Arsenal’s Lukas Podolski is reportedly close to joining Inter Milan on loan in the January transfer window, but the Gunners should hold off on shipping the German international for now.

According to SportItalia (h/t Football Italia), the two clubs and Podolski have already agreed to the move, although other sources like Gianlucadimarzio.com’s David Amoyal believe talks are still ongoing:

After reaching an agreement with Podolski, Inter is working on convincing Arsenal to let him go on their terms. Today the nerazzurri’s sporting director Piero Ausilio met with the Gunners, the Italian club is hopeful they can get a deal done especially considering Podolski hasn’t played much this season and his contract expires in June of 2016.

The 29-year-old forward hasn’t featured much for the Gunners in the 2014-15 campaign, starting just once in the Champions League and making 11 appearances off the bench in all competitions, via WhoScored.com.

He’s scored three goals in 228 total minutes (excluding the League Cup), averaging out to better than a goal per match. Despite that ratio, Arsene Wenger continues to favour other options, with Olivier Giroud receiving most of the minutes and Danny Welbeck also sitting ahead in the pecking order.

Podolski has voiced concerns regarding his playing time on several occasions, and talking to Super Express (h/t beIN Sports’ Tancredi Palmeri), he confirmed that in spite of the proposed loan deal, he still wants to have a good talk with Arsenal first:

Those are not the words of someone desperate to leave his current club. Podolski simply wants to play, and as it stands, he has a better chance of doing that in Italy.

Inter isn’t the most appealing destination for a player of Podolski‘s caliber, sitting just 11th in the Serie A standings, but the German doesn’t appear to have many options at this point.

There’s a far better scenario on hand, however, and according to La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football Italia), Wenger has already been exploring it. Italy’s leading sports outlet claims Arsenal would much rather loan out Yaya Sanogo:

It is well known that the Nerazzurri are interested in German international Podolski, who would be available on loan until the end of the season.

However, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Arsene Wenger is unsure of releasing the World Cup winner.

Instead, he asked Inter if they would like to take 21-year-old French forward Sanogo on loan for six months.

There could also be an option to buy at the end of the season.

Arsenal face a battle to make the Premier League’s top four this season, and in order to be successful, the Gunners will need their best players. Sanogo and his single Premier League goal in his entire Arsenal career simply don’t fit the bill.

The 21-year-old needs to develop, and a loan move to Inter could help him do that. Compared to Podolski, his potential to contribute in 2015 is minimal at best. It’s not like Arsenal don’t need goals—the club’s second-leading scorer, Giroud, will start the new year sitting out a suspension, via Match of the Day:

The form of his likely replacement has been spotty at best, as the Manchester Evening News‘ Samuel Luckhurst demonstrates in his break down of Welbeck‘s impact in the past few months:

If Podolski completes a move away from the club in January, the Gunners will have to hit the market in order to boost their depth. Wenger can’t afford to go into the second half of the season with Sanogo as his primary reserve—Arsenal would be one injury away from complete disaster.

And looking at the clear needs the club has to address in January, as Bleacher Report’s Ryan Bailey and Janusz Michallik did, they simply can’t afford to add another forward to the list:

The Gunners won’t find a seasoned, productive contributor on the market for any fee even remotely close to what Inter will be willing to pay for a six-month rental.

The Daily Express‘ Jamie Anderson might believe the fee would lie somewhere between £3 million and £5 million, but given the current financial climate of Italian football, there is no way the Nerazzurri are coughing up that kind of money.

Welbeck‘s struggles and Giroud‘s suspension could hand Podolski a handful of starts in the coming weeks, and the veteran forward could serve as a valuable back-up for another six months, aiding the Gunners’ push for European football.

It makes no sense to send him out on loan in January, with the Gunners losing a valued contributor for little to no reward. Moving Sanogo should be Wenger‘s primary objective, ensuring he has his strongest group of attackers available for the rest of the 2014-15 season.

 

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from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2311809-arsenal-transfer-news-arsene-wenger-must-rethink-rumoured-lukas-podolski-move
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