by Nia Griffiths

Lukas Podolski has wasted no time tweeting the Galatasaray fans, referring to himself as a ‘lion‘.

Something Poldi has always been good at is getting the fans on his side at any club he’s been at. From the moment he joined us in 2012, he referred to himself as a Gunner, was always connecting with the fans via Social Media and consistently talked about his love of the club and city of London.

He never hid his love for original club Cologne, and that only seemed to endear him further to Gooners. It cemented his loyalty and made him seem genuine.

While I am sure this came from a good place and that he did hold affection for Arsenal, and the fans, at least at one point, I think it’s a bit naive to truly believe there wasn’t a lot of PR advice going on behind the scenes.

Lukas Podolski Inter Milan
Podolski arriving in Milan (via Google)

For while I did look at him through red and white tinted goggles but after his loan move to Inter Milan, where he made a very public arrival, waving Inter’s scarf, I thought ‘oh I see now‘.

From that moment, his interaction with fans seemed a little fake to me – although I’m sure it wasn’t entirely.

Lukas Podolski Galatasaray
Podolski arriving in Turkey (via Google)

Sure enough, shortly after the confirmation that Poldi had joined the Turkish team, he tweeted about becoming a ‘lion‘ and pictures appeared of him at an airport, with the club’s scarf draped consciously around his neck.

Of course, endearing yourself to the new fans is a clever tactic. Being a fan favourite holds a lot of power in the modern game, especially with the likes of social media helping you boost your presence. Fans love a player who loves their club and if they like you, you can become indispensable to the club when it comes to morale and getting the fans behind a decision.

Obviously, after this became obvious to many Arsenal fans, he started to lose his appeal and that was where it became clear he wouldn’t always be a Gunner.