Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has revealed Robert Lewandowski has communicated his disappointment towards his role this season.
The Polish striker, who is in the final six months of his contract, has started just eight La Liga games this season, with Flick often preferring the versatile Ferran Torres, the team’s top scorer, as his central striker.
“We’ve talked about his situation; we haven’t reached the end of the season yet, he needs to stay focused and enjoy it,” Flick explained.
“I know he wants more playing time, but he’s doing things well and I hope he enjoys the current situation and the club. Now is not the time to talk about it and we all know the club’s situation, but I’m relaxed because we’re doing things right.”
Could Lewandowski Leave Barcelona This Summer?
At 37 years old, nobody at Barcelona is pretending that Lewandowski has a long future at Camp Nou, not even the striker himself. The end is clearly coming soon.
Lewandowski’s goalscoring pedigree is not up for debate. Despite being relegated to a reserve role, the veteran striker still has 12 goals in 27 appearances, averaging a goal every 117.8 minutes. Ferran, meanwhile, scores every 107.8 minutes.
Where concerns lie are in Lewandowski’s physicality and endurance. He is in remarkable shape compared to most players of his age, but perhaps can no longer compare to younger players like Ferran. It is for that reason that Flick has often looked elsewhere this season.
Robert Lewandowski’s Appearances So Far This Season
| Competition | Appearances (Starts) |
|---|---|
| La Liga | 17 (8) |
| Champions League | 7 (5) |
| Copa del Rey | 2 (1) |
| Supercopa | 1 (1) |
True Professional Lewandowski Will Have Options
Whether he remains with Barcelona beyond this season is likely to be entirely dictated by Lewandowski himself.
ESPN state Barcelona are open to offering a one-year extension to the Poland international if he is happy to lower his wages to something better suited to a rotation player, rather than an undisputed starter.
Lewandowski’s attitude and professionalism behind the scenes have earned significant praise from Flick and those upstairs at Camp Nou, who recognize the benefits to keeping him around beyond this season if he would be happy as a reserve.
On the other side of the argument, this summer may be Lewandowski’s last opportunity to swap clubs and find a new home as a starter. If he has those ambitions, remaining with Barcelona seems impossible.
His wife, Anna, recently admitted this may be Lewandowski’s final season at Barcelona in an interview which almost appeared to leave the door open to potential retirement at the end of the campaign.
At this point, all avenues appear feasible for Lewandowski, who will take the next four months to decide what he wants from the remainder of his career.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Hansi Flick Reveals Talks With Frustrated Robert Lewandowski Over Barcelona Future.
