Arsenal: Is Lukas Podolski a Replacement for Robin Van Persie?

It has been announced on Thursday that Arsenal have agreed a deal to bring Germany forward Lukas Podolski to the club from Koln in a £10.9 million swap.

This has coincided with fresh speculation regarding the future of Arsenal's talismanic striker Robin Van Persie.

The Dutchman, who has now scored 32 this season, is yet to agree a long-term deal with the London club. Van Persie has just one year remaining on his contract when this season ends, and negotiations on a new deal are not expected to take place until this summer.

This has caught the attention of Roberto Mancini, who is looking to bring yet another Arsenal player to Manchester.

With Carlos Tevez likely to leave the club in the summer, there are few better qualified replacements than Van Persie.

This may be good news for man City fans, but Arsenal fans will have to be worried.

So is the news that Podolski is on his way to North London a pre-curser to Van Persie leaving?

And if it is, how good a replacement will Podolski be?

In terms of replacing Van Persie, he does appear to be a pretty good fit. Both men are predominantly left footed (although Van Persie can be just as deadly with his right), and neither are shy in front of goal.

Something that may worry Arsenal fans is the trouble that Podolski had during his only spell with a big club, Bayern Munich.

After joining the German giants from Koln in 2006, Podolski struggled for goals, scoring just 15 in 71 league appearances for the club. He was also troubled by injury and rejoined Koln in 2009.

Could Podolski's second move away from Koln be as tough as the first? Or has his Munich experience steeled him to be more prepared for life at a bigger club?

Having the pressure of replacing a club legend like Van Persie and being relied on for most of the club's goals does not sound like a good thing for a new forward. However, he has been at his best while being the centre of attention at Koln.

Being the man expected to score the goals week-in and week-out could be a good thing for Podolski, He was unable to deal with the competition from Luca Toni and Miroslav Klose at Munich, but unless Arsenal bring in more strikers, he should be the main man at the Emirates.

Since rejoining Koln in 2009, he has netted 31 times in 79 league games, a far better percentage than at Munich.

If Robin Van Persie is going to leave Arsenal this summer, Podolski could be the perfect man to replace him. Any prospective fee that Arsenal would receive from Manchester City would dwarf the £10.9 million paid for Podolski.

This could allow Arsene Wenger to strengthen other vital areas of the team.

If Van Persie is going to leave the Emirates, then what do you think of Podolski as a replacement? If Van Persie stays, then how well do you think Podolski will play in tandem with the Dutchman? Comment below.