Lukas Podolski named one of Serie A's worst January signings following Arsenal exit

Arsenal loanee Lukas Podolski has received the dubious honour of being named one of Serie A's worst signings of the January window.

The 29-year-old German international joined Inter Milan on loan until the end of the season in the New Year, after a miserable first half of the season in which he failed to start a single Premier League game for the Gunners.

But his lacklustre form has followed him to Italy and in a poll conducted by Gazzetta dello Sport he was voted the second-worst arrival of January.

Alessio Cerci, who joined Milan as part of the deal that saw Fernando Torres complete his return to Atletico Madrid, earned top spot with 46 percent of the vote, while Seydou Doumbia of Roma finished in third with nine percent.

Inter's recent 1-0 defeat at home to Fiorentina saw Podolski hauled off after an hour following another underwhelming performance. With Inter reportedly holding an option to make the German's move permanent in the summer, manager Roberto Mancini has warned the former Bayern Munich forward he must improve quickly if he is to have any chance of extending his stay at the San Siro.

"Shaqiri [who replaced Podolski in Sunday's defeat] did well but had played on Thursday, so it was right to give him a rest," Mancini said.

"Podolski must give me more, so it is not enough and he is the first to know that."

Meanwhile Mohamed Salah, who joined Fiorentina on loan as part of the deal that saw Juan Cuadrado join Chelsea, was named the best arrival of the window by Gazzetta readers.

The Egyptian international has scored four goals in his six appearances for La Viola, including one that helped eliminate Tottenham Hotspur from the Europa League.