Could Arsenal sign Robert Lewandowski?
Could Arsenal sign Robert Lewandowski?
As we race into the final ten games of the season, eyes are beginning to turn to the summer transfer window.
Wherever Arsenal finish, this summer will be a crucial period for Mikel Arteta as he looks to build on the clear progress made this season as the Gunners have looked like real top four contenders for the first time in a few seasons.
One area that will undoubtedly be a huge priority for Arteta and Arsenal’s recruitment team is a striker.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang departing in January and the contract of Alexandre Lacazette due to expire at the end of the season, Arteta will have a large hole to fill at the point of his attack.
It offers a good opportunity, too, for the Spaniard to further mould his team into exactly the profile he desires as he embarks on his third full season at the helm.
One man that is undoubtedly at the top of any manager’s wishlist of strikers is Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.
The Pole is arguably the best striker on the planet right now and would improve almost any side, including Arsenal.
The 33-year-old, who turns 34 in August, has 28 Bundesliga goals this season for a Bayern side once again top of the league, but Lewandowski has consistently been linked with moves away from the Allianz Arena.
Part of this is, of course, understandable in that other clubs would of course be interested in such a prolific striker but there have also been murmurs of Bayern looking to replace him long-term with Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland, meaning Lewandowski may be open to a move away.
However, a move to Arsenal feels unlikely even if the Gunners are in a much better position to even conceive of attracting the signature of the Pole than they were less than 12 months ago.
Champions League football may well be back at the Emirates next season and Arteta has a broadly youthful and exciting squad, to which an experienced and world-class striker would add a lot of value both on and off the pitch.
Yet even if Lewandowski does leave Bayern, it is likely that he would have his pick of almost any club in the world with the likes of Real Madrid long-term suitors.
Though very much on the up, it is hard to see how Lewandowski would not be more tempted by the likely offer a club like Real Madrid could make.
Furthermore, a move for Lewandowski – whether possible or not – may not be the best solution for Arsenal anyway.
Someone like Lewandowski would likely have high wage demands that, even if Arsenal could afford in the first place, would be unlikely to represent true value for money for someone heading into the twilight of their career.
In Aubameyang, we have seen recently how big contracts high and above what other players in the squad are earning do not always work out and Arsenal would likely be better off investing the money in a younger player with an eye on the longer-term.
Arsenal’s front line is already packed with exciting young players such as Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith-Rowe, and Arteta has a chance to add to this with the striker he brings in in the summer.
While Lewandowski would add world-class quality, it would represent a short-term solution to a problem that requires the kind of long-term thinking that has already allowed younger players to flourish in the first team.
Though seeing Lewandowski in the red and white of Arsenal would be incredible, the reality is that such a signing would not only be unattainable but would see Arsenal miss out on long-term, sustainable options to fill the number nine shirt.
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