If Wenger had single-handedly changed Arsenal in the past ten years and created Arsenal's history.
Then, behind Wenger, there was another person who was more qualified to be considered the soul of Arsenal's decision-making.
Arsenal's vice-chairman, Dane!
From 1983 to 2006, a total of 23 years, Dane had witnessed and led Arsenal's rise and fall. He had participated in the glory of Arsenal's last League One era, the low point of the Premier League era, and then went against the majority to hire Wenger and build a new stadium. He did not change Arsenal, but shaped Arsenal for the past twenty years. He also had a profound impact on the English football scene. He was more qualified than the "old monsters" like Ferguson and Wenger.
Since the nineties, when Dane was in power, Arsenal's management of the team also had a phenomenon that confused and doubted the outside world.
Arsenal had a royal agent!
The agent's name was Jerome Anderson.
Almost everyone in the circle knew that doing business with Arsenal's players, whether it was transferring to Highbury or taking away Arsenal's players from Highbury, could not avoid Anderson.
Because of this, he was known as Highbury's royal agent!
As time passed, the Arsenal's board of directors also had doubts about this phenomenon.
The banker, Roger Gibbs, was also one of Arsenal's shareholders. He launched an in-depth investigation into this phenomenon.
The results of the investigation shocked the Arsenal's board of directors: Darren Dane, the eldest son of vice-chairman Dane, had a close relationship with Anderson, even though Dane was only nominally a legal consultant in Anderson's company.
With a lawyer's license, Dane Jr. could become a player's agent without the approval of FIFA.
And the agent company owned by Anderson had developed into one of the only three agent companies in the world that could be listed in the stock market in a few years.
The results of the investigation shocked and angered the Arsenal's board of directors at the same time.
Who among the old foxes who had been in the business world for ten or twenty years, or even a lifetime, could not not see that there was something fishy going on?
It was also because of this that Dane had been attacked and ostracized by Arsenal's board of directors for the past two years.
But Anderson's company, the interest group that Dane Jr. was the driving force behind, had grown to the point where it could shake and influence Arsenal's internal affairs. Because they controlled Hillman, Adams, Wright, Winterburn, Bergkamp, Vieira, Henry, and other key players of Arsenal in every era, both in the past and in the present!
Affiliated teams included the First Team, the Reserve Team, and the Youth Team. Most of them were under the company that Dane Jr. was in.
In the two years that Qin Xiong had worked for Arsenal, he had been hinted twice by the vice-chairman, Dane, in hopes that he would consider transferring to Anderson Management Company.
The hinting was a year and a half ago, during the Christmas period, when Qin Xiong won the European Golden Boy Award, won the Asian Footballer of the Year, and was ranked eighth in the Ballon d 'Or awards. Dane hinted to him that Anderson's company had huge resources and was a partner that could make his career leap.
The hinting was at the end of last year, after the Ballon d 'Or awards, at the club's Christmas dinner. Dane thought that Qin Xiong had intended to use this tone, and told Qin Xiong openly that, as the Asian Heavenly King, if he wanted to expand into the European market, Anderson's company was his choice.
In the eyes of the outside world, Qin Xiong's team, headed by Freddy, lacked the experience and ability to help Qin Xiong maximize his benefits.
Qin Xiong laughed it off at the time. Later, Fàbregas, Robin van Persie, and Song, who was on loan at Arsenal, talked about career development when they had dinner and chatted.
Both Fàbregas and Robin van Persie were in the same situation. The former had to wait until his current contract with Anderson's company to sign a new contract, which meant that he had to change his company. Robin van Persie wanted to hire Dane Jr. as his "business consultant." Song had been promised by Anderson's company to help him transfer to Arsenal this summer!
Because of this, Qin Xiong was not surprised after Dane Jr. introduced himself. He thought it was reasonable.
It was reasonable for Dane Jr. to privately invite Qin Xiong for a talk through his father's connections.
It was just that being kept in the dark by the vice-chairman made Qin Xiong feel very uncomfortable, and even a little angry!
But on the surface, he still looked very calm.
Dane Jr. sat down and ordered a cup of coffee. He looked polite and always had a smile on his face.
After the coffee was served, Dane Jr. saw that Qin Xiong had been calm and silent. He said, "When you came to Arsenal, I've been paying attention to you. First of all, congratulations on your success at Highbury. It's no exaggeration to say that you will be a popular candidate for the Ballon d 'Or for the next five years."
Qin Xiong was indifferent.
Nonsense. He did not need to be repeated countless times in front of him.
Dane Jr. saw Qin Xiong's reaction and felt a little unprepared.
In fact, he knew Qin Xiong's character from his father and his players.
In terms of social interactions, Qin Xiong was indeed a little sharp and not tactful enough. He would directly express his emotions.
If he did not play football, he might not be able to mix in society at all. He was not sociable, and it was easy for people to alienate him.
But now, this indifferent reaction made Dane Jr. feel a little uncomfortable.
But since this was Qin Xiong's style, he did not take it seriously.
"The outside world is saying that Arsenal's financial situation has improved. In fact, it's not! Qin Xiong, do you want to know Arsenal's plan for this summer? What will the main financial expenditure be invested in? "
Qin Xiong was still silent. He did not even shake his head or nod.
Dane Jr. stirred the coffee and continued, "Arsenal's success last season was a miracle. The team was very thin and weak, but Henry and you were in very good form during the season. And it continued to improve. Until the last breath, the team won the two most important trophies. You and Henry were in perfect physical condition and did not suffer any injuries. This is actually very rare. So in the eyes of Arsenal's board of directors, this is not safe! Arsenal cannot continue to operate and move forward in this state of weakness that makes people worry every day for a long time! So, the team needs to strengthen the lineup. "
Qin Xiong was still calm and collected. He knew that Dane Jr. was showing him his capital!
Through his understanding of Arsenal's board of directors and the management's plan, it proved that he knew a lot about Arsenal's internal affairs.
Even the people who were considered key players, such as Qin Xiong, did not know. Dane Jr. was able to get this information, which in itself was a kind of strength.
And this kind of strength that existed in Arsenal was actually very important to the Arsenal players.
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