Galatasaray Istanbul confirmed the transfer of 30-year-old Lukas Podolski on Saturday, bringing Cologne's cult hero to one of the most passionately supported clubs anywhere.

Podolski has signed a three-year contract in Turkey in a move believed to have cost Galatasaray somewhere in the region of 4 million euros ($4.45 million). The native of Gliwice, Poland, who, as a toddler, moved with his parents to the Cologne area, said that the club had sought his services for some time.

"They have been making efforts for years now," Podolski said on Saturday. "I felt at ease here and spoke to my wife and my family about it. It was a gut decision and one made from the heart."

The German forward also wasted no time endearing himself to the fans of his new club.

"Gala has already achieved so much," Poldi added. "I want to play my part in making things even better next year."

Wanted: first-team football

Having fallen down the pecking order at Arsenal, Podolski made it clear to manager Arsene Wenger early last season that he would not be satisfied spending his time on the bench. Mid-season, the German veteran was loaned out to Inter Milan, where he faced similar problems getting game-time.

In total, across all competitions and both clubs, Poldi played just 1,248 minutes of football last season - the equivalent of 13.8 full games. He netted once in 17 Serie A matches, scoring another three for Arsenal early in the Champions League campaign.

If Podolski is to have any hope of staying in Joachim Löw's plans for Euro 2016 in France amid the fierce competition for attacking midfield spots, playing time would seem essential.

Club nomad, Germany mainstay

Unlike Philipp Lahm, Per Mertesacker or Miroslav Klose, Podolski did not quit the international game after last summer's World Cup triumph. Long a favorite of Joachim Löw, he now has 125 caps to his name - more than any other active player, and fewer only than Lothar Matthäus (150) and Klose (137). He's notched 48 goals for the Nationalelf, featuring in every major international tournament since Euro 2004. Nowadays, he's slid to the fringes of Löw's squads, but he remains a name most Germans have come to expect on the list of 22.

Podolski has had to fight for playing time on numerous occasions over the years. A teen sensation in his hometown of Cologne, he moved to Bayern in what seemed his prime, only for Klose and Luca Toni to sideline him to the subs' bench. After three disappointing seasons, he headed home to Cologne - revitalizing his club career for another three seasons before Wenger and Arsenal came calling. 36 months into another underwhelming adventure at a top European side in a premier division, Podolski's transfer alarm clock seems to have sounded.

In Galatasaray, however, Poldi might just have found that nurturing, supportive atmosphere in which he seems to thrive. The side might not compete in a top European league, but it will feature in the Champions League and will surely offer the sort of weekly atmosphere required to get a rowdy Cologne lad's pulse pumping.

"The very warm Galatasaray fan support which I also knew about before really helped me make my decision about signing," Poldolski said.

Given competition from the likes of Mario Götze, Mesut Özil, Andre Schürrle, Karim Bellarabi, Thomas Müller and many more German attacking players, Turkey might not prove to be Podolski's ticket to Euro 2016 in France. But it seems a far better bet than London or Milan.