The Nottingham Forest team returned to Nottingham in a relaxed and happy mood after taking down Chelsea in the away game and allowing the Forest team to continue to follow in Manchester United's footsteps. But as soon as they returned to Nottingham, Tony Twain's good mood disappeared.
Ribéry's agent, Bruno Heiderscheid, came to the door.
Without waiting for him to speak, Twain knew what he was going to do.
At the end of last year, just after Franck Ribéry won the Ballon d 'Or, Heiderscheid approached Twain, hoping to improve Ribéry's treatment. Ever since Ribéry joined the team, he had signed a total of two contracts. One was signed when he first joined the team. At that time, Ribéry was not famous at all. He did not even have a decent agent. The contract he signed was very ordinary. However, Ribéry was satisfied with it at that time. Later, as the team's results climbed and Ribéry's outstanding personal performance, he was no longer satisfied with the salary, so he found an agent. The agent was Bruno Heiderscheid. The first thing Heiderscheid did as his agent was to talk to the team about improving the contract.
At that time, the Forest team was in a period of improvement, so Ribéry's salary request was naturally fully met. Everyone was happy, and Ribéry continued to stay with the Forest team.
The third pay raise was also very close. Just before the start of the season, the Forest team gave most of the First Team players a pay raise even though the team was financially tight. Twain thought the contract extension would stabilize the team's lineup for at least another three years.
He did not expect that just after half a season, Ribéry's agent would jump out and ask for another pay raise while Ribéry had just won the Ballon d 'Or.
Twain did not even talk to Heiderscheid. In his mind, the agent's insatiable greed had surpassed Billy Woox and Anelka's two stupid older brothers. How could he jump out and ask for a revision of the contract just after the contract was renewed for half a year? If he agreed, he was afraid that the other players' agents would follow suit. Sooner or later, the Forest team would reappear in an economic crisis to satisfy this group of insatiable "Mr. Ten Percent."
Bruno Heiderscheid thought that Ribéry had just won the Ballon d 'Or and was in the limelight. If he went to Twain, the other party would not dare to disobey. He did not expect Twain to be tougher than he had expected. The last few times they had met, both sides had spoken nicely and the negotiations had gone smoothly. The results had also satisfied him. He had thought that Twain had always been like this …
The club refused to talk to Heiderscheid again, and the matter was put aside.
Some time ago, there were rumors of Ribéry transferring to Real Madrid. Why did Tang En care so much? Because he knew what kind of person Ribéry's agent was. Compared to him, that old fart, Billy Woox, was simply a good person.
Therefore, he insisted on talking to Ribéry before he was willing to face the media's questions. He gained confidence from Ribéry because Ribéry did not want to leave and did not take the opportunity to raise his salary.
This matter ended just like that.
But was Twain stupid enough to think that Heiderscheid would be honest?
Therefore, he had been waiting for this day to come.
Ribéry would not raise his salary. There were very few players in the world who would jump out and talk about it. Otherwise, there would be no such thing as an agent. Heiderscheid had learned his lesson after being shut out by Twain the last time. He did not run out to the Nottingham Forest Football Club to ask for a new contract as soon as the transfer rumors came out. He later studied Tony Twain and found that he was amenable to coaxing but not coercion.
If he came out at that sensitive time, he was afraid that he would run into a snag again.
After half a month, he felt the time was ripe to look for Twain again.
"I remember I said last time we just signed a new contract, Mr. Heiderscheid?" Twain said to Ribéry's agent with a fake smile.
The Frenchman, Bruno Heiderscheid, sat on the sofa opposite with a smile on his face, as if he did not hear the unwelcome meaning in Twain's words.
In fact, an agent needed to have a thick enough skin. Heiderscheid was so, and so was Billy Woox. But why did Billy Woox's thick skin make Twain furious, while Heiderscheid could only make Twain feel disdain?
"I'm doing this for the good of the club." Heiderscheid laughed in French-accented English. "There have been a lot of rumors about Franck's transfer recently. I was worried that Mr. Twain would have any ideas, so I took the initiative to come up, lest Mr. Twain thought I had any tricks again."
Sure enough, he was still using Real Madrid as a bargaining chip.
Twain sneered. "Didn't Franck say himself that he wouldn't leave Nottingham Forest?"
Heiderscheid spread his hands. "Yes, I also believe he won't leave the Forest team. But you know, Mr. Tang En, there will always be flies in this world. They like to harass their targets tirelessly. If Franck doesn't have something that he can clearly reject, my players will be annoyed. This will also affect his condition. Besides, I feel that if Nottingham Forest hopes for Franck's loyalty, shouldn't the club do something about it? "
His last sentence was very honest. It was just that it made no sense for the club to unilaterally ask the players to be loyal to the club, but the club was not willing to pay any price. This was no longer the ridiculous era when players could not earn more than £20 a week. (Note: From 1922 to 1951, the highest salary for a professional player in English football was £8 a week. Between 1951 and 1958, it was £14. In 1958, the club showed mercy and this figure rose to £20) … ….
In fact, there was a clear threat in Heiderscheid's words. Twain admitted he was threatened, but there was nothing he could do. Because he and the club really did not want Ribéry, the European Footballer of the Year, to leave Wilford. In terms of popularity, Ribéry was the European Footballer of the Year nurtured by the Forest team. He was now the team's number one star player and had no problem being compared to Beckham. From a tactical point of view, Ribéry's presence enriched the team's offensive routine. He was an important part of the Forest team's victory.
In any case, Ribéry could not leave.
So, he nodded. "Well, Mr. Heiderscheid, I admit there's a little truth in what you said. Ribéry's eighty thousand a week is really low compared to his level and reputation. But we need to think about it carefully. How about I give you an answer in three days? "
Heiderscheid did not expect everything to be settled on the first day. He nodded and agreed. "In three days, when you've thought about it, please call me, Mr. Twain."
He shook hands with Twain and said goodbye. Twain stood in his office in a daze for a while and then went out to find the chairman, Evan Doughty and Allan Adams.
While he was in a daze, he was thinking about what Allan Adams would think of the matter. When it came to money, Allan would immediately turn into a "ghost," which gave everyone a headache.
※ ※ ※
Evan Doughty was "discussing work" with Miss Barbara Lucy. When Twain pushed the door open and entered, the two had ambiguous smiles on their faces. They were a little surprised to see Twain appear at the door, and the smiles froze in an instant. But it was only for a moment before both of them returned to normal. Their faces, which had been pressed together, were slightly apart.
When Twain pushed the door in and saw that Barbara Lucy was also there, he regretted it. He should have knocked on the door first, but because he was usually more familiar with Evan, he usually just pushed the door open and entered. It was just that his voice had drifted into Evan's ears before he entered. This time, because he was thinking about the problem, he did not say hello in advance.
If Twain closed the door and left at this time, he would be even more foolish. So, he froze there and pretended not to know anything. He watched as Barbara Lucy calmly put away the folder in front of Evan, picked it up, got up, and leisurely walked over to him. "I'll go make you coffee." As she walked past Twain, she even smiled at Twain.
Twain also returned a smile. "Thank you, Miss Lucy."
Then he walked in. Evan looked at him with a smile, as if nothing had happened just now. "What's the matter, Tony?"
"Ah, well …" Twain scratched his head. "Right, Franck Ribéry's agent, Heiderscheid, came to me just now, hoping to give Ribéry a raise again."
"Aren't you in charge of the team?" What Evan meant by this was "you can make your own decisions."
"Uh, I think it's about money. Isn't it better to listen to Allan's opinion?"
Evan smiled. "You're also paying attention to Allan's opinion, Tony? If I tell Allan about this, he'll be very happy. "
Twain smirked.
"But, unfortunately, you can't hear his opinion now."
"Ah?" Twain was a little surprised.
"He's in China now."
"Ah!" Twain was even more surprised. "Could it be that the talent show made him fall in love with China?"
"To be exact, he fell in love with the China market."
Miss Barbara Lucy walked in with a coffee tray and placed two steaming cups of coffee in front of the two. They thanked Lucy respectively, and then Lucy retreated and closed the door. The three of them were very calm and did not feel the slightest bit embarrassed.
Evan took a sip of coffee and continued, "The club plans to go to China this summer to play a tour of competitions. We've found a partner there. Allan is going to confirm some details this time."
Twain knew that the club had plans to make a fortune in China … No, it was a plan to make a fortune in East Asia, but he did not expect it to be so fast. But on second thought, it was normal. The new stadium was under construction, and the club needed money in all aspects. Making a fortune in East Asia, where there was a lot of money, was indeed a good way to ease the club's financial pressure.
He nodded to show that he understood.
"So, regarding the matter of Ribéry's salary, you can do as you see fit, Tony. You should know what the club's bottom line is. "
Twain nodded again. "I know, Evan."
Although he sat there leisurely drinking his coffee, he was actually a little restless. After talking with Evan about the matter, he could not be bothered to continue discussing the plan to make a fortune in China, so he took his leave.
It was too embarrassing to run into that matter. As long as one was not blind, they could see what their boss and Miss Lucy were doing. How could they discuss work to the point where they were face to face? Evan's wife had always insisted on staying in America with their child because she hated the British climate and food. She only occasionally came to England to visit her husband. A normal man, a middle-aged man who was not even fifty years old, was at the prime of his life. With his lover not by his side for a long period of time, what would happen … could be imagined even with one's knees.
Miss Barbara Lucy had regular features, blonde hair, and blue eyes, but the most attractive thing about her to men was her hot figure. When Twain first saw her, he was so attracted by the majestic twin peaks of her chest that he lost his composure. Not to mention that Evan Doughty spent a lot of time alone with Miss Barbara Lucy — although Miss Lucy was the head of the Forest Club's public relations department, she was also Evan Doughty's private secretary.
Evan had brought Lucy back from America. Maybe the two of them had an affair when they were in the United States …
These were all Twain's previous guesses, which were confirmed today. But Twain did not want to be the one to confirm this speculation …
Would Evan bear a grudge against him because of this? Would this matter affect the good relationship between the two of them?
Twain muttered, "Next time, I must knock on the door first," and walked away.
※ ※ ※
Three days later, Bruno Heiderscheid received a call from Tony Twain, who invited him to the club to discuss Ribéry's new contract.
This time, Twain offered a new contract with a weekly salary of ninety thousand pounds for five years. The signing fee, goal awards, and assist awards were calculated separately.
Heiderscheid thought the conditions were still a little low and wanted to continue talking with the Forest team.
A day later, Twain offered a new contract again, with a weekly salary of one hundred thousand pounds for five years. The signing fee, goal awards, and assist awards were calculated separately.
Heiderscheid was still not satisfied. He thought it was not even the club's first weekly salary. How could he show the club's sincerity? He once again brought up Real Madrid's pursuit of Ribéry, which provoked Twain to slap the table on the spot.
"Mr. Bruno Heiderscheid, I think a contract with a weekly salary of one hundred thousand in the club's current tight economic situation is enough to show our sincerity. I'm willing to amend the contract, but it doesn't mean you can ask for sky-high prices! Nottingham Forest is not a bank, and I'm not an idiot ATM where you can take out as much as you want. The player's loyalty requires the club to pay a price, and we've paid what we think is the right price. In that case, shouldn't you also show the player's sincerity in wanting to stay here? "
So, Heiderscheid put forward his "sincerity" —
The weekly salary of one hundred and thirty thousand pounds, the length of the contract reduced to four years, the signing fee, goal awards, and assist awards were significantly higher than the figures given by Twain, and the salary would rise by fifteen percent every year.
In Twain's view, it was a blatant robbery. "You might as well go rob a bank, Mr. Bruno Heiderscheid. That might make the money faster." He sneered sarcastically.
In fact, he wanted to directly swear, but he thought that he was Ribéry's agent. Falling out with him might affect his relationship with Ribéry, so he had to hold back.
The negotiations broke up on bad terms again.
Twain also announced that the team's contract with Ribéry would expire in three years. Before that, the matter of amending the contract would be put on hold.
Although he had temporarily won the battle with Ribéry's agent, the matter greatly affected Twain's mood. During this time, the smile on his face was much less than before, and his temper was a little fiery.
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