Leon Goretzka comments on Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich always having a natural no. 9

Most of Robert Lewandowski’s Bayern Munich teammates have remained diplomatically tight-lipped over his transfer saga with Barcelona. It’s no secret that he’s pushing for a move to the Catalan club and it seems as if Barcelona is going to finally make an offer that Bayern would be okay accepting in excess of 50 million euros. He’s returned to Sabener Strasse after his extended holidays after international duty with Poland, but he’s cut an uninterested, checked out figure. It’s clear that his head is already in Barcelona.

In a recent edition of Sport Bild, as transcribed by @iMiaSanMia on Twitter, Leon Goretzka was asked about Lewandowski’s current situation, to which he was very careful with response as to not generate any unnecessary headlines. “The last time I got asked and answered this question, it immediately made the headlines. I can only say that I would be happy if Bayern and Robert find a fair solution for both sides,” the midfielder explained.

There have, of course, been reports and rumors suggesting that a lot of Lewandowski’s teammates have not been happy with his behavior in and around the dressing room and on the pitch since he’s been linked with Barcelona. We now know that he was personally planning for and pushing for this move as early as this past April, and it, at least inadvertently, was cause for distraction amongst the squad during a crucial stretch of the Rückrunde and Champions League knockout stages.

For Bayern, when Lewandowski does finally leave, this will be the first time in quite some time that they won’t have a top tier, natural no. 9 striker in their ranks. They will still have Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting in the ranks, but it would be unfair to expect a 30-goal season from the Cameroonian. Goretzka recalled the fact that Bayern has almost always played with a natural striker, realizing that that might change without Lewandowski if Bayern doesn’t wind up investing in an ample replacement before the transfer window closes next month. “I’ve always known Bayern playing with a no. 9, since the time I was watching on TV and Carsten Jancker was playing upfront. Bayern is a team that always plays with a striker, sometimes even two,” Goretzka explained.

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