Podolski feeling settled

Lukas Podolski: Proud to be a part of Arsenal after scoring against former club

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!"

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