an important player at the Emirates. He may not have all the fancy flicks that the likes of Santi Cazorla or Mesut Ozil do, but he has the speed, the awareness and the natural composure that is needed for a top-class frontman.