Cologne coach Solbakken optimistic over Podolski

Jan 6, 2012, 11:15 GMT

Cologne, Germany - Cologne coach Stale Solbakken has said the club has 'a good chance' of keeping Germany striker Lukas Podolski who has asked for time on new contract talks.

However Solbakken told the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger daily published Friday Podolski needed to be convinced the club would strengthen its squad.

Podolski has delayed talks on extending his contract beyond 2013, leading to speculation the 26-year-old international might leave at the end of the season.

However Norwegian coach Solbakken, taking to the Cologne newspaper at the team's training camp in Portugal, said: 'I believe we have a good chance of extending his contract. It's important for him that we should strengthen our squad whenever we have the possibility.

'I believe Lukas wants to achieve success with the FC (Cologne), but for this we have to offer him something.'

Solbakken described Podolski, who scored 14 goals up to the winter break, as 'a world-class player' and said he hoped 'that we can lift him to an even greater level in the next 17 games.'

One of the 43-year-old coach's first decisions when taking over at the beginning of the season was to remove the captaincy from Podolski, but Solbakken said this was to take some of the pressure off him.

'Lukas and I always had from the first day on a good relationship. He knows what I think of him, and I know what he thinks of me,' he said.

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