Bayern Munich stalwarts Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben will figure in Niko Kovac’s plans, despite their restricted playing time.
From his Berlin roots to the Bayern hot seat, get the lowdown on incoming boss and 2018 DFB Pokal winner Niko Kovac.
Robert Lewandowski has had a change of heart and now wants to stay at Bayern Munich next season, according to Bild.
In June, the Bayern striker’s agent Pini Zahavi said Lewandowski was seeking “a new challenge,” with the club’s top scorer from last season hoping to catch the eye of interested clubs with his performances for Poland at the World Cup.
However, Lewandowski failed to score as his side made a tame exit at the group stages — meaning substantial offers did not materialise for Poland’s captain.
Now, according to the report, Lewandowski has decided to stay at Bayern this coming season under Niko Kovac. And incoming manager Kovac praised his star striker at his presentation as Bayern’s coach last Monday.
“I think he’s a world class striker and told him how important he is for me and the team,” Kovac said. “I told him how much I rate him — every player, every person needs this.
“I am looking forward to working with him. He has done a lot for the club and will continue to do so in the future.”
Having not progressed beyond the Champions League semifinals in four seasons with the German champions, the report suggests Lewandowski is keen to have another shot of achieving his dream of winning the European crown with Bayern.
Lewandowski is under contract with Bayern until 2021 and CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge was so confident that his star striker would stay at the club, despite the transfer speculation, that he was willing “to take bets.”
The report also said Lewandowski was infuriated by the number of injuries to key players in important games during the business end of the season.
Lewandowski, who turns 30 next month, will address this problem personally with the board when he returns to training on July 25. Kovac confirmed that Bayern’s World Cup stars have been granted a four-week holiday after their World Cup exertions.
Only record signing Corentin Tolisso is still involved with France, with no Bayern player having scored a goal in the tournament so far.
Mark Lovell covers Bayern Munich for ESPN FC. Follow him on Twitter: @LovellLowdown.
Be the first to comment