Ever since Robert Lewandowski left Bavaria for the sunnier climes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich has been searching for the missing piece of the jigsaw needed to complete their team.
When Lewandowski departed, the team’s major goal threat went with him. Bayern tried to replace Lewandoski by signing Sadio Mane from Liverpool, but the signing never worked out for either the team or the player.
But now the signing of Harry Kane changes all that. All of a sudden, Bayern again have that goal-scoring focal point leading their team. And this now turns them into genuine Champions League contenders.
Bayern cut in the betting to win the 2024 Champions League
The signing of Kane has resulted in an immediate change in Bayern Munich’s odds to win the Champions League. The Germans were 6/1, but after Kane arrived, they were cut to 5/1. The odds to bet on Champions League winners Manchester City is 2/1, so Bayern are still well behind the champions. But at 5/1, the German champions are now out on their own ahead of the rest of the field, and they are also plenty of pundits’ choice in their Champions League betting tips to win the trophy in 2024.
Did Lewandowski pave the way for Kane’s transfer?
Buying top-class strikers isn’t easy. And buying from Tottenham seems even harder. So what has convinced Bayern Munich that parting with around one hundred million euros for the services of 30-year-old Harry Kane was value for money?
Usually, footballers are regarded as being in their twilight years when they hit the 30 mark. But these days, players seem to be ageing better, and prolonging their careers. To back up this theory, look at Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Okay, so neither player is performing in the top leagues of Europe. But both men are on the wrong side of 35, and they are still playing at a high level, and nobody doubts they still couldn’t do a job in La Liga or the Premier League.
But Bayern Munich saw first-hand how a player can look after himself and prolong his career well into his 30s. Robert Lewandowski has just turned 35. He left Bayern just a few days short of his 34th birthday, and when he departed, he was one of the fittest players at the club.
Bayern have just signed Harry Kane on a four-year contract at the age of 30. When his contract is complete, he will only be reaching the age Lewandowski was approaching when he left for Barcelona. Could Lewandowski’s fitness record in his 30s have helped convince Bayern that Kane was worth paying the money for?
Kane’s desire to win trophies
Harry Kane was comfortable at Tottenham Hotspur. He could easily have stayed in North London, earning a good wage, and if he avoided injury, probably becoming the all-time top goalscorer in the Premier League.
But at Spurs, Kane wasn’t likely to win a trophy. He may have picked up a cup or two throughout the rest of his career. But even the most ardent Tottenham fan would have to admit he was unlikely to be competing for Premier and Champions League titles at Spurs regularly.
His desire to win trophies is what has brought him to Germany. The Bundesliga title is almost a certainty at the start of a German season. And Bayern also have six Champions League wins to their name. They’ve won Europe’s elite trophy as recently as 2020, 2013, and 2001.
So Kane knows there is a chance to win the biggest trophy in European club football. Combined with the resources at his new club, both the club and the player could well reap the rewards of his transfer.