"Do you want to get something to drink?" Twain pointed to the elevator and asked the two men standing in front of him.
Evan looked at Allan and shook his head. "No thanks. It's probably full of players right now. It's not appropriate for us to appear. Let's go to your room, Tony. "
Twain waved the room key in his hand. "Alright, but other than a few bottles of mineral water, I don't have much to entertain you." Standing in front of his room, he turned around and said to the two guests.
Evan smiled at him, while Allan was expressionless. He stood beside Evan like his bodyguard.
Opening the door, Twain invited the two men in first. He was the last to enter and closed the door behind him.
"That was an exciting match, Tony." Evan congratulated Twain first. Back at the Bernabéu, Twain was either surrounded by reporters or paraded by the players before going to receive the award. Evan Doughty never found a chance to get close to him.
"We had a player sent off. It was a close win." From Twain's point of view, the match was intense but not exciting. He took out three bottles of mineral water from the small fridge in the room and threw them to the two men. He opened the bottle in his hand and drank half of it in one go.
"It's fine as long as we won. Who cares!" Evan was very happy. Nottingham Forest had been established for 149 years. He was destined to become the most successful club chairman in history. He might even be the "greatest." "Also, how do you plan to deal with Pepe's red card?" Evan was not in a hurry to get to the point. "Are we going to appeal?"
Twain looked at Evan, who was deliberately hiding his intentions, and smiled. "Appeal? That red card was not unjust at all. It's normal for the UEFA to issue a fine. The club will just accept it. As for the rest … that has nothing to do with you, Evan. You won't like to argue with those reporters in the media. "Saying this was equivalent to taking responsibility for the matter.
"Alright, I can guess what you want to do …" Evan shook his head. "But I advise you not to go overboard."
"I know what I'm doing." Twain drank another mouthful of the cold Evian water.
"You know what you're doing …" Evan smiled bitterly. He could only smile bitterly. It was rare for Tang En to ask the club to clean up his mess.
Thinking about it carefully, every time Tang En and the media got into a heated argument over the years, the club would always stay out of it and ignore it. Tang En had successfully focused the public's attention on his temper and character, and did not think that it had anything to do with the club. When he was successful, he represented Nottingham Forest, and when he had a bad reputation, it had nothing to do with the Forest team.
Tang En walked to the window, opened the glass window, and switched off the air conditioner. The night wind rushed in and puffed up the curtains. It was quite windy on the eleventh floor.
Along with the wind came the hustle and bustle of the bustling world outside. The sound of car horns on the street below and the drunken singing of the fans became faint and unreal in the whistling wind.
"It's so cool." Tang En opened his arms, as if embracing the night.
"Hey, Tony. Do you have any plans for the holidays? I'm not talking about going to Brazil to commentate on the World Cup. "Evan still didn't get down to business and rambled on.
Tang En was not in a hurry and chatted with him. "I'm with my wife. I'll go wherever she goes. "
"You're such a good husband," Evan praised.
Tang En shook his head unappreciatively. "You only get this chance once a year. I'm not that good. I don't even pass." If not for the fact that he had to maintain his dignity as a manager in front of the players, he would have even brought Shania to his room that night and enjoyed the pleasures of intimacy.
The two of them chatted for a while, during which Allan Adams remained silent. He sat next to Evan as if he was invisible, taking sips from the mineral water in his hands.
Perhaps it was because he realized that Tang En must be very tired after an intense match. Evan finally got to the point. "Actually, Allan and I are here to talk to you about the new contract, Tony."
Hearing him say "new contract," Allan tossed aside his invisible armor and took out a stack of paper from the briefcase he carried with him, handing it to Evan Doughty.
The corner of Tang En's mouth curved. What was to come would come. No amount of nonsense could stop it.
"You said that you wouldn't consider renewing the contract before the Champions League. Now I'm very happy that the Champions League has ended, and it ended with our victory. Now the club has offered you a new contract — it's completely up to date, drafted just after the match ended … Allan has put in a lot of effort. " Evan Doughty was aware of the conflict between Tang En and Allan. He said this in an attempt to salvage the relationship between the two capable players.
Tang En did not look at Allan and did not say anything.
"The remuneration has improved a lot. If you sign this, you'll be the highest-paid manager in England! "Evan Doughty said excitedly. Actually, with his character, he would not be so generous. But he deeply understood what Tony Twain meant to Nottingham Forest. As long as they could keep him, they could earn it back no matter how much money they spent. Had they ever heard of a champion worrying about money?
Tang En extended his hand to Evan. Evan hurriedly handed over the contract in his hands. He continued to describe the beautiful future after the contract renewal to Tang En. "We'll move to a new stadium next season. The ticket revenue will definitely increase. But Nottingham is really too small. We plan to continue expanding into the overseas market. You've won the Treble at the right time! The market is open and the funds are abundant. When the time comes, you'll have the money to buy anyone you want! "
Tang En ignored Evan's passionate speech. He lowered his head and scanned the various clauses on the contract. Evan did not lie to him. This contract was more generous than any he had seen before. If he signed it, his annual salary would be as high as 7.5 million pounds. Although it was not the highest salary for a manager in the world of football, he was already the top deal in the English Premier League. Wenger's annual salary of 5 million was no threat to him.
And this was only the annual salary. It did not include the rewards for winning the championship. For the Godfather of Champions, winning the championship was as easy as taking something out of his pocket. Naturally, getting the prize money was as easy as turning over his hand.
But Tang En did not value it. It was not that he did not love money. It was that he had many ways to earn money. The salary given by the club was only a part of it …
Other than his salary, he also had many endorsement contracts. For example, Armani, the FM series of games, Gillette Razor, and Ray-Ban sunglasses. In addition, he also had a contract with the BBC television station. When the national team played, he would be a guest commentator for the BBC's broadcast of England's games. In addition, his autobiography, "Ten Years," sold quite well. It was in the top three of the British bestseller list for five consecutive weeks, and climbed to the top spot for two weeks. Everyone was full of curiosity about this most unique and mysterious manager in England. Compared to this, the royalties he earned from occasionally writing columns for a few media outlets were simply a drizzle. It was not worth mentioning.
It could be said that in the previous eight-year contract he signed with the club, he had not once asked for a raise. He had set the best example in the team. His supporters thought he was the only manager who did not value money in the tide of commercialized football. There were also people who thought his love for Nottingham Forest could not be measured by money. But in reality, that was only because the 2.7 million pound annual salary was only one-tenth of his annual income in recent years …
Tang En quickly skimmed through the clauses related to his income. He hoped to see more guarantees of his authority written in black and white. When the time came, he would also have evidence to defend his authority.
This was also the last chance he left the club.
But he was disappointed. His authority as a manager was not written in any of the clauses in the contract. Perhaps Evan felt that there was no need to write it, because Premier League managers were already the most powerful managers in the world. Even if their authority today was completely incomparable to that of 20 years ago. Perhaps Evan did not want to write it because he was afraid that Tang En would hold him by the neck if something really happened in the future. It was also possible that this was Allan Adams' idea. Didn't Evan say that this contract was drawn up by Allan? How could he write something that would restrict him in the contract?
Tang En gently shook his head, closed the contract, and handed it back to Evan.
Evan did not expect Tang En to return the contract to him untouched. He had thought that Tang En would take out a pen and sign it without hesitation after seeing the income figures.
"Uh, Tony?" Evan did not take the contract immediately, but asked with some doubt.
Tang En lowered his head, as if he had made a great decision and used all the strength in his body. He looked up and smiled at Evan. "I don't intend to sign it, Evan."
Evan Doughty thought he had heard wrongly. He stared at Tang En with wide eyes, trying to see how much of a joke was in the smile on his face.
Tang En guessed what he was thinking. "Don't look, I'm not joking." He crossed his legs and looked calmly at the club chairman, who was still in shock. Then he looked at the calm Allan Adams behind him. What a pitiful man …
Allan had no intention of saying anything. Tang En did not speak again after he finished speaking. Evan was still in a daze. The room suddenly fell into silence. But the silence did not make people feel awkward, because they had different thoughts and were all thinking about their own things. The noise downstairs outside the window had weakened a little. The police in charge of maintaining law and order must have finally decided to do something.
Time passed, and Evan had long recovered from the initial shock. He had been thinking about why Tang En refused to renew the contract with a face full of uncertainty. Of course, he might have already guessed the answer. For example, it must have been Allan's forced sale of Lennon a year ago that caused them to be hostile to each other … But why was he still thinking about what happened a year ago? Wasn't he being too petty? People always had to look forward. Let bygones be bygones. As long as we're together, what championship title can't we win and what star player can't we buy? What's a Lennon?
But he did not know that Tang En did not care about Lennon or Messi at all, but that his authority had been directly threatened and challenged. He was a person who was a little obsessed with mental cleanliness in this area. As long as something like this happened for the first time, similar situations would only increase in the future, more and more, to the point of annoyance.
In case the Arab lunatics at Manchester City threw out a hundred million to buy George, Tang En was not sure if he could still keep him. Because Allan would definitely intervene. In the eyes of a pure businessman, a hundred million could buy the team three slightly inferior but still world-class midfielders. One to three, which was more cost-effective?
Businessmen would never understand that football was not a numbers game. Some things could not be bought no matter how much money. Did Manchester City spend so much money to win a league title? A loser who did not even win the EFL Cup!
Evan thought for a long time and observed for a long time. He found that Allan and Tony really had no intention of reconciling. So he opened his mouth and said, "I think there may be some misunderstanding between us, Tony …"
Tang En shook his head. "I'm tired, Evan. I just want to rest, stay at home with my wife, and take care of her daily life, like a man who lives off a woman. " He had wanted to directly lay his cards on the table and say, "Allan and I don't see eye to eye, and our ideals are different. There's no need to force each other. We're on different paths." But when it came to his mouth, it became this excuse.
"You have a holiday to rest."
"A holiday of less than a month can't make up for the eleven years I owe Shania." Tang En said this very seriously, without the slightest intention of brushing Evan off. Because what he said was the truth.
But Evan did not believe Tang En's excuse. He frowned and kept shaking his head. "Oh please, don't be like this, Tony … There has never been a manager who left his post at the age of forty-five for this reason. You're still young, okay? You can still achieve greater things! As long as we're together, you'll admit it, right? In the Premier League … No, in the world, only Nottingham Forest is most suitable for you to unleash your talent. We need you, and you need us. "
"I admit it." Tang En smiled and nodded. This was also the truth.
There were his direct troops here, the fans who supported him the most, the media who sang praises for him and played psychological warfare, and a club chairman who most of the time did not have much influence and did not care what he was doing. Perhaps he could only meet one or two of these conditions if he went elsewhere, but Nottingham Forest was the only club in the world that could meet all of them.
Allan Adams might be the only shortcoming here, but he was also the most fatal. He would not be like the jealous women in the soap operas at eight o 'clock, pointing at Allan and loudly questioning Evan, "Do you want me or him? You choose!"
He knew very well that Allan Adams was Evan's business partner and friend for decades. That kind of friendship weighed heavily in Evan's heart. Even if they were to fight for a man's affections, as a distant relative, he would definitely not be able to win.
"I just want to rest, so there's no meaning in the world even if only Forest is suitable for me, Evan."
Evan still thought that Tang En was going to jump ship. "Is it definitely better to go to those big clubs than Nottingham Forest?" After so many years, he had long abandoned his original dream of getting the team into the G14 ranks. This was, of course, directly related to the G14 being disbanded by the UEFA.
"I won't go to Manchester United, Evan. I won't go anywhere … Hmm, maybe to America. Shania's career is basically over there. But I don't know how to coach. Does America have football? I don't know anything about rugby. "Tang En spread his hands and pretended to be relaxed.
Evan stared at the smiling Tang En, as if he was trying to see through him.
Tang En did not continue speaking.
The two of them looked at each other for a while. Then, Evan stood up from the sofa. "I hope you can consider it carefully, Tony. There's still more than a month before the contract expires. This contract … "He patted the contract in his hands." I'll keep it for you. "
He was leaving.
Tang En stood up to send his guest off. "Don't bother, Evan. Now go and find my successor. I'm not doing it anymore. I'm serious, "he said very seriously to Evan at the door.
Evan did not reply. He just walked out the door with Allan.
He remained silent until the two of them walked into the empty elevator. Seeing the elevator door close completely in front of him, he suddenly cursed loudly, "F * ck! How could he do this!! "
Allan continued to be silent at the side, quietly listening to his old friend and boss vent his dissatisfaction like a volcano erupting.
"Who does he think he is?! Is he so great just because he won three championships?! He doesn't want the 7.5 million annual salary. What else does he want?! Tell me, Allan! "
Evan Doughty turned around abruptly and stared at Allan Adams.
"Do you think I've done anything wrong to him? He's spouting nonsense outside. I'm here to clean up after him! I've tried my best to satisfy all his requests. In the eyes of the media, he's practically the overlord of Nottingham Forest. Who still remembers me, the club chairman? But I don't care … I really don't care about that! I just want him to continue coaching this team and continue to win championships for us! He's still not satisfied. He's still … f * ck! "
Evan punched the metal wall of the elevator, making a muffled sound. The elevator seemed to tremble.
"Alright, I know what he's thinking. What bullsh * t accompany his wife? He's just complaining that he doesn't have enough power. How much power does he want? Does he want to directly replace me as the club chairman? That way, no one can control him. " Evan suddenly sneered. "The media touted him as the 'King of Nottingham Forest'. He really thinks he's the king … Ridiculous!"
The elevator stopped. With a ding, the door slowly opened in front of them. They had already reached the first floor.
Evan did not turn back to look at his partner. The anger on his face had dissipated. It was impossible to tell that he had just fiercely cursed in the elevator. He said in his usual tone, "Allan, prepare a list of successors for me. I want to see this list by tomorrow afternoon at the latest. Then we'll start looking for a coach. "
Allan nodded at first. Then he realized that he should at least not show that he already knew everything in front of Evan. So he asked, "Don't we wait until June 30th?"
"A new coach, a new plan, a new lineup. Everything takes time. By then, we'll be too late compared to other competitors."
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