The team was training on the training ground, led by assistant manager David Kerslake. Twain and the club's chairman, Evan Doughty, were in the chairman's office, watching the training through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Tony, is there a problem with the team now?"
Evan asked knowingly. Even a fool would know there was a problem with Twain taking the initiative to look for him after two consecutive defeats in the league tournament. Perhaps knowing that his question was silly, Evan added, "Uh, I'm asking what's wrong."
Twain looked at the training ground below and hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Well, Evan, you might have to fork out money again. There's a position that needs to be filled. We've played 18 rounds in the league tournament, and the team has almost always conceded a goal. Looking at the recent games … I must say, Darren Ward is no longer up to my standards. "
"Darren Ward? Are you planning to buy a new goalkeeper in the winter transfer window? "
"Yes, I already have a suitable candidate. But we may face competition from who knows where … "In fact, Twain knew that the Forest team's competition was the Manchester United team that made George Wood famous in one battle. "So, I need the club's full financial support."
Evan did not answer immediately. Instead, he lowered his head and pondered for a moment.
Twain did not rush him. He stood to the side and pretended to watch the training. He understood Evan's difficulties.
After all, he had spent money crazily in the summer. The English Premier League was not quite the same as Serie A and La Liga. A non-powerhouse club spending a few million pounds in transfer fees was considered a significant expenditure. Spending more than 100 million to buy a player in a summer like La Liga was almost impossible to appear in the English Premier League.
This summer, Chelsea, managed by Roman Abramovich, welcomed a championship-level manager, Mourinho, so the expenditure was naturally championship-level. Abramovich had led to a spending boom in English football. This summer, the English Premier League's spending on player transfers had greatly increased.
According to usual practice, as a newly promoted team, Nottingham Forest, which had just survived the economic crisis, could come up with a transfer budget of five or six million pounds for the new season. However, Twain had spent 12 million in one go, basically squeezing out the team's finances. He also knew that if he raised a financial request now, Evan would certainly not agree as readily as he did in the summer.
"I'm very interested in your goal, Tony." Evan still did not nod after contemplating. Instead, he asked a question.
Twain said, "Fulham and the Netherlands national team's main goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar."
Evan thought for a moment and seemed to have some recollection. "That tall and skinny guy? He's good, but I heard that Manchester United is also interested in him … "
Tang En smiled bitterly. "So, we need to prepare more money … The only condition we can use is to raise the transfer fee and meet the Dutch's wage demands."
"How much does he earn at Fulham?"
"Forty thousand pounds." Tang En extended four fingers.
Evan frowned when he heard the number. If he wanted to get the Netherlands international players to come, the minimum salary level could not be lower than that figure. In that case, it was bound to destroy the Forest team's existing salary structure. At present, Viduka had the highest salary in the Forest team, but his weekly salary was only 40,000. Just like George Wood, who had just become famous, his weekly salary was still the amount he signed last season — 2,500 pounds.
"How much do you expect it to cost, Tony?" Evan asked.
"I'm thinking …" Tang En recalled that Manchester United had signed Edwin van der Sar on July 1st next year. How much did they spend at that time? Three hundred? Five hundred? It seemed to be a rather special number … I remember now! "At least more than two and a half million pounds …"
"Why two and a half million?"
"Uh, if it's any lower, Fulham won't agree to it, right? They spent more than five million pounds to bring the Dutchman from Juventus back then. Edwin van der Sar is almost 34 years old. It's impossible to sell him for more than that, but it can't be too low either. After all, it's not our family that's interested in Edwin van der Sar now. "
Listening to Tang En's explanation, Evan nodded. "You're right, Tony. But I don't think there's only one name on your shortlist? "
What Evan said was right. Tang En would certainly not put all his eggs in one basket. "Of course … I have many names, but the most suitable one is probably Edwin van der Sar. Evan, do you know the French goalkeeper, Frey? He's Parma's main goalkeeper. Even though Parma is currently in an economic crisis, I'm afraid we'll have to pay a higher transfer fee to get him. Moreover, we'll also have to face competition from Manchester United … Their goalkeeper problem this season is as prominent as ours. In order to save money, we can also consider asking Inter Milan to loan Toldo. But I don't think that's a wise choice. The old Italian goalkeeper's condition has deteriorated greatly … Also, I have many names of young goalkeepers, but they're too young. They belong to the future and can't solve our current problems. "
After listening to Tang En's analysis, Evan had to admit that he had given his suggestion careful thought.
"All right, Tony. We're talking to the bank about refinancing the loan. I think if everything goes well, you shouldn't be short of money next January. "Evan Doughty finally nodded.
Hearing that he had money to use, Tang En was finally relieved. The Forest team was currently in the stage of transformation and needed money everywhere. Tang En was still somewhat grateful that Evan was able to cooperate with him so much. After all, there were fewer and fewer club chairmen like him nowadays. Perhaps it was because of Evan's identity as an American who did not understand football that he was able to delegate more power to him and not ask about the team's matters. As long as Tang En could give a reasonable reason, he would not have any objections.
Although they were not as rich as any of the Russians, Tang En was still very content when he thought about some of the dirty dealings between Mourinho and Abramovich in the future.
Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Evan suddenly added, "Of course, Tony. We need to get returns when we increase our investment. What's our goal for this season? "
Tang En understood the meaning behind Evan's question. As the team chairman, it was impossible for Evan Doughty not to know the team's goal for this season. It was set before the season. He nodded. "Our goal will definitely not be to avoid relegation. I think after this season ends, we'll appear on the list of teams that can participate in next season's European competitions."
Evan laughed loudly in satisfaction. "I told you, we can cooperate well, Tony!"
Tang En scratched his head and laughed.
※ ※ ※
The league tournament continued. Nottingham Forest had already sent people to contact Fulham. For Tang En, the advantage he had was that he knew Manchester United's trump card. Although it was not the first or second day that Ferguson had flirted with Edwin van der Sar, and the media had long reported about it. But there were still many players available for Manchester United to choose from, so they did not have any substantial contact.
There was Frey, who was not very happy at Parma, the Juventus goalkeeper, Buffon, and even the Real Madrid goalkeeper, Casillas. As a powerhouse, Manchester United had a sense of superiority over the Forest team. The players they were interested in were bound to be important players. Although Edwin van der Sar was once an outstanding goalkeeper in the world, he was, after all, 34 years old. If Manchester United were to spend too much money on an old man who would retire after two years, it would first be difficult for Manchester United's general manager, David Gill.
In the end, after Manchester United's successive attempts to bring in Buffon and Casillas failed, they bought Edwin van der Sar for only 2.5 million pounds. When Edwin van der Sar came to Manchester United, not many people were optimistic about him. After all, he was a 34-year-old veteran. Everyone thought that Ferguson's purchase of Edwin van der Sar was just a temporary emergency. Manchester United would not stop looking for a good goalkeeper in the transfer market. The truth was so. The rumors between them and Casillas never stopped.
Fulham's current economic situation was not very good. Edwin van der Sar, a 34-year-old man, still had to take a salary of 40,000 pounds a week. It was a little too much for them. If someone asked for a price, they were naturally happy to answer. Of course, they still had to be reserved on the surface.
In the face of the Forest team's inquiry, Fulham initially put on a posture of "Edwin van der Sar is the team's main goalkeeper. Although he is not for sale, it is unlikely to buy him cheap."
Nottingham Forest replied at Tang En's behest, "We certainly won't spend another five million pounds for a 34-year-old old man!"
Fulham also knew this. The buyer was not a fool. So, they brought up Manchester United. "Manchester United is also interested in Edwin van der Sar now …"
Nottingham Forest asked back, "Have they made an offer?"
The answer was definitely "no." There were only three clubs that still had their eyes on Edwin van der Sar. One was the rumored Manchester United — note that it was "rumored." The other was the Dutch team Ajax. However, Edwin van der Sar, who had lived in England for four years, was used to the football and life here. He had no intention of returning to the Netherlands. After all, the English Premier League was still a top league. The third was Nottingham Forest.
Of the three clubs, the only club that had made an offer was the Forest team.
(To be continued, if you want to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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