When Polish-born Miroslav Klose scored his first goal of the 2002 World Cup, for the Germans against a hapless Saudi Arabia side, the world hardly knew that they had a real star in the making on their hands.

Fast forward to January 2015, and whilst the veteran striker has now solidly made a name for himself, both on the domestic and international scene, Lazio’s no. 11 still hasn’t fully amassed the true credit he deserves.

Despite coming home from Brazil this summer as a World Cup winner for the only time in his career, Miroslav Klose has seemingly ruled out any deal linking him with a move away from the Stadio Olympico in January. There are, however, some persistent rumours circulating that suggest a surprise move to the Premier League could be on the cards for this famed striker.

First and foremost, despite the near global preference for Brazil’s main man over Germany’s recently retired goal machine, Miroslav Klose has categorically overtaken Ronaldo as the all-time World Cup goal scorer, with an impressive 16 attempts netted throughout his career.

Whilst the now 36-year-old has never been one for the glitz and glamour that come with being a modern day footballer, the Lazio veteran was the proud winner of GQ’s Sporting Man of the Year in Berlin last November. He simply deserves to be recognised as one of football’s definitive greats since achieving the ultimate goal in the sport during last summer’s tournament.

Even with Lazio in Serie A, the supposed final swansong for the ex-Bayern hit-man to see out the rest of his career in relative calmness, Miroslav Klose bagged eight goals for the Rome based club last season, and an impressive 16 the season before. He may not be the most sought after, talked about, or emulated player in Europe, but in tune with the likes of Gerd Muller before him, Klose is a modern day master of being at the right place, at the right time.

His performances for Lazio have even led Francesco Totti, arch nemeses and leader of neighbours Roma, to describe the Germany star as a ‘true professional and a great player.’

With the January transfer window now upon us, some surprising reports have suggested that Miroslav Klose could be involved in a shock move to the Emirates this month. He is believed to be the player capable of finishing off Arsene Wenger’s squad, but at the grand old age of 36-years-old, people won't believe in this deal unless they physically see it happen.

The ageing talent has reportedly been told by Lazio that he will not receive a contract extension when his deal finishes in the summer however, so Klose could potentially speak to the Gunners regarding pre-contract terms, should the opportunity arise.

Any deal on the table was thought to be on a loan basis only, but since the chance to pick up the all-time World Cup goal scorer for free in the summer could in-fact be a realistic aim, several of the Premier League’s other big names have reportedly expressed an interest. Klose, who was previously said to be on the radar of Newcastle United in their attempts to become more prolific in front of goal, has seemingly been touted by the likes of Aston Villa in recent months.

Paul Lambert’s side have been anything but impressive so far this campaign, so with a reliable, no-nonsense finisher available to crown off their attacks, Villa could certainly be improved with a player such as Klose on board for the rest of the season.

Despite feeling like ‘an old table thrown in the cellar’ due to his recent lack of game time at Lazio, Miroslav Klose has categorically poured cold water over any move linking him away from Rome this January. When asked whether he will be on his way in early 2015, the former Bundesliga hero stated - 'No, absolutely not. I spoke to the coach and he knows what I want.'

Whilst this may be the reality, perhaps one last gallivant in the Premier League could provide the World Cup hero with an exciting final climax to his already stunning career.

[ad_pod id='ricco' align='center']