Live broadcast on February 21 According to The Athletic, because Lewandowski's performance was not as expected, some high-level people in Barcelona considered ** players.
Joining Barcelona is Lewandowski's long-term goal, but since the transfer of 45 million euros in July 2022, everything has not gone as smoothly as he expected. This season, Lewandowski has not performed as well as he could have been, and his status at the club has been uncertain.
Looking back at Barca's disappointing moments so far, Lewandowski's recent momentum has been a rare highlight. And he wasn't the only player who underperformed, but he attracted more attention as a big signing, and there have been growing concerns about his suitability for Barcelona for some time.
Lewandowski's move to Barcelona is the real starting point of a new project under Xavi, and as one of Europe's most prolific goalscorers, his arrival will help Barcelona forget Messi's departure. But now that the project has largely fallen apart and Xavi is set to leave at the end of the season, Lewandowski will undoubtedly face a tense situation in the coming summer transfer window, with some at the club determined to seek him unless the player can prove himself in the coming months.
A senior Barcelona club official once described the signing of Lewandowski from Bayern two years ago: "Many people think that Barcelona needs a star who can sell jerseys, can represent the team's public image, and can attract fans to the stadium, which is the reason for signing Lewandowski in 2022." ”
Barcelona signed the 33-year-old Lewandowski for €45 million on a three-year contract with a fourth-year option. According to reports, Lewandowski's average annual salary for four years is 26 million euros. In his first season, the player scored 33 goals in all competitions to win Barcelona's first La Liga title in four years, and Lewandowski also won the league's Golden Boot with 23 goals, and Barcelona fans have reason to hope for a greater start.
And the 2022 World Cup is a turning point for Lewandowski, after that, in La Liga, Lewandowski 19 games with 10 goals and 4 assists, but a tense atmosphere began to appear in the dressing room, the players themselves were frustrated, and most importantly, Xavi's best version of Barcelona is obviously not fully compatible with his preferred style of play, and Lewandowski is not optimistic about the time.
Some members of the coaching staff believe that Lewandowski's goal efficiency is lower than expected, his confrontation ability has declined, and his deteriorating tandem ability is also worrying. 17 goals and 6 assists in 33 games so far this season, which is a little lower in Lewandowski's career, but is it entirely his responsibility? It is not true that Xavi has also had an impact on the changes he has made to the system, and there have been some problems off the field.
Lewandowski is known to be an honest person who will say anything he thinks is wrong, which has also led to some friction. In February, there was news in the dressing room that Lewandowski and Fati had a verbal altercation with Manchester United after they eliminated Barcelona in the Europa League, with him criticising the latter for being too selfish and not linking up with his team-mates when they had better shooting options.
This season, we've also seen Lewandowski complain to 16-year-old Yamal about his choice to shoot instead of cross against Deportivo La Coruna. This friction does not mean that the relationship between the two sides is not good, and no one in the dressing room doubts Lewandowski's commitment to the team.
After Xavi announced his departure at the end of the season, Lewandowski praised his team-mates for Xavi's work during the club's difficult times, and the manager was quite moved. A few hours later, Lewandowski also held a team dinner at his home, and the presence of all the first-team players showed that he was still one of the leaders in the dressing room.
However, as Barcelona need to consider how to rebuild this summer, a number of senior members of the club have said they welcome other teams to offer Lewandowski a lucrative offer. However, the player did not want to leave, and Lewandowski believes he has the ability to overcome the slip in form and return to the best form of consistent goals. Sources close to Lewandowski also said they understood the atmosphere around the club, especially when things didn't go as planned.
Under Lewandowski's contract, he also has a full guarantee of one year, with the option to renew his contract for a fourth year automatically activated if the player plays more than 55% of Barcelona's games in the 2024-25 season. Despite this, the pressure he is likely to face this summer is predictable and the departure of the player will do a lot to the club's finances.
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