It’s one of the hottest questions on the European transfer market this summer: will Robert Lewandowski get his wish granted, can he leave FC Bayern this summer? Or will the bosses of the record champions remain firm and insist on the fulfillment of the contract, which runs until June 30, 2023.
So far, the attitude of those responsible is clear and unmistakable: the two-time Fifa world footballer should stay until the end of the coming season – although he will then no longer bring in a fee. The reason is that there is simply no suitable replacement for the 33-year-old at the moment.
If you could find a player who would guarantee 30+ goals per season, you might even envision a summer sale. “But I don’t see him far and wide at the moment,” said Honorary President Uli Hoeneß weeks ago.
It should be clear to those responsible that if Lewandowski leaves, there is a risk of a double loss. After all, Thomas Müller, who provided the assist in the past few years, has also benefited enormously from the interaction with his congenial fellow striker. Since Lewandowski’s arrival in Munich eight years ago, both have been a perfectly coordinated duo and harmonize exceptionally well with each other.
This is also backed up by the numbers: in the past season, Müller had the outstanding rate of 25 assists in 45 games across all competitions, almost every third of which (eight) was used by Lewandowski. Over the years, the goalscorer has gotten used to the somewhat unconventional style of play of the original Bavarians, which often surprises many team-mates, and has benefited enormously from it.
The fact that this is anything but a matter of course is evident in the national team these days. In the three draws against Italy, England and Hungary (each 1-1), Müller, like many of his teammates, fell short of his normal form, especially up front, and was only rarely able to cause any danger.
Despite many Bayern players in the squad, the processes in the forward movement of the DFB team are different than in Munich, where the game is heavily tailored to Lewandowski. The national team has been looking in vain for such a type of nine for years – Müller in particular seems to be missing a classic center forward in DFB dress.
“Of course we have different types of players in the national team. It is well known that the coordination in the club works very well with me and Robert Lewandowski,” said Müller before the game against England when asked why his ideas did not work for the national team so often transferred to the other players.
“Of course, I also have to adapt to other types of players here. In the first game, for example, Timo (Werner, d.Red) played up front, then Kai (Havertz). Timo has even more depth, but Kai has even more length in the penalty area. You have to find your way around a bit,” Müller continued.
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Irrespective of this, those responsible at Säbener Straße will have to think about how best to bring Müller’s qualities to the pitch in the post-Lewandowski era. Sadio Mané from Liverpool FC is currently being heavily pursued.
However, the Senegalese is a completely different type of player and would therefore not be a one-to-one replacement for the two-time Fifa world footballer. With Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Joshua Zirkzee, who is returning to Anderlecht from his loan, you would have two strikers under contract who are more similar to the Pole in terms of play. Due to the big difference in quality, neither of the two is planned as a replacement for Lewandowski.
Incidentally, Müller is far from thinking about retiring. Just like Manuel Neuer, the original Bavarian extended his contract by a year to 2024 in the spring – certainly with the right to a regular place. If you took him out of the team because his style of play didn’t fit into the system, things could get turbulent.
As the undisputed leading player, Müller enjoys an extremely high reputation within the team and, having been a member of the club for 22 years, also has something in common with the fans. Niko Kovac once had to find out what can happen if he suddenly finds himself on the bench…
This article was written by Bernhard Lackner
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The original of this article “Lewandowski departure could turn out to be a double loss for Bayern” comes from the evening newspaper.
