Per Mertesacker backs "fantastic" Lukas Podolski

Lukas Podolski
© PA Photos
Per Mertesacker believes that his international colleague Lukas Podolski will be a success at Arsenal.

The Gunners confirmed that they had agreed a deal to sign the German striker from FC Cologne last week.

Discussing the 26-year-old's impending arrival, Mertesacker has admitted that he cannot wait to play alongside the centre-forward at the Emirates Stadium.

"He is very confident. When he feels he has to be there for the team and when we needed a goal he was always there," he told the club's official website. "He was always one of the best players on the pitch and nothing could take him down. He is so confident and that is what I like.

"He is a fantastic striker. Everywhere he has played he has scored a lot of goals. He is very good on the left when he has the ball in front of him, that is a big quality and very good for us.

"I think he has good physical power and that is what is needed in the Premier League. He is very quick too. It is a challenge for him but he can cope with it."

Podolski will join Arsenal in the summer.
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TeamPGDPTS
1Manchester United384389
2Manchester City383278
3Chelsea383675
4Arsenal383573
5Tottenham Hotspur382072
6Everton381563
7Liverpool382861
8West Bromwich Albion38-449
9Swansea City38-446
10West Ham United38-846
11Norwich City38-1744
12Fulham38-1043
13Stoke City38-1142
14Southampton38-1141
15Aston Villa38-2241
16Newcastle United38-2341
17Sunderland38-1339
RWigan Athletic38-2636
RReading38-3028
RQueens Park Rangers38-3025