The German thinks that Heynckes would have kept him in the team.
Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski has revealed that he regrets leaving Bayern Munich in 2009 and wishes he was still there.
Podolski was with the current Bundesliga and Champions League holders for three years between 2006 and 2009 and left just weeks before Jupp Henyckes took over as manager.
The 28-year-old returned to former club FC Cologne before the Gunners swooped in and signed the Germany international for £11m in the summer of 2012.
Yet Podolski believes that Henyckes would have kept him in the team and that he would still be at the Allianz Arena now if that were the case.
“I believe that if Jupp Heynckes had arrived one or two weeks earlier in 2009, I would probably still be at Bayern now,” the German was quoted by the Mirror.
“He was desperate to keep me. From a purely sporting perspective, returning to Cologne was certainly not helpful.”
As it is Podolski has thrived at the Emirates Stadium, despite being out injured for much of this season and since arriving in north London the attacker has played 53 matches in all competitions, scoring 21 goals and providing 14 assists.
Clearly though the niggling feeling that he could have achieved so much more with the all-conquering Bayern is still in the back of the player’s mind though.
Podolski has had a successful career to date, winning the German league title and cup in 2008, finishing third place in two World Cups with the German national team and being the youngest player in history to reach 100 international caps.
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