While Tang En was partying with Shania every night in Los Angeles, Allen's negotiations with Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Holdings had also entered the final stage. After a year of repeated negotiations, the two sides had basically reached an agreement. Cheung Kong Holdings Limited got the development and management rights of the land around Nottingham Forest's new stadium in Clifton at the lowest price, and Nottingham Forest did not have to pay for the development of the new stadium and other packages. After the Chinese had operated for 30 years, the management rights of these places would gradually return to the Nottingham Forest Football Club.
Previously, the deadline proposed by Cheung Kong Holdings was 50 years, which was considered by Allen to be too greedy and unreasonable. The negotiations between the two sides had reached an impasse. After a period of cold war, Allen shamelessly took the initiative to come to the door, hoping to restart the negotiations. After all, in the global financial crisis, only the Chinese seemed to be rich …
The world's economic environment was gradually improving, and the Clifton area's development plan was relaunched, which also increased a lot of employment opportunities in Nottingham. The Nottingham city government gave the plan the greatest support.
Nottingham was not a city with good public security, and its crime rate was always among the highest in the UK. The financial crisis has increased the number of unemployed people, who have become an unstable factor in this society. The Nottingham Forest Football Club and Hong Kong's Cheung Kong Holdings Limited could finally reach an agreement to provide nearly tens of thousands of jobs in this place, which was indeed a great thing for the mayor to breathe a sigh of relief. How could he not support it?
Finally, the day before Tang En decided to return to Nottingham, the representatives of both parties officially signed the contract in Hong Kong. The next day, the first group of staff of Cheung Kong Holdings left for the UK to begin their overseas expansion plan.
The entire Clifton development plan was estimated to take eight years to get this place into shape. The stadium alone was estimated to take two to three years to build. If all went well, Nottingham Forest would officially move into the new stadium in the 2014-2015 season.
Originally, the Nottingham Forest Football Club intended to give the naming rights of the new stadium to Cheung Kong Holdings Limited, which invested in the construction, in order to show its sincerity for cooperation.
However, Li Zeju, the current chairman of the board of directors of Cheung Kong Industrial Corporation, rejected the name. He wanted to give the new stadium a name that was more appealing to the locals than "Cheung Kong". At the same time, it was also in line with the investor's background in China.
Red_Stadium。
Red Stadium.
Red was naturally the main color of Nottingham Forest. At the same time, red was also the traditional representative color of China.
When the Arsenal Football Club's new stadium was named "Emirates Stadium," many fans protested because the name had nothing to do with Arsenal, but the voices of the fans clearly could not match the Sheikhs' petrodollars. On the other hand, Li Zeju was much smarter. His name was very clever. Whether it was people from Nottingham or people from China, they would all like it.
Judging from the renderings of the new stadium given by Cheung Kong Holdings, the main color of the stadium would be the same as Nottingham Forest's jersey, a slightly dark red — dark red. Following the rectangular style of most stadiums in England, it could accommodate 60,000 people to watch the game at the same time, 60,000 of which were seats with backs. At the same time, there was room for expansion, which could be expanded to a maximum capacity of 68,000. There were luxury boxes on the east and west sides of the stands. This time, they were truly independent boxes, not the narrow and crude "boxes" in the City Ground Stadium that were like corridors. It was estimated that there would be 220 luxury boxes that could accommodate more than 440 VIPs to watch the game.
The north grandstand was still the area where the most hardcore fans of the home team gathered. The name "Robin Hood" would still be engraved at the top of that grandstand. It inspired the team and the fans to fight like Robin Hood.
The stadium had a retractable roof. Even if the weather was bad, it would not affect the game held in the stadium. A good geothermal and drainage system ensured that the field conditions were always in the best condition. This time, there would never be a repeat of last season's UEFA Champions League quarterfinal when Nottingham Forest played against Barcelona at home.
At this moment, Guardiola burst into tears …
There was also a spacious tunnel for the home and away teams to enter at the same time, as well as a spacious, bright, clean and tidy modern locker room. The City Ground Stadium's locker room, which was still clearly in the style of the 1980s, was like a public toilet compared to it …
There were also four huge LCD television screens on each side of the stands, which could broadcast the latest close combat, scores, as well as replay of goals and other information in real time.
As many as 12 entrances and exits, as well as the traffic network that connected the stadium in all directions, could ensure that all 60,000 people would leave within ten minutes after the end of the game. Even if there were special circumstances, it could still be busy but not chaotic, tense and orderly.
Such a stadium was designed and built according to the standards of UEFA's five-star stadiums. Once completed, UEFA would officially award it the honorary title of "five-star stadium" after an inspection.
At that time, Nottingham Forest Football Club could officially apply to host the finals of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
After having a glorious historical result, and about to welcome a brand-new five-star stadium, Nottingham Forest was making great strides towards its goal of becoming a "powerhouse."
※ ※ ※
Tang En spent two wonderful weeks with Shania in Los Angeles. He reluctantly bid farewell to the sunshine and his lovely wife in Los Angeles and returned to Nottingham. The work for the new season was about to begin again.
When the team reassembled, Tang En first explained to the players the reason for Dunn's departure. It was not because there was a conflict as some media had reported. Next, he began to rearrange the work and take over the mess that Dunn had left behind.
When Dunn was still in the team, it was not Tang En's turn to worry about matters such as daily training. Dunn was someone who had a deep understanding with Tang En. He did not need Tang En to say anything. He knew what to do and did it well.
It was Tang En's greatest happiness to have such an assistant.
Unfortunately, that happiness was gone now. He had to do everything himself. Fortunately, he had also been in the team for a long time. He could get used to these things after a little familiarity.
It was definitely more tiring than before. But Tang En also slowly realized how correct Dunn's words were back then. He had indeed made some progress.
In the past, he had been a little stagnant. But when his reliance was removed, he realized that he could actually do a lot of things.
First, he had to confirm the lineup for the new season, as well as matters such as signings and transfers.
The young Mexican player, Galván Martín, who had signed a contract with Forest in the 07-08 season, finally turned 18 and could play abroad. He ended his career with Blue Cross, packed his bags, and came to the unfamiliar England with his family. Living in the apartment provided by the club for his family, he had to adapt from scratch. The language, diet, weather, and football style. To him, everything about Nottingham Forest was fresh and a shock to the past.
Tang En did not expect him to be able to play for the team. He still had to adapt to the youth team and reserve team for a period of time. At the same time, it would be convenient for Forest's coaching staff to observe him up close. It did not mean that he could do whatever he wanted in England just because he had made a name for himself. No, on the contrary, if he did not perform well and was unable to adapt to Nottingham Forest's football, he was likely to be sold off by Tang En. Tang En had deep feelings for the old players, but he would not invest too much emotion into the young players. This line of work was cruel. Who knew if you could become a talent or not?
The other player to return to the team was Adriano Moke. During his season on loan at Blackburn Rovers, he performed well. He had played 23 times in the league tournament, scored two goals, and assisted five times. He had played five times in the cup tournament, scored one goal, and assisted six times. In total, he had scored three goals and assisted 11 times. As a side midfielder, he had turned in a satisfactory result. After Moke's loan period was up, Blackburn Rovers wanted to continue loaning him, but Tang En refused. On one hand, loaning Moke out was to give him a chance to train. On the other hand, he hoped to grind down this genius's ambitious personality and let him be more grounded. This would be helpful for his growth.
From the situation of the past few seasons, he had clearly met Tang En's requirements. Moke's arrogant and self-righteous temperament was much more restrained. He was more pragmatic and hardworking. So, Tang En thought it was time to reward him for entering the First Team. Calling him back to the First Team would make it easier for Tang En to observe his performance up close. It would also be beneficial for his growth. After all, Moke was a Forest player. If there were no accidents, he would play for Forest in the future. Always wandering around outside would not help him develop a sense of belonging to the team and familiarize himself with the team's style of play.
Moke's return would not cause the team's midfield to be crowded. Lennon could play on both the left and right flanks. Fernández could also play as the attacking midfielder in the middle. Considering that Forest would definitely be competing in multiple tournaments next season. The personnel allocation in the midfield was actually very reasonable. Only John Bostock needed to continue to be loaned out. Because, with his current ability, he was still unable to occupy a place in Nottingham Forest's midfield.
There were basically no changes in the defensive line. Gareth Bale had returned to the team after recovering from his injury. The competition for the left back position was more intense than before, but their strength had also increased. Other than that, Tang En did not plan to bring in a defensive player in the summer. The past few seasons had proven that Nottingham Forest's defensive system was perfect. He did not need to bring in any new players to disrupt and reorganize the defensive line that had already worked well together. Even though Pepe and the others still received transfer requests from many teams, Tang En rejected all of them without exception.
The stability of the defensive line was overwhelming. He would never break up this defensive line unless there were special circumstances.
In the forward line, van Nistelrooy had already retired at the end of last season. He left Nottingham and returned to his hometown in the Netherlands to enjoy the days without professional football. He lived a leisurely and contented life in the countryside.
Nicolás Millán and Victor Moses continued to be loaned out. Although Moses was already 20 years old, the competition in Forest's forward line was too fierce. If he was not loaned out, he would not even be able to play. Take a look at the strikers that the Forest team now had: Freddy Eastwood, the Gypsy Rooney who was loved by Tang En in the club and could always save the team at the crucial moment; "Super Ibi" Ibišević, who scored 27 league goals last season and won the English Premier League Golden Boot; "Super Ibi" Ibišević, who was in excellent form and scored a total of 38 goals in the season; and "Ibrahimović the Second" Aaron Mitchell, who appeared out of nowhere in the second leg against Barcelona; and Gabriel Agbonlahor, who, although he often played as a right midfielder, was still considered a striker. He was extremely fast and could act as the most lethal knife in counterattacks. Counting Nicolás Millán and Victor Moses, who might appear in the future, there were six strikers. If Tang En wanted to stick to his 4-5-1 formation in the vast majority of the season's matches, then it would be too intense and cruel for six strikers to compete for one playing spot.
Tang En had been thinking of ways to reduce this number, including not continuing to bring in strikers in the transfer market and letting some of the strikers try to play in more positions. Agbonlahor himself could play in multiple positions, which was naturally for the best. Nicolás Millán could also play on the flanks and should also have a place when he returned to the team. Eastwood was no longer a pure striker after so many injuries. His passing and awareness could help the team's front field and midfield connect well. He was more like a nine and a half. Sometimes, he could even replace Şahin's position, but then he would not be tested on the organization of the attack. That kind of work would be left to Wood and Tiago behind him. Although his shooting skills and awareness were still there, he was far away from the penalty area. He was still not the best candidate for the "1" in the 4-5-1 formation.
Ibišević was in his prime and was the striker that Tang En needed to rely on in the future. Mitchell was still relatively young. Although he was very talented, he needed to accumulate experience and take it step by step. Tang En did not want to spoil things through excessive enthusiasm. Sometimes, he had to deliberately keep the kid in the cold. Fortunately, Mitchell's personality was completely different from Bendtner's. He was very obedient to Tang En, and Tang En did not have to worry about being too strict and forcing him away.
Although Evan promised Tang En that he would have more money to invest in the transfer market this summer, Tang En did not intend to spend money like water. He did not like stingy bosses like Grandet who were never willing to invest a little more money in the transfer market for the team. He also did not like bosses who liked to spend large sums of money and then sign a bunch of players he did not need to stuff into the squad. Twain did not like them either.
The change mainly occurred in the midfield.
In the 4-5-1 formation, the two midfielders at the back were very important. In Nottingham Forest's current lineup, the main players in this position were George Wood and Tiago. There was no need to consider George Wood. Basically, there would not be any major problems. The key here was Tiago.
The Portuguese midfielder had just celebrated his 30th birthday. Although he was still in the golden period of his competitive state, it was an indisputable fact that his competitive curve had begun to go down. As he got older, all kinds of problems would begin to appear. Tang En could not wait until the problem really appeared to find a way to solve it. He had to prepare for a rainy day.
No matter what, this position needed at least three players to facilitate rotation. In today's football world, there were a few outstanding midfielders in the middle, such as Mascherano, Veloso, and Lassana Diarra. However, the three of them could not come. One was the absolute main force of Liverpool, a figure that AC Milan could not take away from Anfield. The second was San Siro's new favorite. The third was to let Real Madrid find the "Makelele II" that they had been missing for many years.
Tang En took a fancy to the Argentine midfielder, Gago, who was not very happy at Real Madrid.
Due to the existence of van der Vaart and Ribéry, as well as Diarra, Gago's living space in Real Madrid was getting smaller and smaller. Originally, when he played at River Plate, he was famous for his style of play and his ability to see the big picture. However, when he arrived at Real Madrid, in order to fight for a chance to play, he had to change his style of play and become an engineer midfielder like Gattuso. Although he worked hard and did not do badly, the situation changed when Lassana Diarra came.
In terms of defensive abilities such as interceptions, tackles, and marking, he was not as good as Diarra. In terms of passing, organization, and long shots, he was not as good as van der Vaart and Ribéry. He looked a little mediocre. His defense was stronger than the likes of van der Vaart, and his offense seemed to be slightly better than Diarra's. However, he did not have any outstanding advantages, which made him a substitute in the star-studded Real Madrid.
He worked hard on the field, but unfortunately, he had been an engineer for so many years that he seemed to have forgotten how to attack. He often made mistakes when he passed the ball forward on the field. As a defensive midfielder, once he made a mistake in the pass, the opponent could directly counterattack. This caused Real Madrid's rear defensive line to be in a mess.
Although he would occasionally have a flash of inspiration, it was too insignificant compared to his teammates around him.
Gago's opportunities to play in Real Madrid in the past two seasons were pitifully few. His Argentine teammate, Higuaín, was doing well.
Although he was not doing well, Tang En saw what he needed from it. In his team, he did not need Gago to run tirelessly in the midfield to tackle fouls and be an engineer like he did in Real Madrid. George Wood could do that kind of work. What he needed was for Gago to display his strong sense of the overall situation, excellent passing, and creative characteristics. In addition, Gago had good endurance and a serious attitude, which Tang En liked. He liked dedicated players, even if they were not geniuses.
It was under such a background that Tang En found Gago's agent.
One side wanted the player, and the other side wanted to leave. Both sides hit it off. Next was the matter of the Forest Club's offer to Real Madrid.
Real Madrid also felt that Gago's current role in the team was not obvious. Rather than keeping him, it was more cost-effective to sell him. After all, he was already 25 years old. No matter what, he could not be considered a "young player with considerable potential." If he had not played at 25 years old, there was basically no hope. Playing in a powerhouse club was certainly glamorous, but the requirements of a powerhouse club were higher and stricter.
The negotiations between the two sides went very smoothly. Nottingham Forest's offer of 10 million pounds was accepted by Real Madrid. Although they had spent 16.5 million pounds to buy him, Real Madrid always did such things — buying at a high price and then selling at a low price, or giving him away for free. Anyway, the rich Real Madrid did not care about this small amount of money. Moreover, Nottingham Forest sold many players to Real Madrid, and the relationship between the top executives of both sides seemed to be good.
Fernando Gago, the Argentine midfielder who had played in Real Madrid for four and a half seasons and was once known as the "second Redondo," wore Nottingham Forest's red number 16 jersey.
He hoped that he could usher in a new chapter of his career in England. Tony Twain hoped that Gago could regain the former glory of the "second Redondo" under him and inject endless motivation into the team's offense.
However, Gago did not seem to have adapted to the new team's style. Whether it was in training or in the warm-up matches, he always followed the way he did in Real Madrid. He was more involved in the midfield defense and contributed little to the offense.
For this reason, Tang En specifically looked for him to discuss this issue.
In fact, the conversation was very simple. In less than a minute, Tang En only said one sentence, and it made Gago suddenly see the light.
At that time, Tang En said this: "Just pass the ball forward. Don't be afraid of mistakes. Don't be afraid of mistakes in passing or dribbling the ball. Don't you have George by your side? Trust him and boldly attack! "
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