The team had returned to normal training. But in the four days before they went to Russia, the team only trained in physical fitness to reduce the bellies that many players had grown during the holiday and to restore their physical skills so that their bodies could keep up with the intense training and pace of the game.
The team was currently incomplete, and there was no need to train together.
Before they left for Russia, there was one thing that had to be settled. That was the transfer of Anelka.
Juventus had already made an offer of 12 million pounds to Nottingham Forest. After discussing it with Allan, Tang En decided to agree to the price. Although it was three million pounds lower than AC Milan's offer at this time last season, money could not buy Tang En's happiness. Tang En would just treat it as spending three million pounds to buy a victory over Anelka for a season. Of course, when the transfer offer was made public, AC Milan would definitely have some complaints. But Twain did not care that much. He had already snatched the other team's Champions League title. Would he be afraid of the other team gossiping?
Anelka's agent brothers received a call from Tang En telling them that they could negotiate with Juventus. The two of them immediately flew to Italy. They and their younger brother could not wait to escape from Nottingham.
As long as there was no obstruction from the club, the individual contract negotiations would progress smoothly.
Two days later, the two sides finalized all the details. Then on the third day, which was the day before the Forest team left for Russia, Anelka could no longer be seen at the Wilford training base. The label with his name on the locker room cabinet was also torn off.
Anelka had already flown to Turin, Italy, for a medical examination, accompanied by his brother.
The Forest players did not have much of a reaction to the loss of another player. Some simple-minded people were still discussing where they would go to play in Moscow.
Due to Anelka's unsociable personality, he was not very popular within the Forest team. No one would miss him when he left.
The next morning, as the Forest team prepared to board at London's Heathrow Airport, a press conference was being held in the northern Italian city of Turin, thousands of miles away. This was the first successful transfer deal of the season for Juventus, who had returned to Serie A. At the press conference, Juventus' new manager, Ranieri, smiled and introduced Anelka to the Italian media.
"He's a world-class striker, but he's always underestimated. I think he will be able to display his true strength here. "
Anelka also made a speech such as "I'm here to prove the validity of this deal to you," which delighted the local reporters and fans.
Then, in front of the many reporters, the two of them held up a black and white striped Juventus shirt with Anelka's name and his back number — 39.
At this point, his two years of friendship with Nottingham Forest came to an end. The feud between him and Tony Twain also ended.
If they had the chance to meet in the Champions League in the future, how would they feel?
※ ※ ※
After the Forest team arrived in Moscow, they met up with their two new teammates and had another round of introductions.
In the following days, the team trained in a quiet rural sports club on the outskirts of Moscow while making moves in the transfer market.
For the left back position, Tang En had his eyes on Grosso. The Italian national team's main back was not doing well at Inter Milan. Injuries had caused him to lose his main position. If a buyer were to make an offer at this time, Inter Milan would be happy to change hands.
At present, Lyon had expressed an intention to buy Inter Milan, but Tang En did not know the specific offer.
Nottingham Forest's offer to Inter Milan was 5.5 million pounds, or about 7 million euros. Inter Milan agreed to the offer, and Tang En knew that Inter Milan had also agreed to Lyon's offer.
The next thing was simple. It depended on which of Nottingham Forest or Lyon's offer was more tempting. Lyon's advantage lay in the salary package, while Nottingham Forest's advantage lay in the honor they had just won and the bright prospects for more championships in the future. Of course, the salary package would certainly not be too low.
Lyon's final offer to Grosso was an annual salary of two million euros. The Forest team's offer was 1.9 million euros, just short of one hundred thousand. But joining a European champion and joining a French Ligue 1 champion, playing in the English Premier League and playing in the French Ligue 1 were two completely different concepts.
Grosso had also hesitated about whether an Italian player could succeed in the English Premier League. Tang En used Albertini as an example to dispel his hesitation.
In the end, Grosso signed the contract with Nottingham Forest because he felt that it was possible to obtain higher honors with the team. Although Lyon dominated the French Ligue 1, their performance in the European arena was weak and powerless. He rejected Lyon and chose Nottingham Forest. Tang En hoped that the arrival of Grosso, a member of the world champion team, would increase the thickness of the Forest team's defense on the left flank. It was good news for the Forest team, which would be competing in multiple tournaments next season.
After signing the contract, Grosso went straight to Moscow. After receiving a comprehensive physical examination, he threw himself into the training of the new team.
※ ※ ※
The Forest team's signings were not over. Tang En had always wanted to add another player in the right back position. Although Sun Jihai, a utility player, could also play right back, his performance in the right back position was not as good as before because he had played the utility player for a long time under Tang En. It was not very safe.
With that in mind, Tang En was competing with Arsenal's Professor Wenger in the transfer market.
Both he and Wenger had their eyes on Bacary Sagna, the defender of Auxerre in the French Ligue 1. Due to his outstanding performance in the French Ligue 1 and being selected for the best team of the season, there were many teams pursuing the black right back. However, it looked like he was closer to Arsenal.
Tang En forcefully intervened in the deal with the limelight of the "new European champion." He very much hoped to get the right back, who was known as "the second Thuram," to strengthen his right flank. It was certainly not enough to rely on Chimbonda alone. Moreover, Chimbonda's slow progress in the past two years worried Tang En.
Arsenal offered six million pounds, while Nottingham Forest offered 7.5 million pounds. Both sides were determined to win.
In the end, the player's personal will played a key role.
Sagna was grateful for the Forest team's love for him and Tang En's praise of him. However, this "but" made Tang En's heart turn cold.
However, Sagna himself preferred to play under Wenger because they were both French. He had always liked the manager from France, Wenger. To be able to play under him was his dream.
At this point, the matter was considered over. The Forest team lost to Arsenal in the "battle for Sagna" only because their manager did not look as attractive as Wenger.
Tang En was a very competitive person, and this reality made him very depressed. It looked like he was not popular everywhere.
Subsequently, Arsenal announced that Sagna had officially joined the Gunners. The Forest team had no choice but to look for another right back.
Fortunately, Tang En and Dunn had several candidates for every position. If one did not work, they would change to the next.
He originally had several candidates in his hands. Among them, Sagna was the most suitable. His price was not high, his ability was outstanding, and his reputation was not great. Now that Sagna's plan had fallen through, he had no choice but to turn his eyes to the others.
After repeated screening, there were only two people on the list that could be used.
The right back of FC Schalke 04, the Brazilian Rafinha, and the Croatian national footballer, the right back of FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Darijo Srna. These two people were famous in the FM series for being amazing and evil people. Tang En had also used them in the game. They were indeed very useful.
In the game, he could think of any means to buy them to play for him. In reality, it was not so easy.
Rafinha was the absolute main force in FC Schalke 04. Due to FC Schalke's position in the Bundesliga, his price was on the high side. This was the only reason Tang En gave up on Rafinha in the beginning.
As for Srna, price was not a problem. But according to the reports sent back by the scouts in charge of tracking him, as well as Tang En's own observations, Srna's performance was not particularly stable. Sometimes in the game, he would become irritable because of some of his own mistakes, greatly reducing his level. This made Tang En very uneasy.
Now that Sagna had been rejected, only these two people were the most likely.
Tang En believed that as long as he issued the call, FC Shakhtar Donetsk would absolutely not be able to compete with the European champions. Srna would undoubtedly come. But he still wanted to work hard on Rafinha first.
The Forest team began to try to contact FC Schalke 04. The answer they received was "not for sale."
FC Schalke 04 had thought that this would make the Forest team tactful. They did not expect the thick-skinned Tang En to not know how to write the word "tactful." A day later, FC Schalke 04 received an official offer from Nottingham Forest of five million pounds. Based on the exchange rate at that time, it was equivalent to 7.5 million euros.
In order to strengthen the strength of the right flank, Tang En decided to be more ruthless this time and spend more money.
Fortunately, he had hooked up a Thai rich guy. Selling Young brought the team 25 million pounds of transfer funds. Otherwise, the Forest team, which was planning to build a new stadium, would be financially strapped and would not be able to bring any financial support to Tang En.
Selling Young would bring in 25 million pounds, selling Anelka would bring in 12 million, and selling Arteta would bring in 10 million. Looking at the money Tang En had spent to bring in these players back then, it was a steady profit. With 47 million pounds on hand, after deducting the 11 million spent on buying Arshavin and the 5.5 million spent on buying Grosso, Tang En was still left with 30.5 million pounds. Even if the club's finances did not provide any support, Tang En was confident that he could build a powerful team with great combat power.
Faced with an offer of five million pounds, FC Schalke 04 remained unmoved. Their answer was still "not for sale."
That afternoon, the Forest team made a second offer — seven million pounds.
This figure might seem ordinary in terms of pounds, but it was not low when converted to euros — about 10.5 million.
FC Schalke 04's answer was still the same cold "not for sale." Tang En did not intend to raise the price anymore. In the summer of 2005, when FC Schalke 04 brought Rafinha from Brazil's Corinthians to the Veltin Arena, they had only spent 4.5 million euros. Now, in just two short years, they could change hands for six million euros. Tang En did not know what the Germans were dissatisfied with. In any case, there was still Srna as a substitute. At worst, he could go to Ukraine's FC Shakhtar Donetsk to discuss. He believed that it would not cost much.
Just as he decided to give up, a call came to his cell phone. Speaking of which, the person who called could be considered an old friend — the famous Portuguese agent, Mendes, who had put in a lot of effort to bring in Pepe.
Tang En wondered why Mendes was looking for him at this time. They had not been in contact for some time. In the end, what Mendes said shocked Tang En — he was Rafinha's agent!
"He just changed agents. The new agent is me. Haha, you didn't expect this, did you? Tony? "
Tang En did not expect it, but then he figured it out. Rafinha was the main force of Brazil's U20 team. After playing in the Bundesliga for two seasons, he had gradually become famous. How could someone like Mendes, who had a keen sense of smell like a hunting dog, not know his future? Therefore, it was normal for him to think of ways to make promising players become his "commodities." Mendes' reputation as a big shot agent in European football was not just for show.
"I know you're having a headache about the right back, so I'm here to help you solve the problem. Rafinha is very happy to go to a team that has won the UEFA Champions League. To be honest, he has told me more than once that the Bundesliga is just his springboard. He hopes to play in a higher-level league and team one day. FC Schalke 04 has been aiming for the league title and the UEFA Champions League every year, but they have never achieved it. They can't compare to your team at all, Tony. I'm very optimistic about you and your Forest team, so I agreed to sell Pepe to you at a low price. I'm very happy to see his performance in your team. "Of course he was happy. Pepe was still a player under him. The better Pepe performed, the more honors he received, and the higher his value would naturally rise. His initial small investment would receive very, very generous returns. But now, he said it in a dignified manner. A round of flattery could make the listener feel very comfortable. "Now I'm going to help you again."
These words rekindled Tang En's desire to pursue Rafinha.
"But … the matter this time is different from Pepe's. It's a little tricky. I think you might need to raise your offer to move FC Schalke 04. Then, I'll put some pressure on them and strive for a price that both parties are satisfied with. What do you think, Tony? "
Tang En knew what Mendes was thinking. The agent could take a 10 percent cut for each transfer. If this transfer fell through, then Mendes's money would also go up in smoke. Why did he want to help Tang En? To put it bluntly, it was just to earn money for himself. Raise the price? It was just to make that 10 percent more.
Tang En wanted to refuse, but when he thought of Rafinha's ability, it was as if something was scratching his heart, and he could not bear to let it go. It was every manager's idea to let outstanding players work for them. Rafinha was indeed capable, and he was still young. Because of his youth, he had a wider space for development and infinite potential.
To put it bluntly, Chimbonda was not on the same level as Rafinha. If Rafinha could come, it would naturally be for the best.
Tang En rearranged the transfer list in his mind and calculated how much transfer fee was left. Then, he asked, "How much more do I have to raise?"
On the other end of the phone, Mendes smiled as he held his wine glass. "Ten million pounds. Raising it to ten million pounds is enough. Believe me, my friend, my face still has some influence. "
The total price of ten million pounds was not outrageous, but 15 million euros. The Forest team could afford it.
Tang En thought for a while and agreed to Mendes's suggestion. If it was successful, it would not be a win-win situation. It would be a three-win situation, or even a four-win situation — the Forest team, FC Schalke 04, Mendes, and Rafinha.
Players wanted to go to teams that could bring them more glory and money. The club would always put the overall interest before the player's personal interest, and the agent would always pursue interest.
The key word was interest.
※ ※ ※
After Tang En and Allan discussed it, the Forest team once again offered ten million pounds, which was about 15 million euros.
When Real Madrid bought Sergio Ramos from Sevilla, they had spent 27 million euros. That was the world's highest price for a right back. Now, this offer could not be considered low for a young man who was only 21 years old.
Regarding this offer, England's The Sun had a very vivid metaphor:
"… We all know that Tang En lost to Wenger in the fight for Bacary Sagna. It is said that he was very disappointed with the result, because Sagna's reason for rejecting him was not that the pay was not high enough, nor was it that the team lacked glory and fame. It was simply that he preferred Wenger as a manager, not him. So, Manager Tang En was very angry. So, how was he going to vent his anger? As everyone knows, the best way for a woman to vent her anger is to go shopping and swipe her credit card like crazy. Our dear Mr. Tang En has carried on this fine tradition very well. He has gone on a killing spree in the transfer market, waving the pounds in his hand as if it were a sharp sword, wanting to defeat the evil dragon of FC Schalke, who had kidnapped Princess Rafinha. "
Honestly speaking, this metaphor was quite vivid, but Tang En did not like it. Because it made him feel like a shrew throwing a tantrum.
His dislike for The Sun increased by another notch.
In fact, when Tang En was playing games in the past, he had once been someone else's fool because of Rafinha. At that time, he had used the highly reputable Real Madrid to buy Rafinha, spending 40 million euros!
Of course, there was an element of Tang En being angry. He had made five offers in succession, and FC Schalke 04 had rejected them all. They were not even willing to negotiate. So, in a moment of anger, he had directly made a bid of 40 million. This time, FC Schalke finally nodded and successfully bought it.
The Forest team's finances would not allow them to offer 40 million for a player. Tang En was also not playing games, where he could throw money away like he was throwing toilet paper.
Tang En felt that 15 million euros was a very fair price. It would not make FC Schalke 04 close their mouths and was still within the range that the Forest team could afford.
FC Schalke 04 had been in a financial crisis a season ago. If they had made a move at that time, Rafinha would never have asked for so much money. This was also because Rafinha had only played in the league for a year and was too young. Now it was different. Gazprom had injected a huge amount of money into FC Schalke 04. At least they did not have to rely on selling players to repay their debts.
15 million euros to buy a young right back. Tang En felt that this was an offer that could get both sides to sit down and talk. In addition, with Mendes's promise, he believed that when FC Schalke 04 replied, it would not be a cold "not for sale."
Sure enough, the Forest club received a reply from FC Schalke 04, hoping to discuss the offer in detail.
There was absolutely no such thing as a "not for sale" in this world. It was only because the other party's offer was not high enough. Just like George Wood. If there was a club that offered 200 million pounds to buy him, even if Tang En did not accept it, Evan would rather fire the stubborn manager and agree to the deal. Forget about the joke of 200 million, even if the offer was 90 million euros, he might still sell.
For the young right back, Rafinha, FC Schalke felt that the price was not bad. They could sell Rafinha and then buy other outstanding youngsters. Even if they did not buy youngsters, buying a few players who were strong enough in their prime could also greatly improve the strength of the team. FC Schalke 04's goal for the new season was to fight for the league title. At this time, every cent was important.
FC Schalke 04 no longer held the boring idea of "not for sale." They sat at the negotiating table with the Forest club and launched an "intense but friendly" discussion on the issue of Rafinha's value.
Allan was in charge of the negotiations. When he left, Tang En told him to find a way to bring the Brazilian over within the total price of 20 million euros.
He knew that things would be smoother with Mendes's help, but he could not put his hopes and chips in the hands of others. That was too dangerous. Since he had made up his mind to buy Rafinha, he did not mind paying a little more. So, after thinking about it, Tang En told Allan that he could accept a bid of up to 20 million euros. Any higher would be out of the question. He did not want to be anyone's fool.
Allan accepted the order and left. Under Mendes's arrangements, Tang En secretly ran to Germany to meet Rafinha in secret. During the meeting, the two sides increased their understanding and concluded a mutually beneficial alliance. Tang En hoped that Rafinha would continue to put pressure on FC Schalke 04 to force them to accept the Forest team's offer. Tang En was worried that other clubs would catch wind of it and come to snatch the player from them.
On this point, Mendes patted his chest and guaranteed that Rafinha only belonged to Nottingham Forest. If they could not trust them, they could also sign an agreement. At the same time, Rafinha also expressed his admiration for Tang En as a manager and his yearning for Nottingham Forest. This gave Tang En, who had just lost in the battle for Sagna, great satisfaction. He also promised that Rafinha could secure the position of the main right back when he came to the team. He was not buying a substitute for Chimbonda in the first place. This favor was given at little cost.
Both the host and the guest were happy. Later that day, Tang En flew back to Moscow to continue leading the team for training. It was only at the regular press conference that he expressed his appreciation for Rafinha as a response to the media's news about the transfer.
On the other side, Rafinha publicly said in an interview that he very much hoped to play in England. His attitude was so sincere that he did not say that joining Nottingham Forest was his biggest dream since he started playing football since he was young.
Allan, on the other hand, fought for the Forest team at the negotiating table for the greatest benefit he could get — 18 million euros, paid in installments with a down payment of 10 million and the remaining 8 million to be paid off month by month within 12 months.
FC Schalke 04 nodded in agreement, and Mendes flew to Moscow with Allan. The two men launched a new round of negotiations on the issue of Rafinha's treatment on the plane. Both men were businessmen and straightforward enough. Coupled with the relationship between Tang En and Mendes, as well as Mendes' contribution to the deal, the negotiations went smoothly.
When the plane landed at the Moscow airport, the details of Rafinha's contract had all been negotiated. All Rafinha had to do was to settle trivial matters such as the property in Germany, and then fly directly to Moscow for a medical examination. That was as simple as signing the contract. As Rafinha was a main member of the Brazil U20 national team, a work permit was not a problem.
Three days later, on July 11th, Nottingham Forest and FC Schalke 04 officially announced at the same time that the Brazilian defender, Rafinha, had officially transferred from FC Schalke 04 to Nottingham Forest for a transfer fee of 18 million euros, or about 12 million pounds.
This was the most expensive transfer deal for the Forest team in the new season. The Forest team continued to consolidate their pair of demonic wings that made their opponents tremble in fear.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
