The Pole was key to winning La Liga last season, but suffered a goalscoring drought this season
Robert Lewandowski arrived at Barça as a world star. His signing was one of Joan Laporta’s big bets to get the fans excited again after the departure of Leo Messi. The Pole had just scored 23 goals and seven assists in 34 League games with Bayern Munich, being one of the pillars of the German title. With the Barcelona team, he repeated the feat and contributed to the achievement of the Spanish League with his decisive goals.
But this season, his performance has dropped alarmingly. Lewandowski has experienced his worst run without scoring since he made his Bundesliga debut in 2010 with Borussia Dortmund. Until the end of 2023, he was the third-worst striker in La Liga according to expected goals, an advanced metric that measures the quality of scoring chances. Only Iago Aspas (Celta) and Cyle Larin (Mallorca) had more disappointing figures than him, according to data from Opta, one of the main providers of the competition.
His high salary and low contribution made him a candidate to leave the club
Lewandowski’s lack of aim was one of the most talked-about topics of the Barcelona news. The Pole, who arrived at Barça in July 2022 for 45 million plus five in variables, signed a three-year contract, plus an optional one, which means a net income of 52 million euros in total, as reported the SELF This makes him the highest paid player in the squad, above names like Pedri, Ansu Fati or Frenkie de Jong.
His high emoluments, added to his meager offensive contribution, made him a problem for the club. His low form, which led to Xavi relegating him to the bench in some games, opened the door to the possibility of selling him in Arab football, where clubs are investing heavily in signing big-name players by offering them a retirement golden Despite the fact that this option has always been on the table, the sources consulted by premium.cat assure that it is “difficult” for the Pole to leave Barça this summer. He himself, in a recent interview with the newspaper Sport, stated that he wanted to “premiere” the new Camp Nou.
The three reasons why Lewandowski will stay at Barça
According to this newspaper, there are three main reasons that explain Lewandowski’s continuity at Barça. First of all, his personal and family happiness in Barcelona. The Pole and his wife have had a house in Mallorca for some time, and their dream was to live in the Catalan capital. “His wife is in love with Barcelona,” says a source close to the player. Secondly, the lack of alternatives in the Arab market. The four most powerful clubs in Saudi Arabia have already signed a top-class center forward recently: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Firmino and Mitrovic. And thirdly, the impossibility of Barça finding a substitute for guarantees. Vitor Roque, Deco’s personal signing, is still adjusting to European football.
More communication with Xavi, one of the keys to his improvement
Lewandowski has started 2024 on the right foot. He has scored nine goals in the opening games of the year, counting all competitions. Before playing against Getafe, he had scored four goals in the last three games, a streak he extended with the equalizer in Naples. The Pole has scored 51 goals in 81 games for Barça, surpassing other historic club scorers of the 21st century such as Thierry Henry (49 goals in 121 games) or David Villa (48 goals in 119 games).
From the dressing room they attribute their better effectiveness to a “collective improvement of the team” and, also, to the “streaks of the forwards”. Following the announcement of Xavi’s retirement, Lewandowski wanted to show his leadership and organized a picnic lunch at his home, as reported by Mundo Deportivo. “It’s not that he’s taken a step forward. He’s always had a lot of character. He’s demanding and goes head-on. When the team doesn’t work, he’s the first to be self-demanding with himself and the team,” they explain to premium.cat from the Ciutat Esportiva. “Tactical work has been strengthened: more communication with Xavi, more individualized videos to know how to position yourself, how to play with the team… We have worked on it especially in the last month. There has been consensus between the what the player thinks and what the coaches say,” they conclude from the dressing room.