Barcelona is planning to keep Andreas Christensen and Robert Lewandowski for another season with a new contract. Barca has already submitted their new contract proposal to the players, but Christensen's agent is negotiating for a better deal, and Lewa is taking time to negotiate with foreign clubs. This article provides a considered view of the situation.
Injury concerns continue to limit Christensen’s reliability
Christensen joined Barca as a free agent in the 2022 summer and delivered a pivotal performance as a left center back in the 2022–23 league-winning campaign under Xavi, but after that, his availability has been a big issue for Barcelona; he missed 60% of total matches in the last three seasons combined due to his injury problems, including a serious ACL injury.
We can understand despite his quality he is a heavily injury-prone player; he plays as a right center back mainly, but Barca already has a player like Cubarsi who is available almost every time. Can Barca consider Christensen as a leader in defense for next season, maybe in a left center back role like he did in 2022-23? It's a big ‘No’ considering his injury records and availability in the past few seasons; keeping Andreas Christensen for another year, especially as he expects a better contract than what Barcelona has proposed, would be a significant mistake by the club’s management.”
Lewandowski’s decline becoming more visible with age
Lewandowski also joined Barcelona in 2022–23 from Bayern Munich, and he delivered exceptional performances for the team in their most difficult era, but recently his performance has dipped significantly in the league and UCL. He is already at 37, which is his last moment of his career. We can see the age factor clearly affecting Lewandowski in high-intensity events. Even if he could score some goals, the system expects high intensity, press, and aggressiveness from the center forward, but Lewandowski is unable to provide the same due to his age.
Barcelona still considers his renewal a priority this summer, a move that many fans find difficult to justify. Using him as a striker instead of securing a long-term center forward could be a strategic error.
It's a question of why Barca decided to extend the contracts of these players. What's your thought? Feel free to comment.
