One of the biggest transfers of the summer was concluded at the end of last week. Bayern Munich and Barcelona finally reached an agreement for the transfer of Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker is being unveiled as a new Barcelona player in front of the media on Wednesday.
Robert Lewandowski has been pushing for a move to Barcelona since the end of the last season. The Polish striker was eager to experience a new challenge after winning every possible trophy with Bayern in the last eight seasons.
Die Roten was previously reluctant to part ways with Lewandowski. The German club repeatedly insisted that the Poland international would be playing in Bavarian colours. However, Barcelona’s fourth and final bid was too good to turn down for a 33-year-old striker. The German Champions will be receiving €50 million for Lewandowski, including bonuses.
In the past seven seasons, Robert Lewandowski has consistently scored 40 or more goals for Die Roten. His departure will pose a big tactical challenge for Julian Nagelsmann. While talking to SportBild this week, Lewandowski insisted that the current Bayern squad has enough attacking talent to fill his void. He is also backing Julian Nagelsmann to come up with a tactical plan to get the most out of other forwards.
"“I think Bayern have so many talented attacking players, that they don’t need a real #9. They can do without a like-for-like replacement for me. The team can play with variability and develop a new identity.”“I think Julian Nagelsmann has many ideas. He doesn’t need a classic striker. This idea can fit FC Bayern very well.”"
Nagelsmann is renowned for improving the productivity of forwards, so he can be trusted to make necessary changes to the system to make sure Die Roten continues to score enough goals for competing on all fronts.
In terms of personnel, Nagelsmann does have a new forward in Sadio Mane. The Senegalese forward arrived from Liverpool in June. Mane has shown a lot of versatility in the attacking positions during his time at the Merseyside club. Moreover, Mane enjoyed a lot of success as a number nine at Liverpool during the second half of last season.
Nagelsmann’s plans for the attack received a big boost last weekend. Serge Gnabry brought an end to speculation around his future by signing a new long-term deal at Bayern. The German forward can also excel in the number nine and become an even more devastating goal-scorer.
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Meanwhile, Bayern is working on the signing of Mathys Tel from Rennes. The German champions have submitted a third bid for the French forward. The 17-year-old forward is planned to be part of the first team in Bavaria if this transfer is completed. Nagelsmann will be looking for a collective improvement in the attack to make sure that the goal tally from the team remains up there in Europe despite Lewandowski’s departure.