Top 5 possible destinations for Robert Lewandowski
In terms of the relationship between an employer and an employee, football is not a whole lot different from the corporate setup. The lack of mutual admiration has ruined relationships between many long-time servants with their teams, and the latest to fall prey to that saga is Robert Lewandowski.
When the Polish striker arrived in Bayern Munich from rivals Borussia Dortmund back in 2014, he was already a star. He had scored over 100 goals for Dortmund, which helped them win two consecutive Bundesliga titles, one DFB Pokal and a DFL Supercup title.
Despite that, the transition was never likely to be smooth as he was replacing a certain Mario Mandzukic at his very peak – when he was scoring over 25 goals in a season. There was no reason for Bayern Munich to cut ties with Mandzukic but the Croatian frontman orchestrated the move, stating that the then manager Pep Guardiola’s style of football did not suit him.
It did suit Lewandowski though, as he scored 25 goals in his first season itself. Till then, the lad from Warsaw was considered a talented striker, a typical poacher and a merciless finisher. However, little did anyone know that he was yet to unlock his true potential.
Lewandowski exploded in the next season, and from then onwards, he has kept on exploding season after season for the Bavarians. There has not been a single campaign after the first one where the 33-year-old has scored less than 40 goals for his team.
The Bavarians won every single Bundesliga title since the arrival of Lewandowski, and besides that, he also helped his team win three DFB Pokal, five DFL Supercup, one UEFA Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup title.
From what we have said so far, it might seem as if Lewandowski at Bayern Munich is an empire that can never fall, but it has crumbled over the past few weeks like nine pins. The contract extension discussions between the two parties did not go well at all, and now, the player has openly voiced his dissatisfaction.
On Monday, he told reporters in Warsaw
“As of today one thing is certain, that my story with Bayern Munich is over and after everything that took place in recent months I cannot imagine further good cooperation.”
“I am aware that the transfer will be the best solution for both parties. I believe that Bayern will not stop me just because it has the opportunity,”
he further added. With this, the rat –race to secure his signature officially starts, and a few teams have emerged as the frontrunners.
Check out five teams who might be interested in signing Lewandowski:
1. Barcelona
Robert Lewandowski and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could be reunited at Barcelona
Though nothing has been agreed upon yet, Lewandowski’s preferred destination has been well-documented by tens of sources. Spanish giants Barcelona, who might not have done justice to their ‘giants’ tag in recent years, has emerged as the favourites to sign the Polish striker.
Barcelona has certainly improved a lot ever since their former iconic midfielder, Xavi was appointed as the manager of the club. However, they still have a lot of lost ground to make up for before they can legitimately challenge arch-rivals Real Madrid for the title.
In this season, the Catalans netted only 68 goals in the La Liga, whilst Los Blancos found the back of the net on 80 occasions. Xavi has already bolstered his attacking department by signing Ferran Torres and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the signing of Lewandowski will help him form a dream trio.
2. Chelsea
Barcelona might be leading the race to secure Lewandowski’s signature, but that does not mean the race is all but over, with many other renowned teams still fighting for the striker. One of those teams is Chelsea – the two-time UEFA Champions League winners.
With the Todd Boehly takeover now officially completed, Chelsea’s focus has shifted from the ownership saga to the transfer market. Goal-scoring was one of the Blues’ biggest Achilles Heel in the recently-concluded season.
Thomas Tuchel’s team scored 76 goals in the Premier League, while the top two sides, Manchester City and Liverpool both netted 90+ goals. New signing Romelu Lukaku had a season to forget as well, and Chelsea might look to add to their goal-scoring ranks if they want to close the gap on the Cityzens and the Reds.
3. Paris Saint-Germain
The equation at Paris Saint-Germain is very simple – they might sign Lewandowski simply because they have the facilities, from a financial standpoint. However, even if we are to ignore that aspect, there are footballing justifications behind this move as well.
Firstly, the Parisiens will be looking to add an attacker just to fill in the void left by the departing Angel Di Maria. Besides that, Neymar did not have a particularly good season last time around and he could be off-loaded by the French champions. In such a scenario, Lewandowski could form a fantastic partnership with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.
4. Manchester United
Manchester United could try to pair Cristiano Ronaldo with Robert Lewandowski
The last two mentions on our list are long-shots but certainly worth a shot in any case. It is expected that Manchester United will be interested to acquire Lewandowski’s services, should other teams fail in their pursuit.
With Edinson Cavani leaving the team and ew manager Erik ten Hag preferring a set-up with two out-and-out strikers, it is very clear that the Red Devils will be in the market for a new striker. However, they might have one stumbling block – unlike the previous three teams, they will not play in the UEFA Champions League and are not expected to fight for the domestic title as well.
5. Liverpool
Liverpool is not a team that was always keen on Lewandowski’s signature like Barcelona or Chelsea, but one factor could force Jurgen Klopp into asking the management to contact the striker’s entourage. Sadio Mane might be on his way out of the club, with Bayern Munich nearly closing in on his signature.
If the Senegalese winger does leave, Klopp can replace him with Lewandowski and assign the latter a central role, with Mohamed Salah and one of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota operating on the flanks. It also must be noted that the German manager has previously worked with Lewandowski at Borussia Dortmund and they share a great bond.