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Writer's pictureBruce Davis

Lewandowski’s transfer saga and what it means for the national team


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It was only a matter of time until I wrote on this topic, given it is arguably the biggest transfer story of the summer.


Look, I’m hardly Fabrizio Romano, so I’m not going to be coming on here with any exclusives or breaking news about the story, I’m a 21 year-old graduate, not a journalist who’s been in the business for 20+ years. That being said, my aim is to provide a fresh perspective on what everyone’s reading by breaking down all of the various rumours, as well as trying to ascertain what each eventuality might have on the Polish national team ahead of the next round of Nations League ties, plus the World Cup.


Firstly, let’s break down a couple of rumours that involve the various scenarios, such as the possibility of Bayern continuing to hold Lewandowski to ransom. I actually see this as fairly likely if the alleged asking price of €50 million is not met. Various people in Lewandowski’s entourage have ruled out the possibility of him going on strike when he is expected back in training on Tuesday, although how involved he will be in Julian Nagelsmann’s upcoming plans remains to be seen.


I do find it interesting that anyone can be shocked with how the Bayern hierarchy are dealing with this. They have a fairly longstanding policy when it comes to contract negotiations with non-German players (Roy Makaay, anyone?) so to see this happen once again isn’t the most surprising thing. I also doubt Bayern will sign a replacement if Lewandowski is allowed to depart in this window, given Nagelsmann’s willing to use a more dynamic 4-3-3 as he did in his previous jobs, hence the signing of Sadio Mané.


As for the non-Barcelona options for Lewandowski, rumours abound today of Chelsea or PSG. The Chelsea rumour is intriguing, but the likelihood of that seems to be the common tactic of using supposed Premier League interest to drive up any possible price and force Barca to hurry up. It has been rumoured that Chelsea is the most likely option were a move to Barca to collapse, but that remains a fairly big ‘if’. L’Equipe have reported that PSG’s interest is real but given new manager Christophe Galtier is keen to reduce the club’s reliance on star players, it seems a little bit far-fetched at this moment in time.


Obviously Barcelona is the goal here for Lewandowski and it’s not hard to see why. After being snubbed for the Ballon d’Or the past two times it has been awarded, it must be difficult to now see Karim Benzema almost certainly picking it up this year, despite the French forward’s numbers not being particularly close to Ballon d’Or worthy in any of his previous seasons (but that’s football politics for you). Lewandowski sees that a move to Spain might well increase his chances of winning a Ballon d’Or, given that the voting has tended to favour those playing in La Liga in recent years.


Perhaps the more pertinent question is what this means for Poland as we approach the winter World Cup. Given that the next meet-up for the national team will be in September for the Nations League to wrap up, most questions at press conferences aimed at Lewandowski will presumably be “how are you settling in at your new club?” or “how are you coping with the disappointment of failing to secure a transfer?”. This might be considered a distraction, but Poland managed to negotiate four of their Nations League games without letting it affect them too badly. In fact, when Lewandowski was substituted against Belgium in Brussels, the team collapsed without his leadership.


As for the World Cup, form is predicted to play a larger part than before given that it will occur in the middle of the season. How Lewandowski might be able to adapt to the Spanish league will be pertinent for Poland, if his move to Barca does eventually happen. So long as he does not suffer injury, I can’t see a move away from Bayern hindering his chances of leading Poland in Qatar.


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