Lukas Podolski

I raised this in the Bundesliga thread... He's unsettled at Koln and i think he could add another dimension to the team and wouldn't be too expensive... What do you lads think?

tbh I'm not convinced by his club form, maybe he'd be worth a punt, because if he could reproduce what he does on the national team for us, then it would be great, but sadly I don't think he could.

He's one of life's mysteries.

He plays with quality players when he plays for Germany, so maybe he could reproduce that form for us.

He's still young and would offer some much needed natural width down the left flank.

I watched him tonight and he scored a stunner for Koln, though i know his form this season hasn't been great otherwise, neither the manager or the team are good enough for him to succeed with... At Bayern things didn't work out because they played him as a winger in some games and a striker in others.

Exactly, a quality young left footer is what many people seem to think we need, and if we can get him to produce his national form for us, then that's what we'd get.

He will come good and his form will hit he is a stud must buy!

I really like him, always have and i think he's a special player, doesn't get the praise he deserves really, partly because his club form has been off and partly cos he doesn't play in a fashionable league... I think he would be great for us.

i agree , he`s a class act , with the right club and the right players around him he`d be devastating .

I would really like to see us make a move for him... I just hope he's willing to leave Germany... He went back to Koln out of sentimentality, so i think he would be willing to leave the country, just did that transfer in the hope things would work out at his 'home' club.

who supports him at Koln(players)? No one, he is a one man show. I agree he needs to get more respect! That's why he went back to Koln. BM was a horrible nightmare for him, used and abused him. But he still produced just not to our international expectations! With all honestly the system favors him when he plays for Der MannSchaft. Not to say United is as systematic, but similar in many ways, Podo would be a success at united! Such an explosive boot, quick, with quality crosses. He is industrial on the wing which is what we need. Then go get Ibrahim Afellay and we are working with a very exciting side

I like your style man, real cool

Him and Afellay would add some real depth and dimension to the team

Thanks!:happy

My belief is we are two mid players away from running through the Prem. and possibly winning CL. Those two specific players would with out any doubt push us over the top.

side note 16-19m to get both of them. Outstanding business very due-able minimal cost huge improvements!

Afellay is the very real prospect as he is available for free soon... I think its unlikely we'll sign Podolski though... Probably deemed too much of a gamble in our current financial predicament

Yeah, I'd take either he or Affelay. I'd probably prefer Affelay, but Podolski would be a great buy. He doesn't score very regularly in domestic football, but he is still a dangerous player who could create chances for others in the team.

He scores much more regularly at international level and i think its the lack of quality around him in domestic football, at Bayern his swapping between wing and up front and he suffered a serious injury and the signing of Luca Toni pushed him down the order which didn't help. As you say he makes chances for other players too which is a plus.

Affelay would be a very good signing... Defour is on the cards... plenty of talent available.

That's before we even consider Tom Cleverley, Matty James, Magnus Eikrem... A class team is in the making

Not convinced by him, has never done it on a consistent basis, though there are very real reasons for this. For Germany he is class though.

Fair view, but i think in England he could replicate that national form: 83 games/42 goals... If anyone can get him consistency Fergie is the man.

Schweinsteiger would be another player who could bring us some quality but he would cost 'shit loads'.

He would solve our midfield problems. Never going to happen though.

Yeah my thoughts exactly... Whereas Podolski is a real possibility.