For a mid-to-lower tier team or a team with the goal of entering next season's European competition, a transfer budget of 29 million euros was not low. But for a team that aspired to defend multiple championships and intended to make a historical breakthrough in the FA Cup, 29 million might only be enough to buy one player.
Tang En had to live a frugal life. The days where he could sign a check to buy as long as he liked were destined to be a dream.
Perhaps it had something to do with Tang En being a Chinese, but he was not particularly extravagant when it came to the transfer fee. The transfer budget given by the team last summer had not been used up, and he had even sold out Anelka and Ashley Young to earn money for the club. That was proof.
As long as one planned carefully, identified the target, and had good luck, 29 million was not impossible to buy a good and cheap player.
In fact, most positions in the Forest team had at least one dedicated substitute player. Only one position had always been supported by one person. This position was not the defensive midfielder that people imagined, but the defensive midfielder's partner, the attacking midfielder.
Van der Vaart was the team's absolute playmaker. His ability to organize the offense was better than Ribéry's, and he also had the ability to score from long shots and set pieces. But van der Vaart was not an iron man like George Wood, after all. Although he had not suffered any major injuries after his transfer to Nottingham Forest, he would occasionally suffer from minor injuries and illnesses, which was a headache. Generally, if he could not play, Tang En would let Ribéry make a guest appearance as the attacking midfielder. However, this was not a long-term solution after all. Van der Vaart was frequently injured in the world that Tang En knew of. It could only be said that Tang En was lucky that he did not suffer any serious injuries here. In addition, George Wood helped him share some of the pressure.
In any case, they still needed a dedicated midfielder in the middle to rotate with van der Vaart. Even if he was not injured, van der Vaart's fitness could not guarantee that he could play a full season.
After George Wood's rotation was settled, Tang En began to have a headache about van der Vaart's replacement.
There was no shortage of good and well-known attacking midfielders in the world, such as Brazil's Kaka, currently the world's number one attacking midfielder, and Ronaldinho, who had been kicked out of the team by Barcelona. Kaka was the kind of player that Tang En dreamed of. Unfortunately, whether in terms of the team's attractiveness or financial ability, Nottingham Forest could not get the Brazilian treasure. As for Ronaldinho … Tang En did not like this kind of undisciplined player. No matter how talented he was, he did not want him.
Basically, Tang En could only set his sights on those players who had a little fame but were not considered world-class stars. Their off-field lives were relatively simple and they would not ask for too high a salary. Ah, there was another very important point. If the player's owner did not want him anymore, that would be for the best.
But where could he find such a good deal?
Originally, during the UEFA European Cup, Tang En had taken a fancy to Croatia's midfielder, Luka Modrić. However, Dinamo Zagreb demanded an exorbitant price of at least 20 million euros before they were willing to release the player. Although Modrić himself very much wanted to join the UEFA Champions League, Nottingham Forest, Tang En was not willing to fork out two-thirds of the transfer budget just for a rotating attacking midfielder. The Forest team could only give up on the plan to bring in Modrić and look for a new target.
Modrić himself eventually achieved his goal of playing in Europe's top league – he joined Tottenham Hotspur for a transfer fee of 16.6 million pounds, or 20.88 million euros.
This summer, the real tycoon in the English Premier League was not Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, or Chelsea, but a mid-tier team, Tottenham Hotspur.
Tang En could only envy others for having the money to squander. He continued to look for his desired target in the transfer market.
Although Deco, who had the ability and reputation, was cheap because Barcelona had taken the initiative to purge him, he could only envy others for having the money to squander. However, he did not want to come to the Forest team. He chose Chelsea, which was managed by the national team manager. Because of this relationship, Chelsea only spent eight million pounds.
Nasri was also a young attacking midfielder that Tang En thought highly of. He was called "Zidane the Second" by the French media. However, his price was not cheap, and Nasri himself also hoped to join Arsenal, which was managed by the French professor, Wenger. In the end, Arsenal spent 12 million pounds to bring him to the Emirates Stadium.
Dos Santos was also not bad. He had shown enough ability in Barcelona's First Team, but he lacked opportunities and experience. Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur have launched a fierce battle over him. In the end, Dos Santos's personal wishes played a key role. He felt that life in Nottingham Forest was no different from life in Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur promised to give him a main position. Just like that, Tottenham Hotspur bought dos Santos, who was known as "Mexico's Ronaldinho," for seven million pounds.
The consecutive setbacks in the transfer market made Tang En very angry. Time passed by every day, and it was getting closer to August. The new season was about to begin, but the team did not make any progress in the transfer market. There were already media outlets that mocked Nottingham Forest for winning the UEFA Champions League and Premier League titles, which made them less attractive. Such a funny thing could only happen to Tony Twain's team.
As a result, he prayed to God every night before he went to bed. When he woke up the next day, he would see an attacking midfielder sleeping soundly next to him.
Although it was impossible for such a nonsensical thing to happen, Tang En had finally found an attacking midfielder candidate who met many of the current restrictions and had the ability and potential that Tang En approved of.
※ ※ ※
In the 04-05 season, a young genius with dual German and Turkish citizenship appeared out of nowhere in the Bundesliga. Well, it might be an exaggeration to say that he appeared out of nowhere, but he was indeed a young genius in Turkish football.
At that time, he started and played the whole game in Dortmund's match against Wolfsburg. The Turkish teenager, who was not even seventeen years old, became the youngest player in Bundesliga history to appear. Not long after, he became the youngest goal scorer in Bundesliga history. He also became one of the top 100 hopeful stars in the world of football.
But his fame at a young age had burdened him prematurely. Coupled with Dortmund's deep financial crisis at the time, the team was in chaos, and he also fell into silence.
Just last season, Dortmund, who had an excess of players in the midfield, loaned him to the Eredivisie team, Feyenoord, in the hope that he would get enough training. Coincidentally, Feyenoord's manager was his mentor at Dortmund, Van Marwijk.
He should have gotten very good training in the Netherlands, which was a necessary path for a rising midfield star. Van Marwijk was very optimistic about the future of his proud disciple.
His debut in the Netherlands was very successful. He scored a goal in the first game and had an assist.
But bad luck soon came. In the third game for Feyenoord, he was maliciously assaulted by his opponent and fell to the ground. He was taken away from the field by an ambulance at the time. His face was covered with tears when he left the field because he was the only one who knew how serious the injury was. At the time, he felt that he had completely lost his left leg and could not feel anything at all.
When he was sent to the hospital, the results of the examination made everyone gasp in shock.
Comminuted fracture of the cartilage in the left knee, avulsion of the meniscus, and tear of the anterior cruciate ligament.
Any one of these injuries alone would be a major enemy of a football player's career. What did it mean that all three of them were concentrated on the left knee of a player?
Feyenoord later announced that he would miss all of the remaining games of the season. The chief surgeon of the surgery also said in an interview after the surgery that he was not sure if the talented Turkish player would be able to return to the field because … even walking normally might be affected.
At the time, the Dutch, Turkish, and German media, in addition to condemning the culprit, lamented — "An extremely talented player has fallen prematurely!"
Did this statement sound sensational? But it was a true portrayal of his situation at the time.
Fortunately, the strong Turkish young man did not give up his football dream. He actively cooperated with rehabilitation and finally successfully returned to the field at the end of the season. At the time, the Dutch media exclaimed that he had created a sports medicine miracle.
But after returning to the field, his performance was simply incomparable to before the injury. The shadow of the serious injury always lingered in his heart. He did not dare to do some actions at all and appeared timid on the field. The media's assessment of him was — "as if he had lost his original aura overnight."
It was an apt metaphor. The man who had set many records and led Turkey to the 2005 UEFA European Youth Football Championship title and was the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Turkish national team was now completely lost.
It was a fact that made both Dortmund and Turkey very sad, but they had to accept it. Having been seriously injured, he was a far cry from his former self in many ways.
Van Marwijk was also very regretful. He had hoped to develop him into a world-famous star player, but now it was all over.
At the end of the season, he returned to Dortmund. If he had not been injured, there would have been a bright future ahead of him. He was only nineteen years old and still had a lot of time to create his own future. But now, there was no place for him in the Dortmund team. Having lost his talent and body, he did not know where his future lay.
The former talented teenager's family conditions were poor. His father was a Turkish laborer in Germany, and his mother was a housewife. The family of three and more than thirty relatives lived in a small village in Dortmund. If he had not been injured and become the core of Dortmund's main force, then the family's financial difficulties would not have been a problem. He would have been able to get a lucrative contract and buy a house in Dortmund, a car, and live like a rich man.
But now, it was all over.
Dortmund was going to give him a contract, but it was a far cry from the contract they had originally promised. After all, the treatment of a substitute player was not the same as the treatment of the main force core and the hopeful star.
Just as he was about to submit to his fate and sign the contract with Dortmund, someone knocked on his door.
"Nuri Şahin, we want it. Name a price. "The Nottingham Forest player said to Dortmund.
※ ※ ※
"You must be crazy, Tony. This Turkish kid is not worth buying at all. You can't be venting just because you can't buy your target in the transfer market, can you? " Kerslake was so surprised when he learned that Twain was going to bring in the Turkish kid who had just been forced to retire. His mouth opened so wide that a boiled egg could be stuffed in.
"You're just like a woman who has lost her mind from anger!"
"You hurt me too much by saying that, David." Twain clutched his heart. "I know he was seriously injured. But I think his performance after his comeback is not as good as before, not because of his body, but because of his mentality. But unfortunately, neither Feyenoord nor Dortmund care about this. They habitually think that the biggest and most fundamental reason for this situation is the regression of physical functions. "
"Mentality?"
"In fact, his psychological quality is still very good. Otherwise, he would have announced his retirement after his injury. Because that kind of injury is really not what a nineteen-year-old boy can afford. It's just that at this time, he needs the guidance of others. It may not be fair to Şahin for me to say this. But I do think his injury is a good opportunity for us. Two years ago, when Arsenal bought Rosicky, they intended to offer three million euros to take Şahin away. But Dortmund was determined not to let go. They intended to make Şahin the new core of the Westfalenstadion. If he had not been injured, we would not even have had the chance to sit down with Dortmund and negotiate the price. Now, the other side has readily agreed to our offer … "
"Of course, to get rid of a burden. They couldn't ask for more. "
"In fact, Şahin's matter made me think of another thing … I think our club should hire a few psychologists to serve."
"Huh?" Kerslake seemed to be listening to a fantasy story.
"Frequent injuries, sitting on the substitutes' bench for a long time leading to depression, fluctuating form, a lack of goals scored by the strikers, consecutive goals conceded by the goalkeeper, and trivial matters in life affecting the performance on the field … These things can't be solved by training. Our players need psychologists to comfort them, enlighten them, and keep them happy and healthy. "Twain stroked his chin and nodded." I think it's very necessary and urgent. I'll talk to the chairman now. "
With that, he was about to get up.
"Hey, Tony. That Turkish kid … "Kerslake called out to him.
"What else is there? Dortmund has agreed to our offer of two million euros. All that's left is to sign a personal contract with him. " Twain looked back at his assistant. "Ah, I forgot to mention another reason why his injury is beneficial to us. We can take the opportunity to lower his salary … Of course, it's more than what he gets at Dortmund, but it's only at the lower end of the team. He can't fight for a better salary with us. Now that we've given him a chance to play in a European champion team, he should be thanking us. Buying a player like this is better than buying a player like Ronaldinho to balance our weekly salary budget. "
With that, Twain went out to talk to Evan in detail about his suggestions for hiring a psychologist.
Only Kerslake and Dunn were left in the office. Kerslake turned his head to look at Dunn. "Dunn, you're neighbors with him. What do you think?"
"From both the player and the team's perspective, this is the best way," Dunn replied with a poker face.
※ ※ ※
Two days later, Nottingham Forest and Dortmund announced at the same time that the 19-year-old Turkish youngster had transferred to the City Ground stadium from Westfalenstadion for two million euros.
As soon as the news came out, the English media exploded. Two years ago, if the Forest team had brought in Şahin, they would have been heaped with praise. Now, it was endless mockery and ridicule that pounced on Tony Twain.
Everyone knew what happened to the Turkish kid last season. To be honest, he had a bright future ahead of him. There were not many people in the world who could still believe that he could recover to his pre-injury level. Maybe the Turkish national team's manager, Terim, was one, and Tony Twain was the second.
"Two million euros to buy a kid who almost retired?"
"Tony Twain always brings us joy."
"Only a fool believes that Şahin can recover."
"I don't understand Tony Twain's moves in the transfer market at all. First, it's Tiago, who Juventus doesn't want. Then, it's Şahin, who broke his leg in the Netherlands. The Double Winner of the UEFA Champions League and Premier League title is actually like a garbage collector. "
"I can guarantee with my integrity that Nuri Şahin will be Tony Twain's most failed acquisition during his tenure!"
"Tony Twain has used his actions to tell us that there are all sorts of strange things in this world."
For the English media, who loved to nitpick and make sarcastic remarks, it was a happy thing to be able to find an opportunity to mock Twain. Of course, their doubts about Şahin's ability were not because of Twain. The sarcasm might be due to a personal grudge, but Şahin's ability was indeed not recognized by these people at all.
"… to suffer such a serious injury in the Dutch league. Are all defensive players in the English league nice guys? I really don't know what Tony Twain is thinking. Maybe his brain structure is different from us ordinary people? "
Similar remarks flew everywhere. Everyone was criticizing and questioning Twain's transfer. Some even wondered if he had received some kickbacks. Twain could not be bothered to quarrel with them. Besides, he thought these flies had actually helped him a lot.
When Şahin arrived in Nottingham, Twain welcomed the sullen Turkish "former" genius with a pile of newspapers that scolded the two of them.
"Do you understand English?" Twain asked through the translator.
"Only a little …" Şahin whispered. Arriving in a new environment, the confusion about the future made Şahin very depressed.
Seeing him like this, Twain was even more convinced that Şahin had a psychological problem. He smiled and handed the newspaper to Şahin, then told him through the translator, "All the newspapers are scolding me, saying that I spent two million to bring in a man who can no longer play football. Ah, they also questioned your ability in passing. "
The translator stared at Twain with wide eyes, not understanding why he was saying this. Tang En only gave him a look, signaling for him to translate it.
By this time, Şahin had turned his attention to the colorful newspapers. His photos appeared in the headlines of the sports section, most of which were photos of him when he was injured in the Netherlands. He did not need to know much English. Just by looking at these photos, he already knew that it could not be anything good. So his mood became even more depressed.
After hearing the translated words, he looked up at Twain strangely.
The man laughed and did not take the media's scolding seriously. "You may not understand now, but when you stay a little longer in this team and your English improves, you will be able to understand clearly — me." You'll see - me, 'pointing first to himself and then to the paper. "I don't have a good reputation here. It's more like 'notorious' to describe it. Now that I insist on bringing you to Nottingham Forest, I've given them a reason to attack me. But I don't care. They can scold all they want. I'll do my job. And I'm not the same as those idiots. I believe your future is bright! "
Since his injury, all Şahin had heard were laments. Everyone lamented the unfairness of fate that caused a genius to die young. He could have become a star, but now he had become a shooting star. He did not want to hear such demoralizing and demoralizing words anymore. He did not expect to hear the team's manager say to him, "I believe your future is bright!"
Looking up at the man's smile, he suddenly felt that leaving Dortmund to come here might be a kind of luck.
"Now all of England is not optimistic about your new life. Do you want to show them what you're made of in the near future? Let them know how wrong they were at the beginning? "Twain winked at Şahin. His hoarse voice seemed to have a magical presence. Şahin could not help but nod after listening to it.
Twain laughed and patted him hard on the back. "Then muster up your fighting spirit! Don't look like a dead woman. I promise when you successfully slap them in the face, you'll feel great, haha! "
The next day, at a press conference, Şahin showed his skills in front of hundreds of Forest fans and dozens of media reporters. Twain watched his performance with a smile on his face. It was no different from before his injury. Under the rare bright sunshine, he showed his inspiration and skills as a creative midfielder.
Then he and Twain held up a red Nottingham Forest jersey with his name and number.
16 was his number in the new team.
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