"Gabriel Agbonlahor! Agbonlahor! That's his third goal of the game! In less than eight minutes, Agbonlahor scored a hat-trick! Oh oh oh — poor Manchester City! "The cheers at Villa Park were thunderous, as if there was an earthquake. The atmosphere stunned the visiting Manchester City fans. They sat in their seats and stared blankly at the kid sprinting on the sidelines.
His name was Gabriel Agbonlahor, and he was Aston Villa's rising star in the last two seasons. Now he was the absolute star of the game.
Manchester City's manager, Mark Hughes, stood on the sidelines with his arms crossed and looked helplessly at the celebrating crowd around him.
Just eight minutes ago, his team had just equalized the score to 1: 1 thanks to Elano's penalty kick. He was still plotting how to take three points from the away game and give the new boss a perfect greeting gift. On the other side, Villa's number 11 had already scored three goals in a row and completed a hat-trick …
After the game, Manchester City, who lost 1: 4 in the away game, became the laughing stock of the media. They had just become a millionaire, but they lost on the pitch with only their underwear. How delightful. In England, there seemed to be a lot of people who hated the rich …
The first thing Mark Hughes did when he returned to Manchester from Birmingham City was to look for the club's owner and tell him that if he did not make a move, the summer would be over. Due to Thaksin Shinawatra's problem some time ago, Manchester City had been slow in the transfer market. Other than re-buying Shaun Wright-Phillips, there was no other commendable move.
Before he could leave to find the boss, an Arab man wearing a white headscarf found him.
"Good morning, Mr Mark Hughes." The man was very polite.
Hughes found him unfamiliar, but he was not too surprised. Ever since the club changed owners overnight, there were more unfamiliar people like him.
"I'm Mr Fahim's assistant, Ossam."
"Ah, Mr Ossam, good morning. What can I do for you? "
In fact, it was easy to guess that Ossam looking for him was equivalent to Fahim looking for him.
"Mr Fahim thinks that the team should make some major changes. He hopes that Mr Hughes can draw up a list and give it to him."
Hughes shook his head in the face of such a good thing. "Mr. Ossam, I have no doubt that Mr. Fahim wants the team to become stronger. But now that the new season had begun, a major change in the lineup would only bring about worse results. Of course, we need to adjust our current lineup, but not now. "
"Then can you tell me what position the team needs the most right now?"
This time, Hughes did not even think and blurted out, "Striker."
Indeed, Manchester City's forward line was terrible.
In the game against Aston Villa, it looked like there was a problem with the rear defensive line, but in fact, the root of the problem was with the forwards. If the front line could not pose a threat to the opponent's goal, the opponent's offense would become unscrupulous.
After Thaksin took over the team last season, he brought a lot of new players to the team, but the quality was really not flattering …
This summer, after Mark Hughes took over, the first thing he did was to get rid of the unnecessary players in the team. He had chased away five players on the frontline.
Corradi was sold to Reggina, Bianchi was sold to Turin, Samaras went to Celtic, and Dimitri and Mpensa were released by the club.
The only strikers left in the team were Vassell, Benjamin Mwaruwari, Bojinov and Sturridge who could be used. Sturridge was the team's star of tomorrow, but he was still a little immature.
Looking at this lineup, there was almost no scorer that could be taken out. Looking at the top five in the Premier League, which one did not have a leading striker? Manchester United had Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez, Liverpool had Torres, Arsenal had Adebayor and Eduardo Silva, Chelsea had Drogba, and Nottingham Forest had van Nistelrooy.
The bold words of Manchester City's new boss were still prominently featured in the media. As a team that had always wanted to sweep all the titles and reach the Champions League, it was too shabby to not have a good enough striker.
The position proposed by Mark Hughes was also agreed to by Ossam. He nodded and said, "It won't be long, Mr. Mark Hughes. You'll have a lot of world-class strikers to use."
Mark Hughes was frightened. He was afraid that the club would waste time on the players who would not come at all. He hurriedly said, "I hope it'll be as soon as possible. We don't have much time, Mr. Ossam. The summer transfer window will end in half a month. If we can't find anyone, we can only wait until January next year … "
"You can rest assured about that, Mr. Hughes. We have a big plan, but it will take time. Don't worry, the strikers will be satisfied as soon as possible. "
With that, Ossam turned and left. He was now a busy man. Although the Manchester City club had a general manager, the personal assistant was better in front of Fahim …
Mark Hughes looked at the Arab man's back and shook his head. It was only a week's time from the initial excitement of seeing a large influx of capital into the club to the calmness now. Because he had seen with his own eyes how the star players simply rejected Manchester City.
Manchester City was not the Chelsea of the past. For most players, it was unattractive. There were some things that could not be achieved with money alone.
Abramovich's money was only one reason why Chelsea was so attractive at the time. The most important reason was that Chelsea was already considered an emerging force outside the traditional top three in the Premier League at that time after the groundwork of several managers, Hoddle, Gullit, Vialli and Ranieri. They were ranked in the top four in the league for a long time and had won the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They were basically considered a quasi-powerhouse club. Under such circumstances, with the injection of capital, they would be able to transform immediately.
Manchester City was different. Although the history of representing Manchester was longer than that of Manchester United, an outsider, the results were terrible. Their most glorious achievements were four FA Cup titles and one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup title, and it was too long ago. It was really not attractive to the current players. More people just regarded them as a traditional mid-table team in the Premier League.
How many world-class players would condescend to come to a team that might not even play in next season's UEFA Europa League just because of a little money?
According to Hughes's thinking, Manchester City's reconstruction would take at least three to four years. They would rebuild their foundation through small victories and trophies and change the impression of Manchester City as a low-class team in everyone's minds. Then it would be the road to becoming a powerhouse …
But his new boss was impatient and obviously could not wait that long. And he had a lot of uncountable pounds. He thought he could use money to buy time. He wanted Manchester City to become the world's number one team that world-class stars flocked to overnight. The new Manchester United and the new Real Madrid were not just words.
Mark Hughes now felt that sitting in the position of Manchester City's manager was not an enviable job. There was such an ambitious club owner who knew nothing about football and such a second-rate team … The cruel reality made him feel like he was sitting on a volcano crater. The boss would naturally not leave if the results were not good, nor would he reflect on what went wrong with his strategy. The most common and simplest way was usually to change the manager. As a result, the poor manager became a scapegoat. Not only did he lose his job, but there was also a stain on his coaching career that could not be erased.
※ ※ ※
After the first round of the league tournament ended, Tony Twain once again became the headline figure of the sports section of the media. He offended the English Football Association and the Referees' Committee with his words "someone doesn't want us to win" at the post-match press conference. He received a fine of fifteen thousand pounds and a one-match ban from the Football Association.
mocked Tony Twain for being the manager with the most bans in modern football history. They unceremoniously pointed out that Twain was an idiot who "spoke without thinking."
This time, Twain did not fight back because he was "muted" by the club. Evan Doughty would not allow Twain to speak so bluntly and cause trouble for himself and the club. Thanks to Twain's big mouth, the current Nottingham Forest had become the most difficult "thorn" to deal with in the eyes of the English Football Association, the English Football Referees' Committee and the Premier League committee. No matter the occasion, they would always receive some "special treatment" that others could not enjoy.
So, Twain was very silent and also very sullen as he looked at the one-sided mockery and ridicule in the media.
At this time, another incident appeared and distracted the media's attention. Finally, no one laughed at him anymore, but the situation made him even more annoyed.
The Manchester City Football Club announced that they had issued a blank check to Nottingham Forest to buy their leading striker, van Nistelrooy!
If it was successful, it could be the world's most impressive player transfer. There had never been a club like Manchester City who so despised the rules of the game in this world. Other clubs inevitably had to be meticulous in buying and selling players and strive to maximize profits. There would be many stories on the negotiation table at the end of the transfer window every year. Team managers, professional agents, players, and managers put together were like scenes of a living movie.
But the emergence of Manchester City broke the traditional transfer rules. First, they provoked Manchester United, Real Madrid and other powerhouse clubs, and then they seduced the leading star players of other teams. Now, they made such a shocking move — they wantonly squandered the money that other clubs regarded as their lives like it was dirt. It was as if they were looking down on all living things from high above and then using a cold and conceited voice to tell you, "How much is your player worth? Just name your price. There's no one in this world that we can't buy. Don't be petty and dilly-dallying. Just fill it in and write as much as you want. If you write less, I'll say you're not sincere. "
Tang En was furious.
He found Evan and Allan and asked, "Did the Manchester City club really give a blank cheque?"
Evan pulled out a cheque from the folder and handed it to Tang En. "They really gave it." His smile was a little odd, perhaps awkward. Allan sat on the side and did not make a sound.
Tang En saw that it was indeed blank, without a single number, waiting for him to play the crossword puzzle. "Are these idiots playing performance art? Are they sincerely looking for us to buy players or are they showing off to us that they're as rich as a country? "
In fact, the owner of Manchester City was indeed as rich as a country — because they were originally a country, the United Arab Emirates.
Even though this was the truth, Tang En would never allow them to deliberately show off this point, especially in front of him.
Damn it, I still have to live with the little money I have in my hands this summer. But you guys are good, giving us a blank cheque with a flick of your hand. Who are you mocking?
Hearing Tang En's complaint, the odd smile on Evan's face deepened. Tang En could be sure that he was smiling awkwardly. And Allan continued to be silent.
"What do you guys think?" Tang En had not yet lost his head from anger. He knew that the opinions of the two people here needed to be consulted.
Evan said, "We still have to listen to you, Tony, when it comes to player transactions."
Tang En looked at Allan again.
Allan spread his hands. "Evan is right. The team is your domain, Tony."
"In other words, I'm fully in charge of this matter, and you guys won't interfere?" Tang En, who was worried, asked again.
Evan only smiled and did not reply. Allan raised his hands. "If you're worried, we can sign an agreement, in black and white …"
Tang En interrupted him. "That's not what I meant, Allan."
"What I mean is that we really won't interfere with your work. We all respect every decision you make. After all, the team is what it is today because of you. "
"Thank you." Tang En nodded heavily. "Please help me call the media to Wilford. I'm going to hold a press conference … All the media," he said to Allan.
Allan nodded and did not ask what he was going to do with the press conference — even a fool would know what he was going to do.
"We can't let people who are thirsty for talent wait too long. We'll give them an answer this afternoon." Tang En chuckled.
※ ※ ※
There was one more thing Tang En had to do before the press conference. Out of respect for the player's personal wishes, he had to talk to van Nistelrooy and listen to his thoughts on the matter.
Van Nistelrooy knew about the matter before Tang En. Tang En would not believe that Manchester City had not contacted him and his agent in private.
The Dutchman's answer was quite straightforward, which also moved Tang En. "I've never thought of leaving here, boss. If possible, I hope to retire here. "
"The offer the Arabs gave you was very tempting, right?" Tang En was still not completely at ease. He was afraid that it was just beautiful words.
Van Nistelrooy chuckled. "In fact, they also gave me a blank check and told my agent that I could take however much money I wanted."
Tang En secretly cursed the Arabs for being too vicious. Just think, how many players could withstand such temptation? Any treatment they wanted …
F * ck your Arab second grandfathers! So what if you have oil? Dig, dig, dig hard. In a few more decades, the oil will be dug out, and I'll see what you can do then!
Tony Twain, a child from a poor family, cursed in his heart. His heart was extremely unbalanced.
"Then you …" It was a scene in his heart, but on the surface, Tang En was really worried about van Nistelrooy's defection.
"I quit." The Dutch striker shrugged his shoulders.
Tang En almost went up to hug him directly.
"I'm not playing to make a lot of money. I've made enough money. Now … I want to enjoy football. I like playing here. "
"Good brother, you're loyal!" Tang En blurted out in Mandarin. He did not care if van Nistelrooy understood or not. He patted him hard on the shoulder.
Van Nistelrooy did not know what the boss said. He just looked at him and smiled, letting him pat him hard on the shoulder.
※ ※ ※
Now that he knew van Nistelrooy's thoughts, Tang En had no worries about what he was about to do. His previous concerns were not because he was afraid of what would happen with Manchester City, but because he was afraid it would affect his relationship with his players.
After the afternoon training ended, all the reporters did not go to the training ground to block the star players but poured into the press hall at the Wilford training base.
Taking advantage of the fact that the protagonist had not yet arrived, some reporters were speculating about Tang En's purpose in suddenly taking the initiative to convene everyone for a press conference.
There were actually two things that had happened to him recently. One of them had stabbed the Football Association in the backside and made them furious. The other was the "blank cheque" that had happened recently.
Most of the reporters chose to do with the "blank cheque," because they felt that Tang En was not the kind of person who would call for a press conference just because of a one-match ban and 15,000 pounds. Otherwise, he would probably have to do it every few days.
When Tang En and Allan Adams appeared at the press conference together, the venue gradually quieted down.
Allan sat next to Tang En, while Tang En stood in front of a bunch of microphones. He made a "stop" gesture and said, "I won't accept any questions about the situation, and I won't take up too much of everyone's time."
Then he took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it to show it to the reporters below the stage.
"This is a blank cheque given to us by the Manchester City club." He pointed to the piece of paper.
The reporters with good eyesight had already recognized it. Tang En did not lie to them.
As expected, it had something to do with Manchester City, who had been in the limelight recently.
Manchester City had recently offended a number of clubs by virtue of their wealth. There were also a number of people in the media circle who were not very fond of them. Now that Manchester City had finally found Nottingham Forest, one became arrogant because they suddenly became rich, the other was naturally arrogant … This group of people decided to watch a good show.
"They asked us to buy van Nistelrooy this morning and took out a completely blank cheque for us to fill in any number. I thank them for their generosity, so I decided to give them an answer in front of the media to show my respect. My reporter friends are my witnesses. "
With that, he took out a pen and swept it across the pile of microphones, mobile phones, and recording pens on the table. He leaned over and began to fill in the numbers on the cheque.
After he lifted the pen and put it down, the audience suddenly became silent. The reporters who were sitting a little closer even stretched their necks to see what number Tang En would write.
They saw Tang En's wrist moving in circles, in circles, in circles …
About thirty seconds later, his hand still did not stop, and the scene remained silent.
In fact, before coming, Allan did not know what kind of answer Tang En was going to give Manchester City. He was as curious as the reporters below. So, he glanced sideways …
Just then, Tang En screwed on the cap of the pen and picked up the cheque — he had finished writing.
Then, he waved to the cameramen at the back and said, "You can come up and film. You can't get anything from there, right?"
A group of reporters carrying equipment rushed up and pointed the cameras in their hands at Tang En.
Seeing that everyone had come over, Tang En was satisfied and reopened the cheque to show it to the camera.
"This is my answer." He had a bright smile on his face.
Not only the cameramen rushed up, but also the text reporters. When they saw the number on the cheque, they were all dumbfounded …
9999999999999999999999999999999。
No one could count how much money it was at first glance. In fact, even if they were given some time, they would not be able to count how much it was. The column of numbers was densely packed with Arabic numerals "9," which filled the blank space. It was dizzying to look at, let alone count.
"Mr. Tang En, how … how much is this?" A reporter stammered.
Tang En smiled and said, "I don't know."
"Huh?"
"I just casually filled it in." The smile on Tang En's face did not change. "Until it's filled."
Just like that, Tang En held up the cheque he casually filled in and stood in front of the reporters. The camera flashed wildly, and for a moment, the room was snowy white. Tang En could not see anything other than the white light in his eyes. But he still maintained his smile and posture with the cheque in his hand.
Sitting next to him, Allan Adams rubbed his temples. Seeing the scene in front of him, he felt like he was going crazy.
Mark Hughes was in urgent need of a world-class striker to help his new boss achieve his goals. Al Fahim also showed the generosity of a boss. In order to bring in Nottingham Forest's leading striker, Ruud van Nistelrooy, the Manchester City Football Club, which was as rich as a country, gave him a blank cheque. As long as the Forest team filled in van Nistelrooy's price on it, the transfer deal would be considered a success. Nottingham Forest filled in the price they had offered as they wished, but …
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