Regarding the French striker Nicolas Anelka's two agent brothers, Claudio Anelka and Didier Anelka, it was possible that everyone could not finish talking about them for three days and three nights. Almost all the managers, club chairmen, and managers hated them. The French Football Federation officials treated the two Anelkas as if they were swindlers and thieves, full of contempt and disdain. The English media were more direct, calling them "parasites living around Anelka."
In the world of football, it was common for players to have their relatives or family members be agents. For example, French superstars Zidane, Djorkaeff, Brazilian stars Ronaldinho, Kaka, the Dutch "Peter Pan" Robben, etc., all chose to have their brother or father be their agent to handle contracts with the club and negotiate various endorsements.
In doing so, there was naturally the idea of saving costs. After all, "keep the goodies within the family." Although there was no such saying in foreign countries, the meaning was the same. But compared with those professional agents, the players' families lacked experience and theory, and often led the players astray and ruined their future.
For example, there was a living example in front of them.
From 1999 to 2005, when he moved from Arsenal to Real Madrid, he had five transfers in six years. Arsenal, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool … Four of the few powerhouses on the European continent had his footprints. However, having joined so many big clubs did not help Anelka's career at all. His football resume was filled with glorious names, but the only glory he had won was the English Premier League Double and the Champions League title. The lack of personal glory was not the most fatal. The most fatal was that with the frequent transfers, the greed of his two brother agents was gradually exposed. Now, almost no club dared to keep Anelka. After the conflict with Keegan last season, no team dared to take in such a person during the winter transfer period.
In the end, at the last moment of the transfer window, the Turkish Süper Lig team, Fenerbahçe, announced the signing of Anelka for seven million pounds.
Seven million! Did it sound like a lot? No, look at the price of Anelka's several transfers. When he decided to leave Arsenal, which had nurtured him, and his mentor, Wenger, Real Madrid paid 23 million pounds for him, the most expensive among the young players at the time. At the time, he was brilliant and outstanding. At that time, he was hailed as the only striker whose talent was comparable to Ronaldo. He was the most talented genius in French football in the past decade. Later, he said of his compatriot Henry, "What he's doing at Arsenal now, I, Anelka, did it when I was 19."
Later on, he went to Paris Saint-Germain, received a high salary, and became a "cancer" who only caused trouble for the team. He had gone to Liverpool and recovered briefly, but because of his two brothers' insatiable greed, he was abandoned by Houllier. Later, he settled in Manchester City for 13 million pounds. He thought he had finally found his roots this time. He did not expect to have another conflict with the manager after a season. This time, when he was about to leave, his two brothers jumped out to link him to Arsenal again, hoping to use this kind of hype to raise his younger brother's value. However, it did not work this time. Wenger and the Arsenal chairman had come out to refute the rumor that they had no intention of buying the Frenchman. In the end, they could only go to Turkey dejectedly, far away from the center of European football and away from people's sight. The price was a mere seven million pounds.
"Now, after staying in Turkey for half a season, have they finally realized something is wrong?" Getting the phone records, Tang En looked at the caller's name — Claude Anelka — and said disdainfully. "Their dear younger brother is far away from the center of people's attention. Are they unable to make more money? I remember that just five days ago, Fenerbahçe Football Club seemed to have rejected Newcastle United's offer for him. "
Evan Doughty sat in his seat and reminded, "It's not a rejection. Newcastle asked for a price, and they priced the Frenchman at 20 million pounds, scaring Newcastle away."
Tang En shrugged. "It's just a disguised rejection, just like us. If you say that a certain player is not for sale, everyone will keep trying to ask about it. They will keep asking until you are tired of it. You will have to give a price that the buyer is destined to be unable or unwilling to pay. That way, those flies will know the difficulty and back off. Didn't we also offer George two trillion pounds back then? "
Speaking of this, Evan laughed. "Tony, did you know? In SI's latest FM series of games, our team's George Wood's net worth is marked at two trillion. "
Hearing this news, Tang En was stunned for a moment. He then shook his head and smiled. "Is this a special treatment for a partner?"
Evan steered the conversation back to the main topic. "What do you think, Tony? You're the manager. Allan and I still have to listen to you when it comes to the team's signings. "As he said this, he glanced at the silent Allan.
Tang En put the phone records back on the table, leaned against the back of the chair, and answered very simply, "Nothing. Reject. I don't want to deal with such an insatiable bloodsucker. "
Just as Evan was about to nod, Allan suddenly stretched out his hand. "Wait."
In Evan's office, there were only him, Tang En, and Allan. Allan, who had been frowning and deep in thought since entering, suddenly opened his mouth, attracting the attention of the other two.
"Why don't you try?" Allan looked up at the two men, and the three pairs of eyes met.
"Try what?" After looking at each other for a while, Tang En looked away first.
"Talk to Anelka's agent brother."
Tang En waved his hands, his actions a little exaggerated. "Do you think this is Turkish barbecue delivered to your doorstep for free, Allan? Do you know what kind of people Anelka's two agent brothers are? "
Allan nodded. "I know. Before I came, I specially studied the two of them."
This answer was somewhat unexpected to Tang En. When he received this news, he did not even think about it and had rejected it in his heart. He did not think that Allan would actually specially study Anelka's two brothers for this matter.
Tang En stared blankly with his mouth agape for a moment. He could only use a dry laugh to dispel the awkward silence in the room.
Allan asked in return, "Tony, do you have any suitable candidates for the team's forward signings so far?"
Tang En shook his head helplessly. "No. I don't like the ones I like. I don't like the ones who can come."
"Since that's the case, why don't we give it a try? The new season is getting closer and closer. Instead of wasting time in the transfer market, we might as well try to contact Anelka's agent. I think … they've only been in Turkey for half a season, and they've already taken the initiative to contact us, hoping to transfer. There must be something. Maybe … it's more beneficial for us? "
"What else could there be? Not getting along with the manager, Daum? Not getting along with the club chairman? But five days ago, the Turkish chairman of Fenerbahçe just showed that Anelka was very close to him … "
"Tony, do you know Figo and Redondo?" Allan once again surprised Tang En with a question.
"Yes … Of course I know them. The former is currently a Real Madrid player, and the latter is recuperating at AC Milan."
"Then how do you know about what happened when they went from their original owners to the new owners?"
This question stumped Tang En. He frowned and searched carefully in his mind, then asked in an uncertain tone, "It seems that Figo left Barcelona to go to Real Madrid because he had previously promised Real Madrid's chairman, Florentino, that if he was elected, he would transfer to Real Madrid. Redondo, I heard it was because he stood on the wrong team in the Real Madrid presidential election and chose to support Sanz instead of Florentino? "
Allan chuckled. "No, I'm not talking about that. I mean, do you still know the attitudes and statements those people and those clubs showed before and after the transfer? "
This time, Tang En simply shook his head. "How would I remember that?"
"What a coincidence. When I was looking up information about Anelka's agent yesterday, I flipped through these old events. On July 14, 2000, Figo, who had just performed well in the UEFA European Championship, publicly stated to the Barcelona fans that he would not transfer away from Barcelona, and it was even more impossible for him to go to Real Madrid. His exact words were like this — "Allan rummaged through his own folder and then read," I have made an unchangeable decision. I will not become a member of Real Madrid. If the fans are disappointed and upset by the rumors about me, then I ask for their forgiveness. But they should believe what I say. "
Having finished reading, Allan looked up at Tang En. There was no need to say the rest. He believed that as a professional football manager, Tang En would know the outcome of the matter better than himself.
"Ten days later, Figo and Real Madrid signed a transfer contract worth 56.1 million US dollars …" Tang En continued Allan's words, then sighed. "Well, I know what you mean. Clubs and players are good at lying. This is what happened — the chairman of the Fenerbahçe Club said that Anelka is now very fond of life in Turkey, perhaps to create a reason for their price increase. They really want to drive the troublemaking Frenchman and his two greedy agents out of the club. But the Turks only wanted to make more money from Newcastle United. They didn't expect that they would be so clever as to scare away the cowardly Shepherd (Newcastle United's chairman). "
Hearing Tang En's "story," Allan smiled happily. "That's a possibility. Or it could be that the two greedy agent brothers are fighting for a higher salary for their cash cow, and then using us as a cover — the whole of Europe knows that Nottingham Forest is looking to buy strikers everywhere — so that when they negotiate with the Fenerbahçe Club, they can use us as a bargaining chip to ask for a sky-high price. "
Evan Doughty's applause rang out after Allan's voice fell. "Two wonderful stories. So which one is closer to the truth?"
"There are also other possibilities, but that's not the point." Allan looked at the club chairman, his old partner. "The point is, since they came to contact us, we'll talk to them, no matter what their motives are. We currently lack a speedy striker. Is Anelka one? "He turned to Tang En again.
Tang En nodded.
"Since Anelka is the type of striker we need …" Tang En interrupted Allan.
"He may not be what we need. A player like Anelka is very difficult to manage. He's eccentric and eccentric. Even managers like Wenger and Bosque can't do anything about him. I think the manager who can train him well in this world may not have been born yet. He's a ticking time bomb in the locker room, a bad role model on the training field, a negative factor, and a risky investment in the club's finances that we don't know if it's profitable or loss-making … "
Allan interrupted Tang En again. "But we have you, Tony. Does Rebrov still remember? What did everyone say about him before you took over? A counterfeit! And then? "He looked at Tang En with a grin.
Tang En scratched his head. "Do you trust me that much?"
Evan also spoke. "Tony, to be honest, Allan and I are very impressed with the way you manage the team. Up until now, there have been no scandals or disputes in our locker room. Our team's atmosphere is so good, and our relationship with the fans is so harmonious. I think it's all thanks to you. "
Tang En was long used to such blatant bootlicking. He was so thick-skinned that his expression did not even change as he accepted it. "That's because up until now, the players in the team all have good tempers …"
"George Wood can't be considered a good boy. Other than you, I'm afraid he won't even listen to me." Evan saw through Tang En's scheme.
Allan coughed. "Look, we've already reached a consensus on your level. Alright, since Anelka is the type of striker we need, why don't we try to contact his agent once? I feel that putting aside his character and his two brothers, Anelka is still a very capable player. "
"Compared to him five years ago, it's like heaven and earth …" Tang En muttered.
"But the current him is just what you want. To be able to come, I think highly of him." Although Allan still had a smile on his face, his attitude was already very firm. He did not intend to give in.
Tang En pursed his lips. "I don't want to deal with those two d * mn agents."
"You don't have to worry about that, Tony. I'll handle the contact with Anelka's agent. I'll be in charge of it. But you have to give me a promise. If I can successfully sign the Frenchman, I hope you won't reject it. "
Tang En admitted defeat. He sighed. "Alright, since you want to find trouble for yourself, I won't stop you, Allan. I'll give you this promise. As long as you can sign him, there will be a place for him in the team. I won't do anything to make things difficult for you. But … there's a saying in China that goes, 'Let's say the ugly things first.' Whether he can play as the main force depends on himself. Whether he can be the core depends on himself. "
Allan smiled and nodded. "Of course." Then he turned to Evan.
Evan Doughty considered for a moment. "Selling Crouch will allow us to earn 10 million. The standard I'll give you is that the transfer fee cannot be higher than this figure."
"Buying for 7 million and selling for 10 million after half a season. The Turks are already making a lot of money." Tang En grumbled at the side. "I still have to remind you to be careful of those two agents. Just thinking about them gives me a headache."
Allan smiled. "They're just two greedy pigs. They're still amateurs."
※ ※ ※
The intention to contact Anelka's agent was thus confirmed. Tang En threw all the trouble to Allan and busied himself with leading the team's training and continuing to add reinforcements to the other positions. Regardless of the progress on Allan's side, he had already made up his mind to rely on the three strikers until Eastwood recovered from his injury and returned to the team. In any case, he did not hold any hope for Anelka. Even if he came, Tang En could not count on anything with the two elder brothers, who were agents.
Allan had just returned from the United States and brought good news to the Forest Team. He had already negotiated a sponsorship contract with Nike. In the next five years, the famous sports brand Nike would become the Forest Team's jersey sponsor. Allan believed that if the Forest Team, which had stepped into the UEFA Champions League, still wore the British domestic sports brand Umbro, on one hand, it was not international enough. On the other hand, Umbro could not give as much money as Nike.
In fact, Tang En was more inclined to sign a jersey sponsorship contract with the well-known German sports brand Adidas. Unfortunately, Adidas's response to the collaboration with the Forest Team was mediocre. Tang En was also unwilling to stick his warm face to the cold buttocks of others. Both Evan and Allan were from the United States, so they were more receptive and favorable toward American sports brands.
The contract brought the Forest Team an income of 25 million pounds over five years. For the Forest Team, which needed to challenge for greater glory and thus invested heavily, it undoubtedly made their backs in the transfer market a lot stronger.
Perhaps there would be small differences like the treatment of Anelka, but Tang En felt that the collaboration between the three of them was clearly successful. Allan had brought him a large sum of money. Evan coordinated the entire club's operations and played various roles between him and Allan — a mediator, a friend, a listener … Of course, most importantly, a decision-maker.
Looking at the new sponsorship contract that Allan had brought, Tang En sometimes thought that perhaps Allan could really successfully subdue Anelka's two elder brother agents. It was just as Allan had said: one was a professional player, the other an amateur player.
(To be continued, if you wish to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. CMFU. com. More chapters. Support the author. Support original reading!)
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