Following the lead of Rademel Falcao and Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski is the third superstar to snub a move to a top English club this summer.
These were the top three available strikers in Europe during the close season, and all three were wanted by at least one of the Premier League’s big boys.
Cavani off to Paris
But Falcao chose to join French side Monaco ahead of Chelsea. Cavani looks all set to complete a move to Paris Saint-Germain despite both Chelsea and Man City spending most of the summer pursuing him.
And now Lewandowski will turn down a move to Old Trafford to see out the last year of his contract with Borussia Dortmund before completing his dream move to Bayern Munich next year.
Is the Premier League losing its pulling power? Well the big names have voted with their feet so far.
Robert Lewandowski has his heart set on a move to Bayern and has decided that if Dortmund won’t allow him to join their rivals this year then he will do it next year as a free agent. That is despite Man Utd chasing him all summer. But fair enough if Bayern is his dream move. Although it’s a snub to Man Utd it is an understandable one. Bayern are currently the best side in the world and won the treble last year, who wouldn’t want to join?
It is the moves of Falcao and Cavani that raise more questions over the Premier League and it appeal to the world’s best players.
Falcao snubbed Chelsea
Chelsea wanted Falcao and had been trying to set up a deal for most of last season. It looked like it was just a case of waiting for the transfer window to re-open and he would be in a Chelsea kit in front of the press within days. But when it came down to it, he chose to join newly promoted French team Monaco. They are the latest French team to be awash with money after being bought by a Russian billionaire.
Cavani is now in talks over completing his move to Paris Saint-Germain, instead of Chelsea or City.
La liga and Bundesliga ahead of Premiership
Both these French sides are mega rich after recent foreign investment but the same can be said of Chelsea and City. So whatever the French sides were offering in terms of wages must have been on offer in England. And we say the Premier League is the best in the world.
Well on recent performances you would have to say that the best club sides in the world are coming from Spain and Germany. And now the best players are heading to France.
Ronaldo Premier League’s last global star
After Ronaldo left Man Utd in 2009, the Premier League has lacked a player of global superstar status. The same four players, all playing in Spain, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi have shared the top three places in the FIFA Ballon d’Or award for the last four years. The last player playing in England to make the top three was Fernando Torres when he was at Liverpool. Look what we think of him now.
Perhaps there is a shift in power of European football as spoke about after the two German sides comfortably beat the two Spaniards in the semi-finals of last season Champions League. The French league is certainly improving if it attracting the top strikers.
The top Premier League teams, most of whom are under new management, need to take this threat seriously or they will be left behind like our international side has been.
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