Thursday, 25th October, 2012
Schalke wanted to sign Lukas Podolski from 1.FC Koln before the striker headed to join Arsenal, the Bundesliga side’s sporting director Horst Heldt has revealed.
Podolski was certain to be on the move from Koln in the summer and Schalke, desperate to mount a Bundesliga title challenge this season, were keen to add the former Bayern Munich man to their ranks.
However, it soon became clear that Podolski wanted to head abroad, with the English Premier League his preferred destination – and so Schalke abandoned their interest.
"Of course, we talked to his people", Heldt told Sport Bild.
"We lodged our interest with his adviser Kon Schramm", he continued.
"But it became clear quickly that Poldi did not want to transfer within the Bundesliga. So we were out of the race.
relatedNewsStory"If we had received another message, we would have wanted him."
Podolski got a close up look at the side he turned down last night in the Champions League, as Schalke visited the Emirates Stadium and beat Arsenal 2-0 in impressive fashion.
The German was brought off in the 82nd minute and replaced by Andrei Arshavin as Arsenal searched for a way back into the game.
