adminLONDON. – Lukas Podolski has fired a parting shot at Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, accusing him of not showing him respect. But Wenger has denied claims made by Podolski about the Arsenal manager showing the forward a lack of respect before he completed a loan move to Inter Milan.
The German joined Inter Milan on loan earlier this week after struggling to force his way into the Gunners first team.
And he revealed that Wenger did not even say goodbye before he left for Italy.
“He said nothing to me. He did not call me or say goodbye,” Podolski told the Sun.
“I don’t need flowers or a kiss from him but it is about respect, about saying goodbye. For me respect is important.
“I did everything for the club I possibly could have. I don’t believe I did anything wrong. I did not get drunk in a club.”- Mailonline.
Podolski did however thank the Arsenal fans as he was unveiled at the Serie A club.
“I had a great time at Arsenal, I want to thank the fans and the club,” he told The Sun.
“I didn’t play much and Inter gave me the chance. I had a good chat with [Roberto] Mancini and he made it easy to come.
“I’m at my best when I play in the middle as a No. 10 or a striker but we will see what the manager wants.”
Wenger has since denied the accusations, claiming he did wish the German farewell when he left for Inter Milan this week.
“I deny that completely, I had many conversations with him about going on loan.
“He needed my permission and I gave him my position. Without my agreement, he couldn’t go on loan.”
Wenger also said that he allowed Podolski to leave on loan because he is overstocked with attacking players.
Wenger revealed that Roberto Mancini’s side do not have an option to buy the forward, but hopes Podolski’s loan spell will be a positive experience.
“He didn’t get enough opportunities to play – because I knew that, I gave him a chance to go,” the Arsenal manager said.
“Why? Because we have many players who can play in these positions and at the end of the day only 11 can start. When a player of his quality doesn’t get enough games, at some stage too much competition is detrimental to the confidence of the players and their positivity.
“You need the right number and we had too many players in this area. It’s nothing to do with his quality; it’s just down to the fact that we had too many players in the same area.”
Online Reporter