Lukas Podolski says he has felt at home as an Arsenal player since day one and is proud to be a part of the club.
Arsenal striker admits scoring against Cologne was not easy
Lukas Podolski says he has felt at home as an Arsenal player since day one and is proud to be a part of the club.
The German striker scored twice against former team Cologne on Sunday as the Gunners completed their pre-season schedule with a 4-0 victory.
Podolski only linked up with Arsenal a few weeks ago after playing for his country at Euro 2012, but insists he was made to feel welcome immediately.
And the 27-year-old admits he was thrilled to play against Cologne, even if scoring against his old club left a bittersweet taste.
"I have felt like a part of Arsenal from the first day and I am very proud to play here and wear the shirt," Podolski told
Arsenal Player.
"I enjoyed it a lot. Before the game a lot of the players were surprised about the city and about the stadium.
Surprised
"It was a great match and in my first game I scored two goals, so it was very good. It was a good test for us and I hope we can win against Sunderland next week.
"It was not so easy [to score against Cologne]. I played a lot of games for a lot of years in Cologne.
"They were my club when I was a young boy, so it is not easy to score two goals against your team.
"You see after the game that [the fans] still love me! I was very surprised about the Arsenal fans because there were a lot in the stadium. I heard them cry my name and I was very surprised!"
