Oliver Kahn (Bayern’s CEO), among other things, about his Basta statement on a possible Lewandowski departure in mid-May: “A few weeks ago we had neither an offer for Robert nor the possibility of finding a player of his quality. In Sadio Mané we have now signed an absolutely world-class player who can play everything in attack. We now have the opportunity to see: What else is going on in the transfer market? We’re continuing to see what’s possible.”
… on the negotiations with FC Barcelona to the Bild newspaper: “We’ve always been in the driver’s seat and always acted from a position of strength. And in the end, we thought it was best to give Robert the go-ahead.”
… during Lewandowski’s time in Munich: “What he has achieved here for FC Bayern is more than outstanding. He has won everything here, contributed to the many titles, has become the world footballer at FC Bayern Munich. Of course, the transfer also gives us the opportunity to continue see what else is happening on the transfer market”
Julian Nagelsmann (Bayern coach) on Bavarian Radio: “It’s always good when there’s clarity about transfer issues. Of course, I’m not happy when a player of this quality leaves. It’s a big challenge to replace him, but it’s also a great opportunity. We have the opportunity to build a FC Bayern without a striker who reliably scores 40 goals. We will try to make the best of it. Basically, the striker market is not so well filled in Europe that you can say, you can help yourself freely and there “It’s all cheap. You know that the strikers who have the quality to replace him come at a price that we can’t always pay.”
Hasan Salihamidzic (Sports Director of FC Bayern): “Such a departure is not easy for any club. He was the best striker since Gerd Müller and did a great job for Bayern. I see it with mixed feelings. We talked to our colleagues from Barcelona for a long time and the details clarified. After the trip to the US he will come again, then we will have a coffee. We wish him every success.”
… to a future without Lewandowski: We have a lot of players on offense who are very flexible. We have to replace 40 to 50 scorer points and have to hold the other guys accountable, but they can now play their way free. The coach is quite comfortable with the current staff.
Herbert Hainer (Bayern President) on the reasons why the Munich team agreed to the departure: “In the meantime we have been very active in the transfer market, also very successful in bringing in a world-class player like Sadio Manè. Now we can deal with it. Robert is a very deserving player, he won everything with us. We are extremely grateful to him However, we also gave him a team with which he was able to win these titles, so we are all happy that there was a solution that gave us the means to move further into the future of the team to invest.”
Robert Lewandowski on his farewell at the broadcaster Sky: “I will come back and say a proper goodbye to all the employees. I didn’t have much time to prepare for it either. It all happened too quickly now to say goodbye to everyone. These eight years were special and I forget that you don’t. I had a great time in Munich.”
Pini Zahavi (Lewandowski advisor) at the broadcaster Sky: “Mateu Alemany (Sporting Director of FC Barcelona), Hasan Salihamidzic and I were on the phone non-stop until midnight on Friday to find a good solution for all sides. In the end, I think everyone emerges a winner from this story. I would like to thank FC Bayern – and especially Oliver and Hasan – for finally understanding and respecting Robert’s dream of a new challenge in his career. After so many great years and loyal service to FC Bayern Munich, Robert deserves to take on a new challenge with his head held high. And Bayern received very good financial compensation. This amazing club will always be one of the greatest in the world and I wish them the best of luck and success next season.”
Thomas Müller on Instagram towards Lewandowski: “All the best for your future! Eight special years, many goals, many trophies, ups and downs, but always respect and a real winning mentality!”