Real Madrid's financial director, Sanchez, was still waiting for Ribéry to come forward and publicly switch sides, so that the battle over him would reach a key turning point. But what he waited for was indeed Heiderscheid's request that they continue to raise the offer until Nottingham Forest was satisfied.
The news surprised him and made him a little angry.
"Sixty-five million is too little? Does Nottingham Forest really want us to offer one hundred and fifty million euros? "
Heiderscheid said weakly, "I'm afraid that's the case, Mr. Sanchez …"
"That's impossible!" Sanchez raised his voice. He was just short of slamming the table. He had never seen such a shameless, shameless, and insatiable team. "Ribéry is not worth one hundred and fifty million euros. We won't even offer seventy million, let alone one hundred and fifty million. Sixty-five million is the final offer! "
Tony Twain's shamelessness infuriated Sanchez. No matter what, he was the financial director of the best club in the twentieth century. In terms of status, Tony Twain could not catch up to him. What right did he have to be so arrogant in front of him?
"Mr. Sanchez, Nottingham Forest has offered Franck a new contract. If Real Madrid has nothing to say, he can only accept this condition to renew his contract."
"We don't have the full transfer fee to buy Ribéry, and the board won't agree with me to do so. If he really wants to renew his contract with Nottingham Forest, I can only express my regret. "
Sanchez's words were cold, which made Heiderscheid's heart sink to the bottom of the sea. The plan he had painstakingly planned for half a year was about to go down the drain …
"Wait, Mr. Sanchez. Maybe things can still be salvaged … "
"Salvaged? If you have a way to convince that Tony Twain, things can still be salvaged. But Mr. Heiderscheid, do you have a way to convince him? "
This was tantamount to denying Heiderscheid's ability. Heiderscheid wanted to refute, but he immediately sadly found that he really could not refute …
※ ※ ※
Ribéry flew back to England and then signed a new contract with the Nottingham Forest Football Club in Wilford. The contract was from 2008 to 2013, with a weekly salary of up to one hundred and twenty thousand pounds. This contract made Ribéry the highest-paid player in the team.
The news was posted on Nottingham Forest's official website for the first time that day. Real Madrid knew that their battle plan against Ribéry had completely failed … Sánchez was defeated in the contest with Mijatović. Now Mijatović could go all out to pursue the wavering Cristiano Ronaldo. For this reason, Real Madrid even offered to use Robinho as a bonus to offset part of the transfer fee. This caused Robinho's strong opposition and conflict, which led to the rupture of his relationship with the Real Madrid Football Club. He claimed that he wanted to transfer to Chelsea. But these were Real Madrid's domestic affairs, and Twain was too lazy to care. He had no interest in Robinho, nor did he want to take advantage of the situation.
At the press conference, Ribéry said to the local media with a smile, "I know there have been a lot of rumors about me this summer, but I have to say that they are all rumors. I have never admitted to any of them. I became famous at Nottingham Forest and my heart belongs to Nottingham Forest. I like the fans here and am willing to continue to win glory for you. "
Twain also smiled happily, "I'm very happy that Ribéry has renewed his contract with us. Nottingham Forest's glory is definitely not limited to these two seasons."
Ribéry's agent did not attend the press conference for the signing of the contract. At this time, he was cursing Tony Twain and Ribéry for not living up to expectations …
※ ※ ※
After settling the matter with Ribéry, the biggest stone in Twain's heart was finally lifted. It was good news in a busy summer that he had embraced the main framework of the team. Many Nottingham Forest fans were also happy about this. They thought that loyalty had allowed Ribéry to overcome the temptation of money. But was that really the case …
Ordinary fans would never know the story behind every transfer deal. How many unknown secrets were behind those confusing transfers? The people who left, the people who stayed, who was really right, and who was really wrong?
The team's training was handled by Dunn and Kerslake. Twain's current main focus was still on the transfer market.
At present, a few teams had expressed interest in Chimbonda, such as Tottenham Hotspur and Keane's Sunderland, but they were all mid-to-lower tier teams. Twain did not mind selling Chimbonda anywhere, but the offers from these clubs could not meet his requirements.
He had priced Chimbonda at a minimum of eight million pounds, but Tottenham Hotspur was only willing to offer six million, not even a penny more. Sunderland could only offer a maximum of five million.
Moreover, Chimbonda himself did not want to leave Nottingham Forest. He still had a one-year contract with the Forest team. He hoped to fulfill the one-year contract with the team before deciding whether to stay or leave. Twain certainly would not do it. When the time came, Chimbonda would transfer on a free transfer, and Nottingham Forest would not be able to get a dime.
After thinking it over, Twain decided to go back on his word and accept Tottenham Hotspur's offer of six million pounds.
Chimbonda simply rejected the contract offered by Tottenham Hotspur. Putting aside the fact that his weekly salary was lower than at the Forest team, the team had no ability to compete for the title at all. He would not get anything if he went there. He still hoped to win a few more championship trophies for himself — he believed it was possible to follow Tony Twain — before leaving.
The negotiations reached an impasse.
Twain also did not have the time to stare at Chimbonda all day long. There were other people he needed to worry about.
※ ※ ※
Sidwell's situation was the complete opposite of Chimbonda's. A number of teams wanted to bring him in, and he himself insisted that he must leave the Forest team. But Twain did not want him to go. This time, Twain's arm did not twist Sidwell's thigh.
On the surface, it sounded nice. Something along the lines of "the year at Nottingham Forest was unforgettable" — of course it was unforgettable. The core of Reading F.C.'s midfield and England's hopeful star ended up sitting on the bench for a year at Nottingham Forest. His buttocks were about to get hemorrhoids. It was hard not to forget it. "I'm grateful for the days at Nottingham Forest. I learned a lot" — learned how cruel professional football was, learned how to endure, and learned that the core of a small team was nothing in a big team. "I have no dissatisfaction with Nottingham Forest." Of course. Who dared to express dissatisfaction with Tony Twain?
In short, no matter what was said, Sidwell was determined to leave. No one could pull him back.
In the end, Twain sold the substitute defensive midfielder he had brought in for free a year ago to Aston Villa for five million pounds. Whether it was Tony Twain or Aston Villa's manager, Martin O 'Neill, they both acknowledged and thought highly of his ability. But the biggest obstacle preventing him from growing into an excellent midfielder in Nottingham Forest was not his ability, but the monster that was as stable as a mountain, George Wood.
After sending Sidwell away, the task of finding a substitute for Wood was imminent. But Twain did not put all his hopes on the transfer market. Kompany was a good candidate. He could play as a center back and could also play as a defensive midfielder. Twain intended to focus on developing and developing him in these two positions.
After all, for the current rear defensive line, if Kompany wanted to get more opportunities to play, he must be able to play in multiple positions.
In terms of physical fitness, there was probably no problem. He just needed to re-distinguish the difference between a defensive midfielder and a center back.
※ ※ ※
In terms of pursuing players, Twain did not stop his footsteps. Bosingwa was his biggest target this season, but he encountered Chelsea and Manchester United. Manchester United was still manageable, but Chelsea was an opponent that Tony Twain could not defeat.
A rich owner, a team atmosphere with more and more Portuguese players, and the most important factor — Scolari had officially become Chelsea's manager after the UEFA European Championship.
Bosingwa was the main right back of the Portuguese national team. Scolari was very familiar with him, and he was also very familiar with the manager. Going to Chelsea was obviously better than going to Nottingham Forest. Because if he went to Nottingham Forest, Bosingwa did not know the team's tactical play style and whether the manager's personal style suited him. But if he went to Chelsea, he would not have such troubles.
It was not that Nottingham Forest could not afford the transfer fee of 20 million pounds, but the player's personal will played an important role. He hoped to join a team with a familiar manager. In the end, Chelsea only used 16.5 million pounds to buy Bosingwa, making Twain do a month of useless work.
Twain did not even dare to think about a right back like Alves. It was too expensive.
The failure of Bosingwa's transfer was definitely a bad boy to Twain, but it might be considered good news to someone else.
Because it was difficult to find a right back that met Twain's requirements in the current transfer market, Twain had no choice but to suspend the negotiations with Tottenham Hotspur regarding Chimbonda's transfer. Now, he had to consider if there was really no way to bring in another high-level right back this summer, and if he let Chimbonda go, the right side would really have to play the empty fort strategy at the start of the league tournament.
For Chimbonda, this change was a good thing. As long as Twain did not plan to sell him this summer, he would definitely get a new contract. Because Twain would certainly not allow his players to be given away for free after a year, no matter how much he disliked the player.
Sure enough, two days later, his agent received a call from the Forest Football Club, inviting him to discuss matters regarding Chimbonda's new contract.
The new contract was signed for three years, and the weekly salary was the same as now.
Going against the original plan and renewing the contract with Chimbonda did not mean that Twain had changed his mind about Chimbonda. Instead, he intended to use this buffer period to continue to look for a trustworthy right back. Once he found the right candidate, Chimbonda would still be unable to escape the fate of being sold.
Was Chimbonda clear about this? Of course he was, but he hoped to win back the boss's trust and affirmation during this time.
In fact, there was no other way. He liked life in Nottingham and was completely used to the grass and trees here. He really did not want to leave Nottingham. He bought a house here, and his family lived in Nottingham. His children also went to school in Nottingham. Being selected for the French national team was no longer something he could consider. He just wanted to play in a stable environment until he retired and earn enough money to support his family.
In the end, Chimbonda stayed at Nottingham Forest as he wished. Twain felt very unhappy. He had wasted a month, and in the end, he still circled back without accomplishing anything.
There was a piece of news that comforted him.
※ ※ ※
Grosso's transfer negotiations had made a breakthrough.
Before this, the French Ligue 1 champion, Lyon, and the Serie A team, Fiorentina, both wanted to bring in Grosso. Grosso himself wanted to return to Italy because he found that he was really not suited to play abroad. But Fiorentina and Lyon's offers were different.
Lyon offered nine million euros for Grosso, while Fiorentina was only willing to offer seven million. When Nottingham Forest brought Grosso to the United Kingdom, it cost seven million euros. After the UEFA European Championship, Grosso's excellent performance was obvious to all. There was no reason to sell him at the same price.
So, Twain agreed to Lyon's offer without thinking and rejected Fiorentina's.
But Grosso himself wanted to return to Italy, so the negotiations were at a standstill.
Fortunately, Lyon's sincerity moved Grosso. Another important reason was that Grosso realized that he absolutely could not defy Tony Twain's will at Nottingham Forest. If Fiorentina did not raise the price, Twain would not agree for him to return to Italy, so he had only one choice — to negotiate a contract with Lyon.
In the end, Lyon signed Grosso for nine million euros. It was two million euros more than when they wanted to bring in the left back from Inter Milan a year ago, but they felt it was worth it. Because Lyon had long been stretched thin in the left back position. Abidal went to Barcelona last season, and Jeremy Berto was going to Monaco this season. As a result, it was imperative to bring in a high-level left back.
Grosso could not adapt to the Premier League, but it did not mean that he could not adapt to Ligue 1. Lyon still had confidence in the world champion.
※ ※ ※
Renewing Ribéry's contract was considered good news. Sidwell's departure was considered neither good nor bad news. Failing to successfully bring in Bosingwa was definitely bad news. The success of Grosso's transfer brought good news to Twain at this time. Tony Twain's main theme of the summer was the constant intertwining of good and bad news in front of him, tormenting him.
Now, Arshavin had brought a swarm of flies to Nottingham Forest because of his amazing performance at the UEFA European Championship. In addition, Barcelona's new manager, Guardiola, announced that the team would focus on defense after taking office, which led to the Catalan media flirting with Piqué all day, which also annoyed Twain.
There was also the constant bad news about replenishing the midfield. Xavi García and de la Red, whom Twain was optimistic about before the UEFA European Championship, had been taken advantage of by Real Madrid. They used the buyback clause to take back Xavi García and de la Red. Now they wore Real Madrid's white jerseys and appeared in the Austrian training camp.
Twain helplessly turned his gaze to the Spanish national team's other outstanding defensive midfielder at the UEFA European Championship — Márquez Senna.
In the UEFA European Championship, it was thanks to Senna's tireless running and shoveling defense in the midfield that Spain went all the way to the final and finally picked up the Delaunay Trophy. In the quarterfinals against Italy, because of his presence, Italy could hardly play the counterattack that they were good at. He also threatened Buffon's goal with long shots again and again — in this respect, his offense was better than Wood's. So much so that the Spanish manager, Aragones, considered whether to place Fàbregas or Xavi next to Senna. Xavi Alonso, who performed well in the Premier League, could only be firmly nailed to the bench because of Senna.
This was a guy who could replace Wood on most occasions. But … the problem was still big.
In terms of the player's personal wishes, Senna was more vague. He did not say that he wanted to leave or pledge allegiance. But it was his ambiguous attitude that made it difficult for Nottingham Forest — because they did not know how much effort they should put in for this player and whether the effort was worth it. If he continued to stay at Villarreal, he had little hope of winning any glory. This was something that Senna was sure of. But Villarreal had given him everything he had today. If he were to throw everything away and really transfer, it would not be easy to make up his mind quickly.
The biggest obstacle came from the Villarreal Football Club. When Twain first asked for a price, the Yellow Submarine made it clear that Senna was not for sale and told Nottingham Forest not to have any ideas about the captain.
This tough attitude was exactly the same as Twain's rejection of Real Madrid's pursuit of Ribéry. After feeling good on someone else, Twain now experienced what it was like to be the one being felt good by someone else. What goes around comes around.
In short, as long as the transfer period was not over, Twain would still have all kinds of worries like this. And now he had to pack up these worries and take them away.
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.
