Robert Lewandowski exclusively revealed how close he was to joining Blackburn Rovers in 2010, suggesting the move was not as set in stone as it has since been suggested.
Aged just 21, Lewandowski caught the attention of clubs across Europe when he won the Ekstraklasa Golden Boot while leading Lech Poznan to the league title in 2009/10.
Blackburn are one of a number of teams interested in the polar regions, but Lewandowski is unable to visit them due to a volcanic ash cloud caused by the eruption of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull glacier, which has halted flights in and out of the UK. He admits the initial visit was not to finalize a move to the Premier League but rather to briefly see the Lancashire outfit’s facilities and meet some of the people who work there.
Regardless of gray clouds, Robert Lewandowski ‘not that close’ to Blackburn move
“I have to say, it wasn’t that close,” Lewandowski revealed exclusively four four two. “I had an invitation and they were interested in taking me there but I just wanted to see what it was like – the club, the professionalism and what the training ground was like.
“That’s why I decided to maybe go there and have a look because I had a lot of offers. But I knew that if I was going somewhere, I wanted to go to a club that plays in the European leagues or international competitions.
“I was due to fly to Blackburn but I couldn’t because of the volcano. Maybe people thought when I was at Blackburn visiting the training ground and stadium they would try to convince me to join them but I just came to experience it.”
With Blackburn finishing tenth in the Premier League in the 2009/10 season, Lewandowski’s desire to play European football could not be realized at Ewood Park. Genoa have also been linked and have reportedly agreed a deal in principle, but Club president Enrico Preziosi decides to withdraw from the competition.
Instead, Lewandowski eventually joined Dortmund for €4.5 million in June 2010, a move that paid off. He won two Bundesliga titles under Jurgen Klopp, lifted the German Cup and reached the Champions League final in just four seasons at the Westfalenstadion. So, would he have ended up joining Dortmund if there had been no Gray Cloud?
“Yes,” Lewandowski said. “I knew I had offers from Blackburn but of course I knew Dortmund, a club that plays at international level, was the right choice. They were already leading the way.”
