The 2022/23 season seems to promise a ray of warmer sunshine at the Spotify Camp Nou of FC Barcelona. No, that is not a typo of any kind. The iconic stadium now bears its name with the prefix of the Swedish audio streaming brand. However, more than the change in name, it seems to have brought the Spanish club back to their A-game. The team has signed numerous players this transfer window thanks to the enhanced budget due to the new sponsorship.
However, the biggest of them all is the capture of Robert Lewandowski. The Polish striker leaves Bayern Munich after eight years at the club. Besides, he broke numerous records during his time in Germany. He became the highest goal scorer in a single Bundesliga season with 41 goals in 2020/21. Also, he won the sextuple with Bayern that season. Moreover, his love affair with records ranges back to his BVB days. He won the first of his seven Bundesliga top-scorer awards guiding BVB to their first league glory in nine years. He could arguably go down as the best foreign striker in the league’s history.
Notably, Lewandowski moves to Barca in a €45m deal. An official first look of the player in his new colours is now out. The two parties have been publicly rooting to join hands for a long time. Nevertheless, Bayern seemed adamant about keeping their star man. However, once Sadio Mane sealed a move to Bayern, the club seemed open to offers. Eventually, the two clubs found an agreement for the transfer.
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The potential outcomes of the Lewandowski to Barcelona deal ahead of the 2022/23 season:
Barcelona to step up multiple gears in the 2022/23 season!
Barca coach Xavi showed signs of building a promising team since taking over last season. However, they did lack a lethal number nine upfront. Lewandowski’s arrival surely puts that issue to bed. Also, Xavi now has the option to play a front two with the former BVB duo of Lewa and Auba. Moreover, Auba also played on the left of the attack during his Arsenal days. All in all, the dynamism of the Barcelona attacking unit in the 2022/23 season might lead to multiple goal-scoring ways for his team. Notably, a mid-season 2022 World Cup will demand the involvement of more players than usual throughout the season. All the new recruits will help them keep an extra edge over their opponents.
Nagelsmann builds a different Bayern!
Nagelsmann prefers a style of play that might not have been to Lewa’s taste. However, the 34-year-old coach lacked experience in handling big players when he took charge at the Allianz Arena. Also, at 33, Lewandowski would possibly not fancy a change of gameplay towards the fag end of his career. This transfer allows the young coach to implement his own ideas with full liberty. Early signs suggest he will spearhead a more flexible Bayern team in the upcoming season.
El Clásico gets a new savoury flavour!
Last season, Real Madrid’s number nine Karim Benzema stunned the world with his displays on the pitch. Also, he became their top goal scorer on their way to UCL and La Liga glory. While, Barcelona will look to correct their wrongs in the 2022/23 season. It could lead to a proper head-to-head battle for top prizes between the Spanish rivals. Besides, Lewa and Benzema will now face off in arguably the most-popular match in club football. These two are head and shoulders above any other striker in recent times. It could bring back the charm of the El Clásico to an optimum level.
Cristiano Ronaldo might move to Bayern after all!
Ronaldo seems eager to leave his current club Man Utd in search of CL football next season. However, his astronomical wages mean that only a handful of clubs can afford the legendary striker. And Bayern Munich is surely one of them. Besides, Lewa leaving for Barcelona ahead of the 2022/23 season makes it an even more logical move on paper. But, the German club has publicly shared their disapproval of such a transfer. Nevertheless, Ronaldo might be their best bet at replacing a player of Lewa’s calibre. The last few days of this transfer window promises a U-turn from either of the two parties.
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