Anelka's matter soon had new developments.
His two elder brothers had really put in a lot of effort this time, rushing about for their younger brother's future.
Three days later, a transfer offer was placed on Tang En's desk.
"Anelka is only worth 15 million pounds? You must be joking! "Tang En shook the quotation, and the paper made a rustling sound. "What does that old fellow Galliani think we are? Penniless beggars that can be casually sent away? "
"Reject? Tony. "Kerslake's question was nonsensical.
"Of course! Wait … "Tang En pondered for a moment." Tell the official website to post this message. Make it more eye-catching, especially the other party's offer in bold. Then, post another message saying that we're rejecting the offer. Put the two messages together. "
Kerslake nodded and got up to deliver the message.
"AC Milan is looking down on us too much," Tang En said through gritted teeth.
Only he and Dunn were left in the office.
"Everyone wants to spend the least money to buy the best player," Dunn said unhurriedly.
Tang En looked at Dunn, then looked out the window and said, "You're right, but I can't let this insult go as if nothing happened."
※ ※ ※
Nottingham Forest's official website acted very quickly. In the morning, Tang En received AC Milan's offer, and in the afternoon, the official website published the news of the Forest team's rejection of the offer.
Then, after the afternoon training ended, Tang En deliberately accepted an interview with the media on the sidelines of the training ground. Regarding the offer, he responded to AC Milan as follows:
"We won't sell Anelka. He was the second-best striker in the English Premier League last season. He's an important member of the team and occupies an important position in the plans for the new season." Having long been accustomed to facing the media, Tang En could completely keep a straight face when he lied. "I don't want to answer this question again and again. Anelka won't go anywhere other than to the Forest team. "
Naturally, the media would not believe his words. If Tang En had said this before the purchase of van Nistelrooy, then many people would have been fooled. But now … only a ghost would believe such words.
"Of course …" Tang En knew that no one would believe his words. What he said earlier was just for show. To put it bluntly, it was nonsense. The latter part was the key point. "If AC Milan is willing to exchange Kaka, then we can reluctantly accept the offer of 15 million pounds."
※ ※ ※
Tang En knew what kind of repercussions his words would cause. His words would almost certainly offend AC Milan.
Facts have proved this point.
AC Milan reacted fiercely after receiving Nottingham Forest's reply. In addition to Galliani declaring that Kaka was not for sale from AC Milan, he also criticized Tang En for his disrespectful remarks. In his view, AC Milan was also a world-famous powerhouse team. A small Nottingham Forest was not qualified to challenge them.
Twain did not care what Galliani thought of him and his team. He had achieved his goal — AC Milan directly gave up on the follow-up offer and did not mention the matter of buying Anelka.
Then, AC Milan reached a lightning-fast agreement with the La Liga team Real Betis to buy the Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliveira for 15 million euros plus the Swiss national team captain Vogel.
The transfer was beyond the expectations of those analysts. Previously, AC Milan's pursuit of Anelka was a normal transfer move. After all, although Anelka's temperament was eccentric, his power was unquestionable. He proved himself in the English Premier League and Champions League last season. Analysts previously thought that after being rejected by Nottingham Forest, AC Milan would consider other strikers, such as Ronaldo, who was unhappy at Real Madrid. The real candidate would only be known after a while.
They did not expect AC Milan to sign Oliveira at lightning speed, which stunned their own fans.
Players who performed well in La Liga often did not have a good life in Italy, so this transfer was even more unpredictable. No one knew why AC Milan wanted to buy Oliveira. There were plenty of strikers at his level. Why did they choose Oliveira, who had been seriously injured?
Twain was not surprised at all. It was exactly as he knew. In the past, he did not understand why AC Milan looked for Oliveira to be Shevchenko's replacement. He still did not understand. Although he did not understand, he did not have the leisure to worry about whether AC Milan's transfer investment would go down the drain.
He also had his own troubles to deal with.
※ ※ ※
After AC Milan's lightning signing of Oliveira, Anelka knew that his most likely chance to leave Nottingham Forest had been dashed.
The other clubs were all bark and no bite. They kept saying that they admired Anelka's ability but did not take any action. For example, Benítez, that old fox, had made him a big wish and then stood him up.
He realized that he should take the initiative to do something.
So, after the day's training, he did not hurry to shower and change his clothes before leaving. Instead, he walked straight into the manager's office.
When Anelka pushed the door open and entered, Twain was discussing plans for tomorrow's friendly match with Dunn and Kerslake.
The two assistant managers saw Anelka come in, looked at each other, and excused themselves to leave. Only Twain and Anelka were left in the office.
"Please take a seat." Twain pointed to the sofa.
Anelka did not sit down obediently. Instead, he remained standing in front of Twain.
"What's the matter?" Twain asked.
"I hope the club will allow me to transfer away." Anelka went straight to the point.
Twain made a surprised expression. "Why do you say that? Hasn't our cooperation always been good? "
"It was like that before the Champions League final, but I've changed my mind now."
Twain turned around the desk and walked up to Anelka. He looked into his eyes. "Is it because I replaced you early that time?"
Anelka did not nod or shake his head, but he tacitly agreed.
"All right." Twain sighed. "I should apologize to you. If I had explained it to you earlier, you might not have wanted to leave. "
"But I don't want to hear any explanation now." Anelka's attitude was firm and unyielding.
His attitude made Twain choke back everything he wanted to say. He stared blankly with his mouth agape for a moment before he turned around and walked back. With his back to Anelka, he looked out the window at the dusky sky without making a sound.
The air in the room seemed to freeze. No one spoke.
After a long while, Twain turned back to Anelka and said, "Very well. I respect everyone's pursuit of a future. I won't force anyone to do something they don't like. You see … "He spread his hands." If there's a team that can offer more than 25 million pounds, then you can leave. "
Seeing that Anelka was about to open his mouth to refute that the price was too high, Twain immediately said, "Don't even mention the price of 15 million. Do you think I rejected AC Milan on purpose because I don't want to let you go? Or do you think that a second-best striker in the English Premier League last season, an important player who helped the team reach the Champions League final, is only worth 15 million? That offer isn't an insult to me, but to you! " He suddenly raised his voice and brandished his fist at Anelka. "To you, Nicolas Anelka! You want to take away my number one striker for 15 million? Galliani has a bump on his head! Does he think Nottingham Forest is a country team that has never seen money before? Does he think I, Tony Twain, am the kind of country bumpkin who forgets his own name for a bit of money? If AC Milan offers 25 million, I'll let him go without another word! But do they dare? They don't dare! They'd rather spend 15 million plus a Vogel to buy a striker like Oliveira than pay another 10 million for you. Do you think you can be the core of a team like that? What you can't do at Nottingham Forest, you can do it at AC Milan?
"Other than Nottingham Forest, what other team is suitable for a person like you? I gave you my trust, I indulged you, I gave you everything you wanted … Just because of a tactical adjustment, you f * cking betrayed me! Where were you when your two brothers were secretly meeting Benítez in Liverpool? Why did you turn off your phone? Do you still remember what I told you back then? 'If you want to leave, please remember to let me be the first to know.' Have you forgotten? You've long forgotten what we talked about back then, haven't you? Now you're telling me you want to leave? What the f * ck were you doing a week ago?! "
Twain was like a volcano erupting, roaring at Anelka standing in front of him.
Anelka stood there, expressionless and motionless, allowing Twain's spit to spray on his face. From what he could remember, this was the first time his manager had lost his temper at him.
Actually, thinking about it calmly, in his season at Nottingham Forest, this manager with his personality had really indulged him. But things had already come to this. Did he still have a way out?
Once a crack was formed, it would not be so easy to smooth it out.
Taking a slight breath, Twain continued speaking slowly, "I'm very disappointed in you, Nicholas Anelka. Very, very … f * cking disappointed. When the club wanted to buy you, I was the first to object, because I knew you wouldn't have any feelings for this team. We spent money to buy you, but in the end, you would still leave because of some reason. That did not meet my standards for building a team. I hope my players have feelings for this team, for our teammates, and for people who can be as close as brothers. We'll unite together and fight for the championship, the prize money, the glory … whatever it is, we'll fight. We're a whole, not a pile of loose sand. But you came, you wore the red jersey of Nottingham Forest. You're one of us, and I have to be responsible for you. So, I accepted you. I let you play … the f * cking main force, the f * cking core! For you, I even gave up on Eastwood, whom I like very much. I've never hidden my fondness for that Romani kid. The whole team knows. This is the reward I received? Huh? That's great! "
Twain spread his hands and shrugged. His tone was full of sarcasm and disdain.
"If you want to leave, I won't stop you, as long as there's a team that can afford the price. I'm not deliberately making things difficult for you. That's my respect for you! You're worth that price! I'll let you leave. Of course, if you change your mind and don't want to leave, I welcome you to stay. But no matter what decision you make, I hope you won't regret it in the future. "Twain waved his hand." I still have things to do. "
This was an order for him to leave. Anelka turned and left.
Not long after Anelka left, Kerslake and Dunn flashed in.
"How is it, Tony?"
"How else can it be? If he wants to leave, he has to leave. If he wants to stay, I don't have to put in so much effort to persuade him. "Twain sat behind his desk, his chin propped up in his hands.
Dunn thoughtfully said in Mandarin, "The sky wants to rain, and the mother wants to marry."
"What did Dunn say?" Kerslake did not understand.
"It's the same as what I just said." Twain translated.
"So you're just going to let that kid go?"
"How can it be so easy? If the club doesn't offer a price of 25 million pounds, Anelka will still be one of us until his contract expires. I don't care if he's willing or not. I just want him to understand one thing: I'm the boss here. "Twain pointed to himself.
Kerslake nodded. "Looks like his two older brothers are going to be busy again."
"It's better than doing nothing all day and blowing crooked rumors in my ear." Twain snorted. "Let's settle the French matter first. What needs to be said has been said. There's nothing we can do now. Oh, that's right. Bayern's offer for Ribéry has been rejected. Tell them Ribéry is not for sale. "
Kerslake nodded.
"The substitute goalkeeper … I'll ask Pearce tomorrow to see how likely Schmeichel's transfer is. Gunnarsson's transfer request has been approved. He can go anywhere he wants. And then … damn it, what were we talking about before Anelka came in? "
"A friendly match," Dunn reminded.
"Ah! The Amsterdam Invitational Tournament! "Twain remembered." Yes, we've confirmed our participation. The Asian Cup of the English Premier League … Forget about that. It's meaningless. Flying so far is a waste of our time and energy. Our opponents are all in the same league, and the players have no fighting spirit when they play. As for the other friendly matches, you'll be in charge of contacting them, David. "
Kerslake accepted the task.
Dunn recorded Twain's words in a small notebook. This was the team's work arrangement in the future.
"Also, the summer training location … Since we're going to participate in the Amsterdam Invitational Tournament, let's set it in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is a good place … That's it for now. "
※ ※ ※
On the way home, Dunn and Twain talked about Anelka again.
"I've said before that I hope you don't let him go."
"Yes." Twain nodded.
"I've changed my mind. I think it's better if you sell him as soon as possible."
"Are you worried that he will affect the unity of the team?"
Dunn nodded in acknowledgment.
"He's not sociable in the first place, so there's no impact to speak of." Tang En did not care about this. "Although I had expected this day, I'm still disappointed, Dunn. A season of hard work wasn't enough to keep his heart … This damned Anelka, he'll never be able to achieve anything great! Was it necessary for a genius to have such a terrible personality? What bullsh * t … "
Dunn also knew that whether Anelka left or not, he was no longer in the manager's plans for the new season. The honeymoon period between the two only lasted for one season before it ended. It was not surprising that such a story happened between two people with strong personalities.
After a moment of silence, Tang En sighed and muttered, "What a pity, what a pity …" (To be continued, if you wish to know what happened next, please log on to WWW. QIDIAN. COM, there are more chapters. Support the author, support the original reading!)
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