My Bayern Munich story is over. These were the words of Robert Lewandowski when he announced that he did not intend to stay at the German club. The statement came after weeks of rumors that Lewandowski was unhappy with the way senior club officials treated him. It was said that this was the end of the Lewandowski saga at Bayern Munich
The Polish striker had joined the Bavarians in 2013 on a free transfer, yes, a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund. The club hit two birds with one stone. Firstly, they dropped a world-class striker on a freestyle player, and secondly, they weakened their main rival Dortmund. He excelled at Bayern Munich, scoring 344 goals, providing 72 assists, and winning 19 trophies.
His best season with the club was the 2019-20 season, in which he scored 55 goals and provided 10 assists. Bayern Munich won the hexa in that season, becoming the second team after Barcelona to do so.
However, it now appears that Lewandowski’s nine-year relationship with the club is coming to a difficult end.
So, how did Lewandowski go from calling Bayern his “sporting home” to denouncing him Allianz Arena, that’s amazing too?
Lewandowski’s story: player hierarchy against Bayern
With the 2021-22 season looming, the Poland striker had two years left on his contract. So the club was expected to start talks with him during the season. Other than him, Thomas Muller, Serge Gnabry and Manuel Neuer also had two years left on their contract.
The club had already seen defender David Alaba freely leave and were careful not to let that happen again. But, for some reason, talks between the two parties did not start.
It is now conceivable that Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn and sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic were looking to the future after Lewandowski. Bayern loved him, but they were looking to pounce on Dortmund’s Erling Haaland as succession plotting. The Norwegian is a top-level striker, and any team he has can be guaranteed for at least a decade.
Bayern Munich manager Hasan Salihamidzic told Bild newspaper: “Lewandowski called me. Among other things, we talked about his public statements. I clearly explained our position regarding the status of his contract”, his words to @altobelli13. 🔴 # Bayern Munich
Lewandowski just wants to move Barcelona.
– Fabrizio Romano 7 June 2022
Reports also stated that Bayern were ready to give him a much better contract than Lewandowski. But in the end, it was Manchester City who finally landed him.
However, Bayern Munich has been damaged. Robert Lewandowski felt that the club no longer appreciated him. This will be a major talking point during negotiations over the contract extension.
Read more: Real Madrid’s transfer strategy The key to their success
Robert Lewandowski’s Agent – The Benny Zahavi Mystery
According to Bayern officials, one of the main obstacles in the contract talks was Lewandowski’s agent Benny Zahavi. The Israeli football agent has a past with the club, which is not good. Zahavi was involved in negotiations with David Alaba while the defender was at the club. The talks ended with former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness calling him a “greedy piranha”.
David Alaba did not renew and went to Real Madrid. He had an excellent season and won a race La Liga Before completing the season, he helped Real Madrid win its fourteenth title in the European Champions League.
Now Zahavi is back again, and for the Bayern hierarchy, he has become the Black Sheep.
After reports that Bayern Munich will keep him at the club even if he does not renew, Zahawi intervened again.
Lewandowski does not want to do pre-season with Bayern! [Sport]
Lewandowski starts to Barcelona to enter his final stage. Benny Zahavi began pressing for the two teams to meet and conclude a deal. pic.twitter.com/VphmHk3sQ2
– Football Indicator 🎙 ⚽ (TheFootballInd) 5 June 2022
“Of course they can keep Robert for another year, to be fair, he has a contract until 2023, but I wouldn’t recommend that to them,” he told a German daily. Build.
Regardless, defender Niklas Sule has already left the club this season for Borussia Dortmund after failing to renew his contract.
While the club could replace Alaba and Sule, Lewandowski’s story is a different case. There are no high-profile speculators on sale this summer. Kylian Mbappe extended his stay with Paris Saint-Germain while opting for Haaland City.
Benfica’s star, Darwin Nunez, could be an option, but he’s not on Lewandowskis’ level now.
RB Salzburg’s Karim Adeyemi was another option, but he has already joined rival Bayern Munich Dortmund. Also, in Lewandowski, they have a player who can guarantee at least 40 goals per season. However, it is difficult to know if any other striker can repeat that in his first season.
A year or three years?
According to reports, Bayern Munich and Lewandowski have agreed on the salary. However, things started to fall apart over the length of the deal. The star striker wanted to sign a three-year extension. However, the club was only willing to give him a one-year extension.
In Kahn and Salihamidzic’s view, a three-year extension was too risky for the club due to Lewandowski’s advancing age. Last season, after Lewandowski was injured, Bayern had lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League quarter-finals.
The club’s hierarchy believed that a long-term injury would hurt Bayern financially on and off the field.
Lewandowski: “I think it is better for Bayern to invest the money they can get from me than to keep me until the end of my contract. I don’t want to impose anything. I want to find the best solution for both parties.” pic.twitter.com/LZ1hBSchQQ
Barcelona Universal 7 June 2022
In addition, the COVID-19 The pandemic negatively affected the club’s finances. Bayern are looking to walk a tightrope between keeping their finances in check and ensuring they remain among the European elite.
This means that the club faces difficult choices, which has now angered Lewandowski. The Polish striker made it clear that he wanted to leave the club.
“I can’t imagine more collaboration after what’s happened over the past few months,” he said.
“A transfer would be the best solution. I am confident that Bayern will not stop me, just because they can.”, Lewandowski added.
Will Bayern maintain their confidence by letting him leave, or will they keep an unhappy player for another year and extend the Lewandowski saga? Only time will prove it.
