Lukas Podolski: 'I was never leaving Arsenal'

Lukas Podolski has insisted that he never had any intention of leaving Arsenal during last month's transfer window.

The attacker was heavily linked with a return to his native Germany with Schalke 04, which could have seen Julian Draxler moving in the opposite direction.

However, the 28-year-old has revealed that manager Arsene Wenger had told him to ignore the speculation.

"That was a myth. There was absolutely no truth to it. The coach told me as such and I knew there was no truth in it," the London Evening Standard quotes the German international as saying.

Podolski has scored five goals from 11 outings in all competitions this season.