Out-of-favour Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski has agreed to return to his former club Cologne at the end of the season, ending months of speculation over his future.
"I have agreed a deal with Cologne starting from July 1, 2009," the 23-year-old striker said on his personal website.
"I am glad the decision for my future has been taken and all speculation about me is finally over."
No details of the deal were released but Podolski will reportedly cost Cologne 10 million euros, roughly the same fee Bayern paid for him in 2006.
Podolski, who has been a very successful striker for the national team scoring 31 goals in 60 appearances, could not find a regular starting spot at Bayern since signing for the champions.
The recent addition of striker Landon Donovan, on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, and the signing of Hamburg's Ivica Olic will boost the Bayern attack from next season, making matters worse for Podolski.
He already had to compete with established strikers Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni.
"I have had very good discussions with (Cologne coach) Christoph Daum and (Cologne manager) Michael Meier and I am fully convinced of the club's concept. I look forward to this challenge," he added.
The Polish-born striker, voted the best young player at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, is adored in Cologne, where he played from his youth until switching to Bayern in a much-hyped move.
Wantaway Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski claims Italian side Roma are interested in signing him.
The 23-year-old Germany frontman has requested a move away from Bavaria after growing frustrated with the lack of opportunities under Jurgen Klinsmann this season.
The Giallorossi are short of firepower with captain Francesco Totti sidelined through injury, and Podolski reckons they are after him.
"I know Roma are tracking me and would like to sign me," Podolski told Corriere dello Sport.
"I would have no problems in moving there, as they are a big club - although I doubt Romans can speak Kolsch (dialect spoken in Cologne)!"
Cologne have been widely considered as front-runners to clinch Podolski's signature, with the player keen to return to his hometown club.
But he is keeping his options open and would appear to also relish a move to the Eternal City.
"I need to play and cannot keep sitting on the bench," he said. "I am not comfortable staying in Munich any longer and I feel the time has come to leave to return to doing my job (playing).
"I think I'm ready for an experience abroad, including Italy."
Cologne have confirmed for the first time that they are going to try and bring unsettled Bayern Munich striker Lukas Podolski back to the club this winter.
Cologne have made no secret of their desire to re-sign the Germany international, who made a name for himself before joining Bayern two years ago. And the player would like nothing more than to re-join the team from his home town.
However, he has been told by Bayern bosses that he must stay at the club and coach Jurgen Klinsmann confirmed last night that he needed four strikers for the second half of the season and that Podolski "will have to get used to the situation".
At the same time, Cologne president Wolfgang Overath was telling club members at their Annual General Meeting that they are preparing a bid to sign him.
"We will do everything and that means everything within our means to bring the lad back home," he revealed. "We have been doing our homework."
General manager Michael Meier confirmed that talks "have recently been held between Cologne and Bayern and Cologne and Podolski", setting the wheels in motion on a spectacular winter transfer.
"We are now waiting for a signal," he added.
Cologne have first refusal on Podolski and Bayern have promised to let them know as soon as the player becomes available. That seemed to be the case after they signed Landon Donovan last week, but his arrival will not necessarily open the door to Podolski's departure.
Bayern general manager Uli Hoeness recently ruled out any more transfer dealings this winter and said his side are concentrating solely on who to buy or sell next summer.
Klinsmann showed sympathy for Podolski, whose absence from the team sheet against Steaua Bucharest was officially put down to a bad back. "We all feel for him," he said. "I was a striker myself and I know exactly what he is thinking."
It now seems certain that Lukas Podolski will be staying at Bayern Munich for the next season. Podolski admitted that he had problems settling down at Bayern but after a talk with coach Jurgen Klinsmann, it seems like the situation is improved and that Podolski has started concentrating on preparing for the new season ahead. Klinsmann has also stated repeatedly that he has no intention of selling the young striker.
The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move away from the German champions and back to former club Cologne this summer, but Bayern appear determined to hang on to their man.
'That (the sale of Podolski) does not come in any way into the question. We need at least three top strikers - and Lukas is one of the three,' said Klinsmann, before allaying Podolski's fears over a lack of first-team football. 'He has a duty to challenge the other two (Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni), to provide them with competition. Lukas will get his games.'
Having held 'positive' talks with Podolski, Klinsmann now intends to nurture the highly-rated forward. Klinsmann said: 'I told him what I told him before the European Championships: that he has a lot of talent, that he has already shown a lot in his young years, but also that he still has some more steps to take in order to become better. I would like and will help him with that.
Podolski, who scored his first goal of pre-season in Bayern's 11-1 friendly win over a supporters' club in Nabburg on Sunday, admits he has felt unsettled in Bavaria but now appears content at the thought of staying. Speaking to Bayern's official website, Podolski stated: 'I have not felt at home in Munich. With the birth of my son though that has got many times better. I will do my best in pre-season. I am concentrating now fully on the season. I am looking forward to it.'
Cologne coach Christoph Daum said he will not make a move for striker Lukas Podolski until Bayern Munich gives him the go-ahead. Podolski started his career with Cologne before moving to the Munich giants for 10 million euros in 2006, but he has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular since his arrival. After the end of last season, he has admitted several times that his future may lie elsewhere.
Cologne are ready to take him in again, after he enjoyed an excellent Euro 2008 campaign with Germany, should Bayern wish to sell him, but they are determined to follow the rules. 'As long as there is no clear signal coming from Munich, we will respect the currently valid contracts,' said Daum. 'Munich wanted to sell Podolski to Stuttgart, but he did not want that and said instead 'If I am not required here anymore and they want to sell me, then only to Cologne', and we reacted to that. We spoke about it and said we would be ready for that to happen, but then the signal came from (Bayern chairman) Karl-Heinz Rummenigge that they did not want to sell him, and we respect that now. Since such a clear stance has been taken by Munich, then we have to abide by the rules.'
Daum also admitted Podolski's price tag could prove a stumbling block in a deal. 'I was extremely surprised (Bayern offered Podolski to Stuttgart) because I rate the player very highly,' he added. 'We are not able to spend 30million euros yet. But reality begins with a dream.'
Bayern Munich legend Lothar Matthaus has stated that he believes his old club should not stand in Lukas Podolski's way if he has made up his mind to leave. The striker is unhappy with his lack of first-team action with the German champions and has been strongly linked with a return to his former club Cologne. However, Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and coach Jurgen Klinsmann have stressed the 23-year-old will not be sold.
Read more about what Matthaus has to say about Podolski's future.>>
New Bayern Munich boss Jurgen Klinsmann insists he will not rest until Lukas Podolski feels at home at the Allianz Arena. The Germany striker has been strongly linked with a move away from the Bundesliga champions after becoming unhappy at his lack of first-team football.
Former club Cologne were reported to be the 23-year-old's preferred destination, but Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge earlier this week stressed he would not be sold. And Klinsmann, under whom Podolski flourished in the national team, claims there is no way he would let such a talented player leave the club. The coach told Munich-based newspaper tz: 'I already said before the European Championship that I am absolutely building on Lukas.
'Lukas has so much potential, so much in him, that it has to still be further developed. That he suffers under the situation is absolutely understandable. It is up to me to give him a prospect of getting his games. I have told him: you are not allowed to run away from the situation now. The quality is so high - we are not going to let that get away.' Klinsmann has already revealed, though, he can not guarantee Podolski a starting place.
Podolski impressed in an unfamiliar left-sided role as Germany reached the final of Euro 2008, scoring three times to finish as his team's leading scorer in the tournament. But at Bayern last season he was restricted largely to substitute appearances, with then-coach Ottmar Hitzfeld favouring the pairing of Miroslav Klose and Luca Toni up front, with Frenchman Franck Ribery having sewn up the left midfield berth.
Juventus, Tottenham and Manchester City, as well as Cologne, are reported to be interested in the Polish-born forward, but Klinsmann is determined to make him feel wanted at Bayern. He added: 'I will give all my effort to making him feel happy. That he has a bit of home sickness (for Cologne) is surely only human. For all of us is it important to help these players. If Podolski at some time can not reach his potential for emotional reasons, one has to make provisions for that. That is our responsibility.'
Cologne boss Christoph Daum has made no secret of his desire to bring Podolski back to the club where he made his name. But the coach of the Bundesliga newcomers admits their pursuit of the forward now looks to be over. Daum told the Bild newspaper: 'We always wanted a clear statement (from Bayern), and now we have got one. (Cologne) manager Michael Meier also advised me so after his telephone conversation with Rummenigge. We respect contracts.'
Germany striker Lukas Podolski has ridiculed a threat by a Polish politician to withdraw his Polish passport by revealing he does not even have one.
The Bayern Munich forward was born in Poland, but moved to Germany as a two-year old and grew up near Cologne. He scored twice as Germany beat Poland 2-0 on Sunday, prompting Polish politician Miroslav Orzechowski to threaten to take away his passport.
'The funny thing is, I don't even have a Polish passport,' said Podolski in the Kolner Express newspaper. The Polish Football Association never showed an interest in me. Only when I played for the Under-21s and was in the public eye did they start to make moves.'
Podolski refused to celebrate his two goals against the country of his birth and was seen consoling Polish family members in the stands after Sunday's game. Despite Orzechowski's comments, Podolski maintains he has and always will have a strong relationship with Poland, although he is fully committed to winning Euro 2008 with Germany, as he showed at the weekend.
'I made a decision for Germany and it was the right one,' he added. 'Still, I have two hearts beating inside me.'
Lukas Podolski admitted to having "mixed feelings" about scoring the goals against Poland which gave the German team a perfect start to their Euro 2008 campaign at the expense of his country of birth. His goals also ended Germany's 12 year wait for a victory at the European Championships.
Podolski tapped the ball into an empty net on the 20 minute mark after Miroslav Klose, another Polish-born striker, burst through to set him up in the Group B game. Germany continued to threaten and made it 2-0 when Podolski volleyed home from 12 metres in the 72nd minute after the defence failed to clear.
Podolski celebrated neither goals because of his Polish roots. "Obviously I have mixed feelings," said Podolski. "I was born in Poland and I have a big family there so it's a very important thing for me. We applied what we worked on in training and must push forward from here."
After the game ended, the German was named Man of the Match by the UEFA technical team, who deemed him the best performer on show at the Wörthersee Stadion. Roy Hodgson, a member of the nine-man team of experts, said of his display: "I think he was the obvious choice for the award because, apart from playing very well, he scored two goals."
However, the award didn't mean much to Podolski. "That doesn't mean anything to me," he told the German television station ZDF. "It was important we played a good match today. We won 2-0. We did what we set out to accomplish."
Germany coach Joachim Loew lavished praise on Podolski. "For the past three weeks Lukas has worked very hard," Loew told reporters. "He has amazing physical ability and potential. Lukas has an excellent shot. When he gets free for a shot it's very tough for a goalkeeper to stop him. For us Lukas has always played well," said Loew. "But even for Bayern, when he played, he had good performances because otherwise he would not be part of the national team.
"Podolski scored both goals for us today and he has the ability to play both positions," the coach added referring to the attacking midfield role the two-goal striker adopted against Poland. "He can come from deep in midfield and play like today." Low added: 'As coach you keep asking yourself where your team is right up until kick-off, because during the three weeks building up to the tournament you don't have a possibility to measure yourself. We played as a team. We had one main focus, which was to win our opening match - and that's what we did. I think the team proved their perseverance, their concentration; during the first half we had a number of very good moves."
Born in Poland but raised in Germany, Lukas Podolski certainly started early, playing for the youth club of FC Bergheim at 6, and moving to FC Cologne (FC Köln) when he was 10. It was at FC Cologne that he first emerged into the limelight, scoring 10 goals in his first 19 senior appearances, the best tally by an 18 year old in the history of the Bundesliga. While this garnered interest from other top clubs, Podolski chose to stay at Cologne. Eventually however, he moved to FC Bayern Munich in 2006.
Having been born in Poland, Podolski was initially eligible to play for Poland, but then-Polish national coach Pawal Janas refused the call to consider him, claiming that Poland had "much better strikers" and there was no need for Podolski. Eventually, Podolski was won over by the German side, and since his inclusion in the starting line-up for the German Euro 2004 team, he has proven himself to be an indispensable player.
Paired with Miroslav Klose for the 2006 World Cup, Podolski netted 3 goals in his first World Cup appearance, his impressive tally tying with football greats such as Ronaldo and Thierry Henry. Although Podolski has shown himself to be a brilliant attacker, it seems that his position as striker is likely to change, as German coach Joachim Loew faces a burgeoning demand for Mario Gomez to be featured instead. Podolski may instead find himself in the position of left midfielder, a position he played in the Germany - Cyprus Euro Qualifier in November 2007 as well as the recent friendly against Serbia.
However, there have been doubts expressed in placing Podolski as a left winger, mainly because it would leave the central midfield with a great deal of defensive work. Concerns have been expressed that midfielder Michael Ballack has been overstretched by placing too many responsibilities on him, including a lot of the defensive work. Additionally, it is no secret that Germany's defence, once impenetrable, is now their weakest link. As such, Loew may be taking a big risk in placing Podolski in the left midfield.
The Gillette Best Young Player of 2006 has always shown himself to be an excellent player; Will coach Löw be willing to take the risk of playing him as a left winger or will he be placed in his traditional position of striker up front? If he is placed in midfield, how will he adapt to this new role and how would that affect the team as a whole? All these questions will be answered once the Euro kicks off and we're sure all German football fans will be interested in the answers. Whatever it is, we're sure this young German star will shine brightly in Austria and Switzerland this month.
Germany's Lukas Podolski could play on the left-hand side of midfield at Euro 2008 rather than his normal position as a striker. The Bayern Munich plaer impressed coach Joachim Low with his display on the left in Germany's friendly win over Serbia at the weekend.
Podolski's deployment in a wide-midfield role would allow Low to partner first-choice Miroslav Klose with Stuttgart's Mario Gomez in attack. Former Cologne striker Podolski has struggled to find the net since joining Bayern, while Gomez hit 19 Bundesliga goals last season. However, Podolski has the upper hand in terms of experience, having been part of the team for both Euro 2004 as well as the 2006 World Cup. This has put Low in a tough position on deciding whether Gomez or Podolski gets to play. Deploying Podolski in midfield might be the compromise that Low is looking for.
Low told Munich-based newspaper TZ: 'Lukas' outing in this position pleased me most of all against Serbia. Normally he is a striker, but he can also come from midfield. The possibility of playing Lukas on the left-hand side from the beginning or switching him there during the game is certainly an option.'
The 22-year-old may be in line for a change of club as well as position. Fans of newly-promoted Bundesliga side Cologne are banding together in a bid to bring him back to the club. Podolski was brought up through the Cologne youth system and made the breakthrough into the Germany team while on their books thanks to his record of 46 goals in 81 games.
His struggles at Bayern this season have alerted the Cologne faithful, with a group of several hundred now hoping they can fund a transfer. 'We want to do something for Cologne and this is a serious issue,' explained organiser Michael Breitkopf in the Kolner Express newspaper.
'Cologne has millions of fans so if, theoretically speaking, everybody gave 10 euros, we would soon have Poldi back here. At the start of next week we are going to open up a bank account for donations.'
Breitkopf and the fans want to save Podolski from what they see as a miserable situation with Bayern, where Klose and Luca Toni are regularly picked ahead of him. 'We cannot just sit and watch how he is wasting away with Bayern,' added Breitkopf.
German national player Lukas Podolski playing for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga has suffered an ankle injury and will be out for at least three weeks. The striker, named best young player of the 2006 World Cup in Germany this summer, will probably miss the Euro 2008 qualifier against Cyprus on November 15.
The 21-year-old was injured in a clash with Dutch midfielder Mark van Bommel during training for Bayern Munich on Friday. He missed Bayern Munich's game against Eintracht Frankfurt this Saturday and will also not be able to take part in the Champions League Group B match of Bayern München against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday.
"This is bitter news for Lukas," Bayern coach Felix Magath said in a statement on Friday. "It's a real shame for him to be missing when we have so many games."
Germany coach Joachim Löw picked out 21-year-old Lukas Podolski for special praise after the striker scored twice in Germany's 4-1 thrashing of Slovakia on Wednesday. The victory extended Loew's unbeaten streak to five matches since he took over from Juergen Klinsmann after the World Cup, and put Germany in a strong position in their Euro 2008 qualifying Group D where they sit second behind the Czech Republic, with one game in hand.
Podolski's brace in Bratislava took his international tally to 22 in 37 matches and silenced the critics who had lambasted him for an uneccesary red card in a friendly against Georgia on Saturday. 'Lukas is a jewel,' Löw remarked. 'It's enormous what he has accomplished so far at the age of 21. It's the responsibility of all of us in the team to take care of him.'
Podolski was criticised by his Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath last week for 'smiling too much' when he sits on the bench and Germany captain Michael Ballack also said in a newspaper interview that Podolski needed to keep working to improve and should not become complacent. 'I'm not having any crisis, I'm not worried about anything,' Podolski said after the Slovakia victory. 'Every day's a dream for me. I enjoy life and I enjoy football. What others say doesn't mean a damn thing.'
Ballack praised Podolski's performance against Slovakia: 'A good player delivers answers to his critics on the pitch. He didn't let anyone disturb him and kept his cool. But he must keep it up.'
Germany, who finished third at the World Cup, are having their best run in years with only one loss - to Italy in the semi-final - in the last 16 matches they played. Löw said he was extremely happy with the way his side is performing. 'We took a big step forward with the victory in Slovakia,' Löw said. 'It was important to beat a team in our group that will probably play an important role in which teams ultimate qualify for the European finals. Our performance in the first half was very, very good. The defence and midfield were excellent, winning balls back from Slovakia and quickly playing them forward.'
Germany face Cyprus in their next Euro 2008 qualifying match on November 15 in Nicosia.
