Thomas Müller, Kingsley Coman, Manuel Neuer react to Robert Lewandowski leaving Bayern Munich

Robert Lewandowski has officially left Bayern Munich for Barcelona to start a new chapter of his career. The writing has been on the wall for the better part of the past three months or so, in terms of him doing everything he could to ensure the move eventually materialized. Bayern’s front office finally agreed on a fee with Barcelona after three initial bids had been rejected, but the club now has to plan for the future without a starting number 9.

Bayern without Lewandowski will certainly take some time to get used to, but they’ve been strong in the transfer window having brought in Noussair Mazraoui, Ryan Gravenberch, Sadio Mane, and Matthijs de Ligt — though none of them are a direct Lewandowski replacement. There is a lot of excitement with the signings, but Lewandowski’s teammates know just how much of a loss he will be.

“In the end we already suspected that this could and will happen, but now that the time has come, it wasn’t that easy for Lewy either, I think,”said Thomas Müller (via kicker). Knowing that Bayern will now look a little bit different without such a prolific striker, the Raumdeuter remarked that, “We have to redistribute; our game, our statics will change a bit.”

It’s finally the end of the “MullerDowski” era, as Müller and Lewandowski became one of the most productive dynamic duos in European football with the goals and assists they combined for. “Lewy has not only been an important personality over the past eight years, but also a formative figure on the pitch that has probably also shaped our game,” Müller reflected.

The player also doesn’t feel like there was any bad blood between Lewandowski and his teammates for the nature in which he pushed for a move to Barcelona. Details were, of course, exaggerated in the press, but Müller implied that most of his teammates knew the move was coming and that “respect is mutual” between them. “Considering that a change was in the air, everything was okay,” he said.

Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE/AFP via Getty Images

“Of course it’s a heavy loss, we will miss him,” said captain and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, keeping his remarks short and to the point.

Meanwhile Kingsley Coman, who enjoyed a bright Rückrunde for Bayern, is looking to pick up right where he left off as this season gets set to start. He knows that he’ll be called on to be more productive in the final third now that Bayern doesn’t have a 30-goal per season striker in the ranks anymore. “We’re flexible,” he said, but added, “I have to score more goals. We all have to.”

If you’re interested in more analysis, why not check out the latest episode of our podcast? We discussed the fallout of Robert Lewandowski’s transfer to FC Barcelona, covering everything including potential lineups, remaining transfers, and expectations for Nagelsmann and the team. Listen to it below or at this link.

Also, if you guys like what you hear, PLEASE vote for us on the World Soccer Talk — Best Club Podcast award. Go on that page and vote for Bavarian Football Works. We cannot lose to a Spurs pod!