German striker Lukas Podolski has criticised Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger for his lack of respect, insisting that the Frenchman did not even exchange goodbyes with him when he recently left the Emirates to join Inter Milan on loan for the remainder of the season.
Podolski, who arrived to Arsenal from FC Cologne for a transfer fee of around £11 million in the summer of 2012, had been pushing to make a move out of the Emirates after failing to get much first team football this season.
Although the German striker was very happy after finally getting his wish last week, he admits that he was disappointed at Wenger's lack of respect towards him.
"He said nothing to me. He did not call me or say goodbye. I don't need flowers or a kiss from him. But it is about respect, about saying goodbye. For me respect is important," Podolski told The Sun, adding that he did not do anything wrong to deserve this kind of treatment.
"I did everything for the club I possibly could have. I don't believe I did anything wrong. I did not get drunk in a club."
Podolski, who is Germany's third-most capped player with 121 appearances, also feels that he was treated unfairly by Wenger this season as he was regularly dropped from games despite him being in pretty decent form.
"I don't want communication every day as I am a professional. You do it on the training ground," said Podolski. "But when you move somewhere, you get a message. Maybe he had other problems with me but I don't know."
"It is not a problem to sit on the bench. Absolutely not. When you have three games in a week and you don't play, you have to think about it, though. Maybe I made mistakes, I don't know. I trained well and wanted to play."
The former Bayern Munich striker says that he would have willingly accepted Wenger's decision (of leaving him on the bench) if he had been in poor form.
"If I had been given a run of five or 10 games and played really s***, then I could say 'fair enough, I am not good enough'," he added.
However, Podolski claims that he was left with no alternative other than to leave the Emirates when he was benched at Newcastle United despite him getting a brace against Galatasaray in the last fixture.
"The big moment was after the Champions League game. I played a very good game against Galatasaray and then I was on the bench again. I knew I had to move."
