Bayern Munich rather begrudgingly bid farewell to Robert Lewandowski in the summer of 2022, with the prolific Polish player deciding that the time had to come to pack his bags and head elsewhere. After eight memorable years in Bavaria, a sporting partnership that appeared so strong was suddenly broken.
Losing a player of such calibre was always going to leave a sizeable void, even for a club that continues to dominate the domestic scene in German football, and finding a suitable replacement always looked like a thankless task.
Market
With that in mind, Bayern decided to shelve plans that could have seen them dive through a transfer window for another No.9. They have plenty of attacking options on their books and anyone looking to bet football in Bundesliga markets will continue to side heavily with Julian Nagelsmann’s troops.
Given how superior they have been on home soil over recent years, football tips will remain weighted in favour of a star-studded squad each and every time they take to the field. Even odds in European competition have not dwindled as yet, with serious claims to major silverware still being staked there.
A point will come, though, when somebody to lead the line in a talismanic fashion will be sought. Lewandowski may be gone, but the shadow he cast at the Allianz Arena has not yet been escaped.
To see the Poland international plying his trade at La Liga giants Barcelona will sting for many, with many hoping that the two-time winner of the FIFA Best Award would ultimately agree to see out his playing days in Munich.
It quickly became clear that would not be the case once a sense of greener grass elsewhere materialised, with an ambitious performer eager to step out of his comfort zone before the day comes to hang up the most distinguished of boots.
He can be forgiven for wanting to chase one more dream, even if Bayern remained of the belief that they could cater to every possible whim. Lewandowski is not the first to have jumped ship, though, and he will not be the last.
Bayern’s ability to land multiple major honours on an annual basis means that their enduring appeal will not be lost of plenty of proven goalscorers currently offering their particular skill sets to causes elsewhere. Some of those options may be explored over the coming months.
Talisman
There has already been talk of interest being shown in Tottenham talisman Harry Kane, with the England captain certainly ticking plenty of the boxes that Lewandowski wiped clean when heading off to Catalunya. He is also heading towards the final year of his current contract, which means talks may be easier to put in place.
Several other options are open to consideration, with there enough potent strikers littered throughout world football to ensure that eggs do not need to be lumped into any one basket. Bayern boasts the spending power that makes no player out of reach if they are prepared to dig deep enough, and it would come as no surprise if they decided that 2023 is the year in which big boots in the final third should be filled.
