I think that almost every Arsenal fan was hoping that Arsene Wenger could somehow pull off a massive transfer coup and beat the German Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich to the signature of the Poland international star Robert Lewandowski when his contract with Borussia Dortmund ran out last summer.
It did not happen, but after the striker has appeared to be falling out of favour with the Bayern coach Pep Guardiola in recent weeks, Dietmaar Hamann has suggested in a Sky Sports report that the striker could be moving on at the end of this season and suggested that he would be the perfect transfer for three Premier League clubs; Arsenal, Liverpool and Man United.
He said, “At the moment United, Liverpool and even Arsenal… Lewandowski is tailor-made for them.
“He came to Bayern Munich on a free last year but if there was an opportunity to get him out I’d break the bank for him because I think he’s the best No 9 in the world.
“It’s a big question mark. There’s a question mark about the manager. There are still no assurances that he will be there, even though he’s got a contract.
““I think the same goes for Lewandowski because the way the team plays under Guardiola I don’t think it suits him.
“He was tailor-made for Dortmund and I think he’s tailor-made for two or three English teams where he can play on the counter attack on big pitches where he can run in behind.
“He needs to be involved in the game. In Bayern Munich he simply doesn’t get enough balls with the way they play. You need a poacher in Bayern Munich, somebody who scores his goals in the box, rather than a Lewandowski who does everything.
“I can only imagine his head is not in the right place at the moment because if you go to Shakhtar in a knockout game he’s the only recognised striker in the team and you sit on the bench.
“He played for 65 to 70 minutes on the wing against Hamburg on Saturday. The manager may think it proved him right because they won 8-0 but I think if you want to be successful against the best team in the knockout stages – when you come up against a Barcelona or a Real Madrid – you need Lewandowski.
“I’m not quite sure how much he will be on side with the manager because I think he’s been treated pretty harshly in recent weeks.”
So the former Bayern star reckons we should all be thinking about breaking the bank to get him, but is he right?
When you look at the stats, Lewandowski has played 26 games under Guardiola this season and only the defender Juan Bernat and keeper Neuer have played more. But he was left out of the Champions League line-up last night and is also played out of position. Hamann thinks that their playing style is not suited to Lewandowski and that is backed up by the fact that all three of the attacking midfielders, Robben, Gotze and Muller, have scored more goals than the Pole.
So there is a real chance that Lewandowski could be unhappy and keen to move on, but should Wenger pull out all the stops for him? I am not so sure. He is a great player but with our own Giroud in great form and still improving at centre forward and with great options up front in Alexis, Walcott and Welbeck, as well as promising young strikers like Akpom, Campbell and Sanogo trying to break through, I don’t see a striker as a big transfer priority for the summer, especially if it is going to use up the lion’s share of our budget.
What do you think?