The meeting with Gerard Piqué Bernabéu was arranged at the same restaurant.
Speaking of the surname Piqué, almost all Real Madrid fans would find it familiar. Yes, it was the surname of Real Madrid's legendary president, Santiago Bernabéu. However, Piqué had nothing to do with Real Madrid's Bernabéu. His grandfather was the former vice president of Barcelona. This made people think that Piqué's loyalty to Barcelona should be unusually high, but the reality was not so.
Piqué loved Barcelona, but he also knew that his future should be placed first.
The young Piqué was still childish, and his thick lips were his trademark. His height of 1.9 meters also stood out in the crowd.
When he learned that Piqué wanted to meet face to face, Tang En knew that his trip to Barcelona was already half a success. If Piqué was determined to go to Manchester United, he would not agree to meet with him. Although the agent, Canaris, had helped a lot behind the scenes, the deciding factor was definitely Piqué's own inner thoughts.
This could be seen from Tang En's memory of Piqué giving up Barcelona to go to Manchester United. Gerard Piqué was a very assertive person.
"Hello, sir." Piqué, who was only 17 years old, was not nervous in front of Tang En. Perhaps growing up in a powerhouse team made his confidence higher than that of ordinary peers. "After Mr. Canaris conveys your message, I think we can talk."
"Of course." Tang En smiled. "I expected it." This meeting was worth 20,000 pounds!
"Well, sir, you know … Manchester United Football Club has already contacted me. The sincerity they expressed moved me," Piqué said with a frown. Piqué said with a frown. His expression was so serious that it was as if he was the agent and Canaris had become the translator.
"Yes, I know that. Manchester United Football Club expressed their sincerity, and we, Nottingham Forest, also have enough sincerity. You see, for you, we specially came to Barcelona. " Tang En spread his hands. "Please believe that our sincerity to you is no less than that of any other club."
Piqué nodded and did not continue speaking.
Tang En knew it was his turn now. "I know why you chose Manchester United and not Arsenal, even though you have good friends there. But I have to say, in England, it is not only Manchester United's Manager Ferguson who values young players, but also our Nottingham Forest. If Mr. Canalis had given you a brief introduction to the Forest team's situation last season, you would have realized that the majority of the main players in our team were youngsters. I know that the Forest team's reputation is no longer comparable to Manchester United's, but we have an advantage that they do not have. Let me ask, Hrad, did Coach Ferguson's agent promise you anything? "
"He promised me the future," Piqué replied.
"Very good, very good. Manchester United have promised you a future and I don't think they're lying. But Nottingham Forest can promise you now. " Tang En stuck out a finger. "I didn't come to Barcelona to invest in Forest's future. As you know, the Forest team has successfully advanced to next season's UEFA Europa League. We need to compete on multiple fronts. Therefore, you don't have to worry about not having a match to play after coming here. If you go to Manchester United, what can you get now? The youth team competition, the reserve team competition after a year, and two years on loan to continue accumulating experience, because there is still no place for you in the First Team … Do you think I'm exaggerating? "
Piqué did not answer.
Both Manchester United and Barcelona were considered powerhouse teams. Piqué knew very well what a powerhouse team's first team looked like. How many powerhouses truly valued their youth team talents? Barcelona's La Masia youth training base was ranked in the top two in Spain. But after they cultivated so many outstanding young players, how many of them did the First Team give a chance?
Why did Fàbregas leave the team and go to the cold and humid London? Others did not know, but how could he, Cesc's best friend, not know?
On the one hand, Barcelona's new president, Joan Laporta, in order to produce results as soon as possible and make his position as president more stable, would rather believe in famous players bought from outside than give young people a chance.
Fàbregas's departure allowed the young people of La Masia to see their future. Arsenal's hopeful star set a new example for these people. It made everyone reconsider their future in Barcelona. Not only Piqué, but another person was also hesitating about his career. That person was the captain of Barcelona's C team, Francesco Merida.
Barcelona was in such a situation. What about Manchester United, who was also a powerhouse team? If Barcelona did not give him a chance, would Manchester United give it?
The center back was a very special position. Unless the main center back was injured, no manager would casually give a 17-year-old kid many chances. The stability of the rear defensive line was very important for a powerhouse team that needed to produce results immediately. He had chosen Manchester United. If three years later, as the gentleman in front of him said, he still could not play in the First Team games and could only seek playing opportunities through a loan? Was his current choice still correct?
The period between the ages of 17 and 22 was the period when young players grew the fastest. If they played less games, then the player himself would basically stop improving. Countless geniuses died prematurely at this stage, which had a lot to do with not being able to play in games.
Manchester United was a powerhouse team, which meant that they could increase their investment in the transfer market to buy ready-made players for the sake of results. Then how many opportunities would the team give to young people?
Although Nottingham Forest was a small team, they also had the advantage of being a small team, which was that they could give young people room to grow and were willing to give young people more opportunities to play. They could not buy famous star players worth tens of millions. This was the sorrow of small clubs, but it was a blessing for young players.
Thinking about it this way, Tang En's identity as the manager of a newly promoted team was more advantageous.
And Tang En was definitely not being an alarmist. As someone who had experienced it, he was very clear what Piqué's future at Manchester United was like. In the 04-05 season, he played in the FA Youth Cup in Manchester United's Youth Team. In the 05-06 season, he was transferred to the reserve team and played in a few First Team games. In the 06-07 season, he was loaned to La Liga's Zaragoza. The contract stipulated that he had to make at least 20 appearances in Zaragoza. In the beginning, Zaragoza refused to let Piqué play too much, always letting him play in the final stages of the game. Tang En did not know how Piqué would fare in the 07-08 season, but he believed that Ferguson would still not give Piqué any chances. That was because Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic's positions as the main force were very secure. It was impossible for a manager to casually break up a center-back duo that worked well together just to groom a newcomer with an unknown future.
Ferguson would not know of Piqué's future achievements, and neither would Tony Twain. But he was very clear about Piqué's performance in the next three years. In the season at Zaragoza, Tang En was able to see the young man's performance. Not only could he play as a center back, he could also play as a right back. Sometimes, he could even be pushed to the midfield to play as a defensive midfielder. Of course, that was a temporary role and not a long-term plan.
Seeing Piqué's silence, Tang En knew that he must be hesitating, so he struck while the iron was hot. "You won't get a chance in Barcelona. You're only slightly better at Manchester United than at Barcelona. But in the Forest team, you can get a chance to play immediately. I don't think there's anything better than that. And we're a team that's going to participate in the UEFA Europa League. What are you still hesitating about, Hrad? "
No matter how one looked at it, Tang En's conditions were the most favorable. Manchester United and Barcelona would not let you play immediately. When the time came, in order to ensure that you played enough every year, they would have to loan you out. It would still be the same next season to play for a team in a lower league. Want to play in the First Team? Well, there were many factors to consider.
Piqué continued to be silent. Tang En did not rush him. Instead, he leaned against the back of the chair and leisurely sipped his drink.
Canalis lowered his head and whispered a few words to Piqué. Then, the two of them conversed in Catalan. Tang En could not understand, but he knew that they must be discussing the issue of their choice.
Tang En guessed correctly. Piqué was asking his agent if it was better to go to Manchester United since he had already decided to leave Barcelona, or Nottingham Forest, which had appeared out of nowhere but offered more attractive conditions.
Once Canalis thought of the 30,000 pounds that would be transferred to his account after the matter was settled, he did not hesitate to suggest that Piqué choose Nottingham Forest. His reasoning sounded very convincing. "Hrad, I think Nottingham Forest is more beneficial to your future development. Since this Mr. Tang En has promised to give you enough chances to play, I believe he's serious. You must know better than me what this period of time means to you. The key is to play more matches. Since you'll end up being loaned out even if you go to Manchester United, why not go to a team and become a main First Team player? Besides … "Canalis glanced at Tang En, then said to the player he was representing," When your contract expires, you can also choose to go to a bigger team and win more glory. Nottingham Forest is just a springboard for you. "
(To be continued, if you want to know what happens next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support the original reading!)
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