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Robert Lewandowski is set to join Barcelona from Bayern Munich after the La Liga giants agreed a €45 million deal for the Polish striker. Lewandowski had a year left on his contract with the Bavarians but was reportedly determined for a change of scenery.
The Nou Camp was his preferred destination and he had agreed terms with Barcelona a couple of months ago itself.
Although Barcelona remain one of the biggest clubs in Europe, few expected them to splurge money this summer due to their well-documented financial constraints. Despite this, the La Liga club are poised to bring in one of the best strikers in the world this summer. However, this might be a poor decision on their part and could have a serious effect on their reputation and status in the coming years.
On that note, let's take a look at four reasons why Barcelona should have opted against signing Lewandowski.
#3 Could have signed a future star instead of the aging Lewandowski
Signing Lewandowski by no means is a step in the wrong direction. However, Xavi has been appointed to bring about a new era at the club and build with the youth, including promoting stars from the La Masia academy.
Thus, it would have perhaps boded well for Barcelona to invest in the future by signing a young striker who could be molded into a top prospect. Players like Hugo Ekitike (recently signed by Paris Saint-Germain), Adam Hlozek, Gianluca Scammaca and a few others would have certainly fit the bill. At the same time, they would have come cheaper and might not have demanded massive wages.
A young striker could have taken the reins from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once the Gabonese decided to retire or leave the club. With young players like Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati and many more already forming an integral part of the side, Barcelona's future could have been secured by signing a potential world-beater.
Lewandowski is aging and is bound to slow down at some point. The Poland international is set to turn 34 in August 2022 and is reportedly set to sign a four-year deal at the Nou Camp.
Hence, he can be there until he is 38 and there are no guarantees that he will be performing at the top of his game in the coming years. Although he has maintained astute fitness levels over the years, age catches up to any player, as can be seen with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese ace might have scored 18 Premier League goals last season but was a burden rather than a blessing for Manchester United at times. Messi also finished the league campaign with less than 10 goals for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign.
Thus, the age factor is something Barcelona have perhaps not considered for Lewandowski, who has scored 344 times in 375 games for Bayern Munich. But it is only a short-term fix and once the centre-forward begins to slow down, he is likely to hinder the team's progress rather than facilitate it.
#2 Overpopulated strikeforce
Signing players like Lewandowski is a statement of intent by Barcelona and few will debate against it. But what can be argued is whether they really need to add a striker to an already overpopulated frontline.
It is worth noting that before the club agreed terms for signing the former Bayern Munich star, they re-signed Ousmane Dembele, whose contract had expired, while also bringing Raphinha to the club. Apart from the right-wing duo, the Catalonia-based side also have Ansu Fati, Aubameyang, Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwate and Ferran Torres.
While they can offload a couple of them before the transfer window shuts, there are no guaranteed buyers for any of them. The club have also not indicated their willingness to sell any of them.
Hence, signing Lewandowski seems like an miscalculated move and could prove to be a cause for trouble in the dressing room. While there are many games to play every season, having eight attackers in the squad is not the best idea for a relatively inexperienced manager.
#1 Serious financial trouble
Barcelona's biggest downfall, apart from boardroom decisions, has been the financial trouble surrounding the club for nearly two years now. Economic constraints led to club legend Lionel Messi leaving Barcelona last summer.
The Spanish club reportedly have a debt of €1.3 billion (as per ESPN) and have further sold some rights to generate money to spend in the transfer market this summer. Few "superclubs" have operated like this in the past, especially because there is no going back on this. Barcelona have already spent over €100 million this summer, including the estimated €45 million fee for Lewandowski.
On top of this, there are no guarantees that they can register him as they will need to adjust their wage bill to add him to their squad. They suffered similar problems in registering Ferran Torres and Sergio Aguero last season, which was eventually solved by some players taking a pay-cut. However, the likeliness of that happening this summer is unknown.
The club also owe €17 million in deferred wages to Frenkie de Jong, who will be bewildered by the recent arrivals of Raphinha and the Bayern striker. It feels as though Barcelona are digging into their own grave by signing Lewandowski this summer, especially when it is not a neccesity.
Regardless, only time will tell whether the soon-to-be 34 Polish star will turn around the club's fortunes or bury them further deep into financial woes by the time he leaves.
