Podolski has his sights set on silverware

Lukas Podolski knows Arsenal have a tough challenge ahead of them if they are to end the club’s eight-year wait for silverware.

The Germany international scored 16 goals in all competitions last season but they were not enough to secure a trophy as Arsenal’s drought continued.

Podolski is confident that they can end that run in the next campaign, but admitted winning trophies in England is a lot harder than in other leagues around Europe.

“It will not be easy,” he told The Daily Mirror. “Everyone thinks it’s easy to get a trophy.

“You have five or six teams who fight for first place. It’s not like in Spain where it’s just two teams and in Germany you just have Dortmund and Bayern.

“It’s not easy in England. It’s so competitive.

“At Arsenal we have good players, a great coach and great fans. If we can pull it together then I believe we can win the Premier League.”

Podolski finished third in the club’s goalscoring charts last season behind Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud, and is hoping to raise his performances for the new campaign.

“I will try to play better, score more goals and do some assists for Arsenal,” he added. “It’s very important that we qualify for the Champions League and fight for the championship.

“It was my first year and I’m very happy. We will see how much I can improve and whether I can get better.”