Van Persie: Podolski is a great signing

Robin van Persie has given his seal of approval to new signing Lukas Podolski. The German forward will join Arsenal next season from current club FC Cologne – and Van Persie believes that the arrival of his fellow left-footer will add a number of strings to Arsenal’s bow. Speaking in his programme notes for Saturday’s match against Norwich, he said: “I’m really happy – he’s a very mature player who has played 95 games for Germany. That tells you plenty, because they have a world-class side. “He’s been at the highest level for eight or nine years now, scoring lots of goals and consistently proving to be a really good player. He has a really good left-foot shot and can play in a couple of positions, which is important for us as our game involves a lot of movement and interchanging.” Podolski’s compatriot, Per Mertesacker, has already completed a successful integration into Premier League life. Van Persie believes that his example bodes well for Arsenal’s new boy. “As we have seen with Per, German players tend to be very professional in how they live, train and perform – it’s something I like about them and another reason why this is a great signing for us," he said.