At 39, Lukas Podolski has had an illustrious career, but it seems he is far from finished. He has been playing for Polish first division club Gornik Zabrze since 2021.
The powerful attacking player has already been under contract twice with 1. FC Köln, but has not been under contract in Germany since 2012.
His Effzeh is currently struggling in the 2nd Bundesliga not to lose touch with promotion. Our colleagues from goal.pl spoke to Podolski about whether he can imagine a return to Cologne.
Lukas Podolski on his future…
“When we talk about the future at home, we have no plans to go anywhere. We feel really comfortable here, I like working at the club. I’m still happy on the pitch. There’s no plan to leave.
Of course Cologne is my home. Everyone knows how I feel about this club. A lot of help is needed there too. I’ll sit down, talk, listen to the plans, but we don’t want to leave Zabrze. “
Podolski on finding an investor for Zabrze…
”An investor is needed because if the club belongs to the city and it can’t cope, there will be problems in the long run. Maintaining a team, the stadium, training camps, etc. costs money. All these things are necessary.
If there is no investor, we have to find another solution. As a club, we have to work even harder, look for players like we have in recent years, have good scouting and find players who are for sale. Maybe we need to charge a higher price for a match ticket, etc.
We have to prepare for plan B, because at the moment there is no investor who will sign the contract. Therefore, in my opinion, you have to prepare a plan B or even plan C.
It is not necessary to sign a contract with the first investor just because he has financing possibilities. The investor must fit the vision and philosophy of the club.
It can’t be just anyone who comes, takes over Gornik Zabrze, a big Polish club, and treats it like a business or a toy. “
