The author's statement: All the organizations, individuals, and events involved in this article are purely fictional. Please do not take them personally.
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Tang En's attitude toward Sun Jihai was very complicated. He had personally persuaded him to come to Nottingham Forest. It was undeniable that Sun Jihai had initially come because he was Richards' replacement. It might not be fair to Sun Jihai, but it was the truth. However, Tang En was well aware of Sun Jihai's performance in the Forest team. He was a dedicated professional player. His attitude made up for his lack of skill. Overall, Tang En was still relatively satisfied. Other than some Chinese media complaining all day that Tang En did not give Sun Jihai a main position, there was nothing else.
However, with the increase of age and frequent injuries, it was an indisputable fact that he gradually lost his position in the team. Sun Jihai could not even play as a substitute defender. Most of the time, he could only participate in matches with the reserve team. Even when the Forest team was extremely short of players, Tang En did not give him much of a chance.
During that time, the Chinese media attacked Tony Twain for being unfriendly to the Chinese players.
However, Nottingham Forest was not a charity organization. Players who did not have the ability and could not keep up with the needs of the team would naturally be eliminated. Sun Jihai was not a direct descendant of the team, nor was he an indispensable player. No matter how outstanding his spirit was, he was not the only one in Nottingham Forest with a high spirit value.
Next summer, Sun Jihai's contract with the team would officially expire. Tang En no longer planned to give Sun Jihai any new contract. Not only that, he decided to sell Sun Jihai this summer. Now that there were two English Championship teams interested in Sun Jihai, he would not lose too much if he manipulated it well.
Both Sheffield United and Crystal Palace hoped to be able to get the China's all-around defender.
However, they had only expressed their intention to buy and had not officially made an offer.
Just as Tang En decided to wait and see for a while, Evan came to him, hoping that he would reconsider renewing Sun Jihai's contract.
Tang En was very surprised when he heard the request.
"What's going on, Evan? I remember we already had a common view of Sun Jihai's future. "
Evan smiled and did not immediately answer Tang En's question. Instead, he talked about Allan. "Didn't you always tell me that plans can't keep up with changes? You know Allan has been out looking for sponsorship for the new stadium project. He found the Arab first. Arsenal's Emirates Stadium was built with the sponsorship of the Emiratis, with only ten years of naming rights as the price. I think this is a very reasonable price. But … "He spread his hands.
"The Arabs agreed to invest in this project, but they asked for a spokesperson to be set up in the clubs to nominally supervise whether their money was used properly. In fact … you should be able to understand even if I don't say it, right? "
Twain nodded.
"I don't want to add a senior manager that I'm completely unfamiliar with to the club, no matter how much money he represents." Evan Doughty said with a smile. However, it made Tang En understand that this man was also a person with a strong desire for power.
"And China's performance in this global financial crisis is not bad. That's why Alan set his sights there … "
At this point, Tang En finally interrupted, "You found the richest man in China?"
"Not yet." Evan shook his head.
Strangely, Tang En felt a little regretful.
"So reconsidering the contract with Sun Jihai … Is it to give some kind of hint to the potential investors in China?" Tang En was not stupid. He quickly sorted out the relationship between the two.
"Dunn told me that China is very disappointed in their own football. Under such circumstances, the only thing that can make the Chinese fans feel a little proud, other than Dunn himself, is the Chinese player, Sun Jihai, who is still playing for the Forest team. He is now the only player in China who is still playing in Europe's top league. "
Shao Jiayi, who had played in Cottbus, had been put up for sale by the team to 2. Zheng Zhi was also still struggling in the English Football League Championship. Every time there was a rumor that a certain English Premier League team was interested in him, it was ultimately just the wishful thinking of the Chinese people.
As for the young players who were once placed with high hopes … they were not doing well now.
Under such circumstances, the Chinese fans could only regard Sun Jihai and Dunn as their only consolation.
Dunn was the hope of the Chinese coaches. Sun Jihai … was naturally not the hope of the players, but he could long be regarded as the most successful player among the overseas players in China. And it was estimated that for a long time, there would not be a successor who could surpass his current status — the first Chinese player to study abroad, the first Chinese player to play in Europe, the first Chinese player to score goals in Europe, the first Chinese player to win the Champions League, the first Chinese player to win the English Premier League, the first Chinese player to win the Double … Countless "first" hats were pinned on his head by the enthusiastic Chinese media and fans.
Looking at these results, he was indeed worthy of the title of "the most successful player in China."
Even if he was now old and frail, with only a few appearances, it was the greatest comfort for the Chinese fans who had nothing else to ask for as long as he was still in the Forest First Team roster at the start of the new season every year.
Tang En felt very sad. The greatest comfort of the national football was that he could only play as a second-string substitute for the Forest team, and was already on the verge of being abandoned by the team.
"I understand." Tang En nodded. "I'll reconsider giving Sun Jihai a new contract. But he has to accept the pay cut. You know, he's not in my plans for the new season. "
What was even sadder was that the greatest comfort had almost no competitive value to the Forest team. The only reason he could stay was because the club wanted to use him as a cover to attract China's funds. He had changed from a professional player to a flag hanging in front of the door to attract financial backers.
Evan left with a satisfied smile, while Tang En stared blankly at the two clubs' faxes on the table.
If he wanted the two clubs to quote their own prices, how much would Sun be worth?
One million? Or 1.5 million? Perhaps not even a million?
Sun Jihai's presence in the team was very low, perhaps because he was a Chinese and kept a low profile. His lifestyle was also different from his other European teammates. He never attended parties that would find a lot of sexy girls to lighten the mood, nor did he go to nightclubs to relax. Every day after training, he would drive home alone to accompany his wife and children and play with them on the grass in his backyard. Tang En had once accompanied Dunn to Sun Jihai's home for a small Spring Festival during the previous year's Spring Festival. When Dunn and Sun Jihai were chatting in Mandarin, Sun Jihai mentioned his wish — "I actually don't have any wish. How can I not work hard to make money here and support my wife and children? My wish is to work hard to make money and make more money while I can, so that I can live a good life after I retire. I don't think about anything else. My teammates are actually very good to me, but I can't play with them. After all, we're not people of the same world. "
His life was simple to the point of being a little boring, but he had long gotten used to it. Playing football in Nottingham was a job for him. His children were already in school in Nottingham, receiving an English education. But after he retired, Tang En believed that the family would return to China immediately. With the savings they had accumulated over the years in England, they could live like any ordinary Chinese person.
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Sun Jihai did not know that the club and China had been linked around him. He also did not know that his fate and future had changed because of these things.
Previously, his agent had already informed him that there were two English Football League Championship teams that wanted him to join. Sun Jihai's intention was to see what the Forest team had to say. Anyway, there was still a year left on his contract, and he was not in a hurry to sell himself. A year later, he could join those teams for free. Who knows, he might even be able to attract more buyers.
Other than that, after the team's vacation ended, he only came to the training ground on time every day to participate in training and drove home after the training ended. Occasionally, he would receive a few media reporters from China, signing autographs and taking pictures with the Chinese students studying abroad outside the training ground or somewhere else. His days passed like any other season.
Until one day, Tony Twain called his agent, hoping to discuss with him about negotiating a contract extension.
The news surprised Sun Jihai a little — he was not a fool, nor was he a hot-blooded teenager who liked to fantasize. He knew his position in the team. If the Nottingham Forest Football Club was smart enough, the best way was to sell him this summer. That way, they could still receive a little money. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to get anything after a year. His thinking was based on the certainty that the team would not renew his contract.
He did not expect Twain to actually want to talk to his agent about renewing the contract.
His agent wasn't surprised by this. He had vaguely heard that the club's marketing director, Allan Adams, was active in China.
He felt that he could fight for a good contract extension for both Sun Jihai and himself.
The new contract that Twain gave Sun Jihai was a two-year extension starting this summer, but Sun Jihai had to accept a 50% pay cut.
Sun Jihai's China agent rejected Twain's contract. He thought that a 50% pay cut was completely unacceptable. Because the contract was not a two-year extension on the basis of the original contract. Originally, Sun Jihai could still get 100% of his salary in the new season. Once the contract was signed, he would lose half of his income. That was the main reason he did not agree.
They could completely reject the contract and take 100% of their salary for a year with a clear conscience. When the contract expired next year, they could transfer to another team for free.
But Twain would never agree to the other party's condition of not changing the salary standard. The team was now racking their brains to find ways to cut costs and control expenses. If Sun Jihai left this summer, it would be good for everyone. But Allan wanted to find a local tycoon in China who was willing to foot the bill for his new plan, so Sun Jihai became an important player instead. Even so, Twain would not allow a second-string substitute player to have the same salary requirements as before.
He laid his cards on the table and said that Sun Jihai's level was no longer worth his original salary. Of course, that was not what he said. It would be too hurtful if he really said it. He said it tactfully, only giving the China agent an example. No club in the world would offer such a contract to a player who was about to retire. Even AC Milan's Maldini had to accept a reduced salary, let alone a China player.
The agent also made it clear that if the club thought Sun Jihai was still useful, then they should meet our requirements.
Twain said that would not do. What they met was a reasonable requirement, not a sky-high price. How about this, in order to show sincerity, let's each take a step back — a 25% pay cut.
The proposal was approved by the other party. So, what followed was simple. Everyone met together to sign the contract and drink a glass of champagne to celebrate.
Sun Jihai would continue to belong to Nottingham Forest for the next two years. When the contract expired, he would be 34 years old. At that time, whether he planned to continue to work hard in England or return to play for Dalian was not something Twain should worry about. Moreover, there might be a few more inquiries next summer, and faxes asking how much Sun Jihai could sell for would appear on his desk again.
If Allan could really successfully attract China's funds, then who would worry about whether Sun Jihai could continue to stay in the team?
Twain was not a philanthropist in China's football. He did not have the leisure to cultivate a savior for Chinese football or establish a banner character.
After Sun Jihai's matter was settled, good news came from the other side.
Agbonlahor laid his cards on the table with Villa Club. In a secret conversation with Martin O 'Neill, he told the manager that he wanted to play at Nottingham Forest. The reason was simple. He had confidence in Tony Twain. He thought that going to Nottingham Forest could satisfy his desire to win glory. Tony Twain was a manager who could lead him to victory and glory, even if he had just recovered from a heart attack.
Martin O 'Neill could not convince Agbonlahor. The kid was clearly captivated by Tony Twain's personal charm.
Villa Team began to seriously consider how much money they should bid Agbonlahor.
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Three days later, Nottingham Forest announced that they had brought in the speedy striker Gabriel Agbonlahor from Aston Villa for a transfer fee of 16 million pounds.
In the new season, Agbonlahor would wear the number 18 jersey left behind by Arshavin. He would gallop unhindered in the Forest team's front field, using his speed to crush every opponent.
After Anelka, Tang En finally had another speedy forward in the truest sense of the word.
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