Perhaps a transfer deal of ten million euros was a very ordinary deal in the eyes of the European powerhouses. For example, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Chelsea, they could easily come up with ten million euros. Their heavyweight deals started at twenty million, and it was in pounds!
Therefore, in the eyes of powerhouse clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid, ten million euros to invest in Qin Xiong to buy a player who might become Zidane in the future was a good deal. Even if it did not succeed, with the global commercial influence of Manchester United and Real Madrid, especially from the economic point of view of the emphasis and competition for the Asian market in the same period, buying Qin Xiong would definitely not be a loss!
This was also why the Manchester United club would let the chief executive come to negotiate, and why Florentino, who only bought superstars from Real Madrid, was willing to bid for Qin Xiong.
But for the Premier League powerhouse Arsenal, who were burdened with the debt of the new stadium and living frugally, they had rarely seen a deal of more than ten million pounds in the past few years of doing business.
To put it bluntly, they had no money and wanted to spend small amounts to do big things.
For example, the main force of the squad, Kolo Toure, only cost 150,000 pounds, the rookie fullback, Clichy, only cost 250,000 pounds, and the World Cup winning defensive midfielder, Silva, the transfer fee was not more than five million pounds …
Even Qin Xiong and Freddy did not realize that the ten million euros Arsenal offered for Qin Xiong was a heavyweight transfer for Arsenal!
The importance was no less than that of the other powerhouses who spent 30 million euros or more.
Therefore, Arsenal valued and were more sincere than the other clubs. The club's vice-chairman and manager personally came to Amsterdam to discuss the transfer with Qin Xiong!
They met in a high-end restaurant in Amsterdam.
Qin Xiong was already prepared to consider going to the Bundesliga or France Ligue 1 if the negotiations were not successful. This was the third time he had met Wenger. The first two times were in the first and second legs of the Champions League.
During the dinner, they did not talk about the transfer. Instead, they talked about Ajax's achievements last season and Arsenal's legendary undefeated record in the Premier League.
When everyone was almost done chatting, dinner was also coming to an end.
The waiter removed the plates and plates from the table. Qin Xiong picked up the napkin and wiped his mouth. He was still calm and seemed to hate this kind of banter and hypocrisy. He didn't want to waste time on the well-known boastful discussion.
What do you mean by how much you contributed to Ajax winning the championship?
What about Arsenal's undefeated record and how dazzling it was to win the championship?
That was history.
He wanted to look forward.
"Sir, please forgive my frankness and straightforwardness. To tell you the truth, I've been tired of the transfer negotiations for the past few days because I can't get what I want. At the same time, I'm also tired of the endless beautiful but meaningless talks.
I just want to know one thing. If Arsenal wants me, what position will he place me in the team? Can I play an important role for Arsenal in the new season? As the manager of the team, how do you plan to use me? "
Wenger and Dane looked at each other. The elegant and gentle professor smiled and said, "Okay, let's talk openly and honestly. First of all, I don't doubt your strength, nor do I question whether you can adapt to the football environment of the Premier League. In the key games of the Champions League, you played a key role in the games against Arsenal and Chelsea. I don't think it's necessary to examine whether you can adapt to the Premier League. You have a certain amount of strength, a perfect stadium organizer, and good football skills. You always pay attention to the presence of your teammates. This is what Arsenal needs!
I don't know if you understand Arsenal's current lineup system.
We have Vieira, a midfielder with excellent organizational ability and strong defense in the midfield. At the same time, we also have Bergkamp, who plays a role in connecting the offense in the front field.
It is because of the existence of these two players that Arsenal's offense in the middle can perfectly coordinate with the offense in the wings, making our offense delicate and smooth, and playing pleasing football.
But now Arsenal is facing a serious problem. Bergkamp will be 35 years old next season. Although he still maintains a very high competitive level, compared to him, his acceleration in the middle and front field is more prominent. This should be understandable. Bergkamp's stopping and passing are world-class, but he has lost the ability to dribble over long distances to break through. The aging of his age has also reduced his explosive power.
I think you are very suitable for Arsenal's football philosophy. If you join Arsenal, it will improve our overall strength. I don't need you to stay on the bench for a year, two years, or even longer. I need you to bring positive changes to Arsenal next season. "
After Wenger finished speaking, he took out a tactical book and drew his ideal Arsenal main lineup for the next season.
Qin Xiong saw his name appear in the midfield.
His partner was Vieira, and in front of him was Bergkamp, as well as Henry, Pires, and Ljungberg.
Wenger flipped to a new page and drew another formation diagram.
Qin Xiong was still in the formation.
But Bergkamp's name was missing.
Vieira and Silva were paired as the double defensive midfielders, and Qin Xiong was behind Henry as the attacking midfielder.
Finally, Wenger concluded, "Come to Highbury and fight with players like Henry, Vieira, Campbell, and Bergkamp. You can succeed at Highbury and gain more glory here. I have no doubt about that!"
Qin Xiong closed his eyes and imagined the scene after he joined Arsenal.
A new teammate, one who was obviously stronger than the others.
Henry, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, Ljungberg, Ashley Cole, Touré, Campbell, Lauren, Jens Lehmann, Silva …
Fight with some real world-class superstars?
This was indeed a dream-like scene.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Wenger invited Qin Xiong to join Highbury with sincerity and a plan.
Qin Xiong was also very interested in his plan.
Before they parted, Qin Xiong stood up and shook hands with Wenger and Dane. He told them, "I will seriously consider Arsenal's invitation."
The transfer negotiations were half successful, and the remaining half was the individual contract benefits.
It was believed that Arsenal would not disappoint Qin Xiong too much. After all, the transfer fee of ten million euros was already paid. If the benefits were too ridiculous, it would be contradictory.
The negotiations with Arsenal ended happily for the time being. The following matters would be handed over to Freddy and Dane. Qin Xiong returned to the hotel to wait for news.
The negotiations between Freddy and Dane did not go well.
Arsenal's contract benefits were a huge improvement compared to Qin Xiong's at Ajax, with a weekly salary of twenty thousand euros.
However, Freddy wanted to ask for a contract with a weekly salary of at least thirty-five thousand euros for Qin Xiong.
The differences between the two were quite big.
After a day and a half of tug-of-war negotiations, Freddy won a contract with a weekly salary of 28000 euros for Qin Xiong. Although Arsenal did not have to pay such a high weekly salary, they had to make some concessions.
The original proposal of a four-year contract was changed to a three-year contract.
Freddy's idea was that since they were not willing to pay too much at the beginning, they would shorten the contract period and force Arsenal to raise Qin Xiong's salary in the next two years!
Dane thought that even if they renewed Qin Xiong's contract a year or two later, it would be reasonable to give him a raise, provided that his development at Arsenal went as smoothly as Wenger had envisioned. If it did not go well, then it would be easier to end the failed transfer.
Arsenal's transfer policy and the club's wage system were more focused on reducing risk compared to other powerhouse clubs because they had actually made a lot of failed signings and investments in the past few years.
The fans only talked about Wenger's skill in training young players, as if he had the magic to turn stone into gold. That was because people only saw the brilliance of the players who had been successfully trained.
Kanu, Diawara, Mars, Voltz, Wiltord, Stepanov, Dani, Levicius, Edu, Jeffers, Wright, Sigan … Did they succeed at Highbury?
This was the current situation in the world of football. No matter how famous a manager was, there would definitely be a series of players who were initially thought to be talented, but eventually faded into the crowd and were forgotten by the world.
Therefore, Qin Xiong was particularly cautious about his transfer. He did not want to end up in the long list of failures.
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