Robert Lewandowski, the veteran Barcelona forward and one of the most prolific strikers of the modern era, has publicly criticised Premier League clubs for their "absurd" spending habits, specifically targeting the fees paid for young strikers with minimal proven track record.
The Polish international, who was himself the subject of high-profile transfers throughout his career, believes English clubs are paying huge sums based purely on "potential" rather than consistent, sustained performance.
Lewandowski's comments have ignited the debate over the Premier League's inflationary spending power, which allows its clubs to make high-risk transfer gambles that would be unthinkable in other European leagues.
The shocking prices for six months of goals
The former Bayern Munich star contrasted the current market with the expectations placed on players in previous eras, where success had to be achieved before a player could command a massive fee.
Lewandowski stated: “In the PL, they pay a lot.
"They buy players for big prices who don’t even had one good season.
"You are young, you score 10 goals in 6 months and some club will pay 60 or 70 million euros.”
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He added a clear warning about the risk: “Before, you had to achieve something. But you never know if the price they pay brings the quality they want.”
The sentiment reflects a wider frustration in Europe, where clubs feel they are constantly being squeezed by Premier League teams who are willing to overpay significantly to secure a promising talent, thus inflating the entire global transfer market.
The rationale behind the high-risk gamble
While Lewandowski questions the wisdom of paying such inflated fees, analysts argue that this spending strategy is simply a reflection of modern market forces.
The colossal revenues generated by the Premier League give its clubs the financial bandwidth to take big risks on potential superstars.
For many top-six clubs, paying £60 million for an unproven goalscorer is a cheaper gamble than pursuing a world-class, established striker like Kylian Mbappé, whose cost would exceed £150 million.
The high prices are also exacerbated by intense intra-league competition, where English teams are often bidding against each other for the same limited pool of quality number nines.
Ultimately, Lewandowski’s warning underscores the central paradox of the world’s richest league: clubs are spending more money than ever, but with no guarantee that they are buying genuine, long-term success.
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