As a dark horse team that had once made it to the finals of the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Mallorca had its own glory. However, for the current team, all they could hope for was not to be relegated to Segunda División again after seven years.
In order to save the situation, Mallorca's chairman, Alemany, decisively changed the manager. He invited the famous Argentine manager, Cooper, who had previously coached Valencia and Inter Milan.
While other teams were enjoying the festive season, Cooper and his colleagues were constantly combing through the winter transfer market. Four to five players that fit the team's needs were already on the list. It was worth mentioning that these players were either from Valencia or Inter Milan. On the one hand, Cooper had coached in both clubs and had a comprehensive understanding of their players. On the other hand, the Argentinian manager was also very familiar with the two clubs and the players' agents, which made it very convenient for transfers or loans.
Despite that, Cooper, who was the manager and general manager of Mallorca, still encountered many problems. Not to mention the transfer fees and salary issues, Mallorca's poor results alone were enough to scare many players who wanted to pursue the team. They were afraid that they would be stuck in a quagmire if they joined the small island team.
According to the Spanish media, Cooper was now anxiously waiting for Inter Milan's manager, Mancini, and Valencia's manager, Ranieri to make a decision. Only when his two "successors" decided which players to abandon in the second half of the season could the Argentine pick up some "cheap" players from the two clubs.
*****
Cooper very much wanted to recruit Valencia's center back, Pellegrino, into the team. However, the problem was that the man nicknamed "Skinny" had received an invitation from a Premier League club. The latter wanted to go to the Premier League and had declined Cooper's invitation.
Under such circumstances, Cooper placed his attention and target on Sporting de Gijón's center back, Isma. As a coach who was good at coaching defense, Cooper's task was to improve Mallorca's defense. Some goals and points that should not be lost could not be lost. Only then could they maximize their chances of getting points.
After missing out on Pellegrino, Cooper saw Isma as the team's top target for a center back.
He believed that it would not be a problem to take down Sporting de Gijón's substitute center back. After all, this player was not Sporting de Gijón's main center back, so there would not be much resistance.
However, to Koopa's surprise, he soon received a reply from Sporting de Gijón. They refused to sell Isma.
Later on, Isma's agent reported that Sporting de Gijón's head coach, Li Ang, was trying to persuade Isma to stay.
This made Cooper more anxious. It was not easy to find a satisfactory signing in the winter transfer market. It was not easy to find a suitable target, so he had to do his best to get it.
Therefore, Mallorca wrote back to Sporting de Gijón according to Kupa's request. They were very sincere in their request to purchase Isma. If Sporting de Gijón had any requests, whether it was a transfer fee or a player exchange, as long as they were not too excessive, everything was negotiable.
Very quickly, the news reached Sporting de Gijón.
*****
December 27th, sunny.
Li Ang was in the real estate trading hall, completing the final transfer of ownership with the owner of the courtyard house.
The owner was an old Beijing fan in his sixties. When he saw Li Ang in person, he was in high spirits. After receiving the football and jersey signed by the entire Sporting de Gijón team from Li Ang, he was as happy as a child.
The courtyard house was 260 square meters in size, and each square meter cost 40,000 yuan. The total price was about 10 million yuan. This investment could be said to have directly overdrawn all of Li Ang's savings. He had invested all of his salary and bonuses from his years in Europe, especially this year as the head coach of Sporting de Gijón.
"I was born in this courtyard house, and I grew up in this courtyard house. Now, I really don't want to leave," the owner said with some emotion.
"If you miss this place, you can come and visit," Li Ang said with a smile as he took the simple brass key from the owner's hand. He looked at the courtyard house in front of him, and his eyes shone. This was the area close to the North Chizi Street of the Forbidden City, and the backyard was close to the Tongzi River of the Forbidden City. The yellow-brown wooden door and gray walls added a sense of heaviness to the interior.
After sending off the somewhat "reluctant" old man, Li Ang opened the courtyard door and pushed open the heavy wooden door. With the creaking sound of the wooden axle turning, he saw an ancient ginkgo tree in the courtyard, a courtyard with a few halls, a promenade, and a rockery. The capital's sun was setting in the west, and the courtyard was bathed in gold.
Li Ang took a deep breath. He felt a great sense of accomplishment. In the beginning, he bought this courtyard house for a very simple purpose, which was to invest. Now, the investment of 10 million yuan would double in one or two years. In the future, such a courtyard house would be priceless even if it was worth 100 million yuan. However, at this moment, when he was in it and felt the atmosphere of this courtyard house, he felt a sense of tranquility in the midst of chaos. All of this made him very satisfied. This was a sense of accomplishment. To have such a courtyard house under the feet of the emperor, the feeling was naturally not ordinary. He could be considered to have started from scratch, and he was slightly proud to have earned such a property.
His parents had said before that they wanted to travel to the capital and have a good look around. Now that they were in the capital, they finally had a place to stay. The courtyard house next to the Forbidden City was so prestigious.
The original owner, the old man, was very particular. He had already asked someone to tidy up the courtyard in advance, which made Li Ang very happy. He did not have to worry about finding someone to clean it up.
*****
On such an evening, Li Ang sat under the long corridor in the courtyard. On the stone table, there was a pot of tea. He had a very pretentious charm. However, a gust of wind blew, and it was so cold that it made him shiver.
At this time, he received an unexpected call. The C.A. Mallorca manager, Cooper, had called him directly on his mobile phone …
The C.A. Mallorca manager, Mr. Cooper, looked like he was determined to get Isma. After the call went through, he introduced himself. After a few simple greetings, Cooper went straight to the point. His team desperately needed Isma to join them. He hoped that Li Ang would agree to the transfer. As for the conditions, as long as they were not excessive, he could mention them.
Cooper was a famous manager who had coached Valencia and Inter Milan. It was not easy for him to make such a gesture. It could be seen that the famous Argentine manager was very anxious now because his C.A. Mallorca's current situation was quite terrible. He was very eager to use the winter transfer window to fill the gaps in the team as soon as possible and integrate the team as soon as possible.
Li Ang muttered to himself on the other end of the phone. He did not answer immediately. His mind was racing. Was Isma not for sale? Of course not.
However, Isma was indeed important to Sporting de Gijón. Li Ang would never harm his own interests to help others. Moreover, he had no friendship with Cooper.
Therefore, under such circumstances, unless there was a profit to be made, Li Ang really could not find a reason to let Isma leave in the winter based on Cooper's phone call.
PS: What bargaining power does C.A. Mallorca have that can move Li Ang? Let's guess. In addition, please recommend a center back. It can be a young Yao or a veteran player. Thank you.
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