The managers of the clubs could already start to enjoy a short holiday at this time. Only the managers of the big teams needed to appear in the media from time to time. The players who had national team commitments could not rest, because when the league tournament ended, the national team games were still waiting for them.
On June 11th, England played a friendly game at home against the former South American powerhouse, Uruguay. Four days later, at the new Wembley Stadium, they would face their opponent in the qualifiers, Serbia.
The national footballers could only go on holiday after the game.
England won the game against Uruguay by 2: 1, with Gerrard and Rooney contributing goals. The Uruguayans only managed to score a goal in the 90th minute thanks to the Palermo striker, Cavani.
When they faced Serbia at home, the process was a little difficult. After Mitchell opened the scoring for the team in the opening 11 minutes, Serbia launched a frenzied counterattack, leaving the tired England team only able to parry and unable to fight back. The 1: 0 lead always gave the Serbs hope, so they did not stop attacking for a moment.
It was not until the last minute of injury stoppage time that Agbonlahor, who came on as a substitute in the second half, took advantage of the gap left when Serbia pressed forward with all their strength, hoping to equalize the score. He dribbled the ball over a long distance and scored the decisive goal. England beat Serbia by 2: 0 on their home ground and continued to sit firmly at the top of the group, taking a solid step towards Spain.
Following that, the European football world entered the summer transfer period.
Countless scenes that made the fans look forward to and excited were played out in front of the world.
But for the Nottingham Forest fans, there were not many good memories this summer.
No matter what kind of banners they put up outside the club, no matter how they protested, they did not keep the team's main goalkeeper, the Russian national goalkeeper, Akinfeev. The Russian national goalkeeper, who had won back a lot of glory for the team with his own hands and was named Peter Shilton's best successor in the Forest team, went to Manchester United for 25 million pounds.
Mourinho finally got the stable goalkeeper he dreamed of, and the Forest fans once again launched a protest against the club's top management.
Although the club later brought in Schmeichel Jr., Kasper Schmeichel could not be compared to Igor Akinfeev in terms of strength or reputation.
Not long after, Woodgate also left the Forest team for a transfer of thirteen million pounds and returned to Middlesbrough.
Of course, the most popular Forest players in the transfer market were George Wood, Gareth Bale and Mitchell. If Evan Doughty was willing, the three of them could bring him at least 130 million pounds in transfer fees.
However, Evan Doughty was still rational. He had said more than once that George Wood was not for sale. He was a flag that could not be taken away no matter how much money was offered.
As for the others … As long as the other party could make a crazy offer that moved him, then no one could stop them from leaving.
Of course, there were also people who suspected that if a club made an offer for George Wood that would drive the world crazy, then Evan Doughty would not hesitate to push the Forest team's banner into the transfer market.
Unfortunately, Wood was a defensive midfielder. The clubs that were willing to spend a lot of money on attacking players were not willing to waste too many euros on a defensive player.
On the other hand, Mitchell and Gareth Bale received a lot of tempting offers.
Barcelona made an offer of thirty million pounds and Germany's "Super Mario" Gomez for Mitchell, which moved the Forest team a little.
Even Mitchell wondered if he should play in a different environment. He was unhappy that the higher-ups had sold Akinfeev. Barcelona was also a powerhouse, so it was not a loss to go there.
However, Tang En did not want the team he had built with his own hands to fall apart so quickly. He tactfully told the hesitant Mitchell in his column that the scope of his scouting of players was mainly in the domestic leagues. After all, the foreign leagues were too far away. It was impossible for him to grasp the state of the players playing abroad in time. He also used Lennon as an example to tell Mitchell that going to a powerhouse abroad might not be smooth sailing.
The people of Barcelona must hate Tang En to the core, because even though he was no longer in the position of Forest Team's manager, he still tried to go against Barcelona.
No one could have more influence and status in the hearts of the Forest senior players than Tang En.
Since Tang En tactfully expressed that he did not want Mitchell to play abroad, Mitchell also very obediently chose to stay. His agent was very disappointed, but there was nothing he could do. No matter what, the player's personal will was the decisive factor. Unless he could persuade Mitchell to accept Barcelona's offer, even if the Forest team agreed to Barcelona's offer, the transfer could not be achieved. But clearly, as an agent who had been by Mitchell's side for a long time, his influence on Mitchell could not compare to that of his mentor, Tony Twain.
Mitchell's agent must have hated Tang En to the core. Even when he was making love to his lover, he might have cursed Tang En in his heart.
Gareth Bale's situation was a little more complicated.
Like his teammates, he had received a number of offers that interested clubs. But he was not an England national footballer. Tang En did not have the power to indirectly interfere with his stay or leave.
Whether to leave or stay, it was up to him.
A left back who could both attack and defend was very popular, especially when this left back could also take excellent set pieces.
Bayern Munich, Juventus, and AC Milan all hoped to get such an excellent left back.
But these three teams were not generous local tycoons. The highest offer was 18 million pounds from Bayern Munich.
For Evan Doughty and Allan Adams, this highest offer was simply an insult to them. So they rejected the offers from the three clubs, but did not completely close the door to transfer negotiations. It was still the same thing — as long as there was a crazy offer that satisfied them, no one was not for sale.
When Gareth Bale still did not know where he would play in the future, another Forest player that everyone was familiar with chose to leave.
Matías Fernández left the Forest team for 20 million pounds. His destination was Atlético Madrid in La Liga.
Evan Doughty was not worried that his departure would affect the team's strength because he had Nicolás Millán, who had grown up. But for the fans who had followed the team through its most glorious years, the departure of every player was like a farewell to an old friend, making them reluctant to part.
There were also angry fans who put up protest signs in Wilford: "Mr. Doughty, how many more players do you want to sell?"
Before the voice died away, Jonjo Shelvey was sold for another eight million pounds.
Until the start of the Premier League season, Gareth Bale was still in the transfer vortex.
Although Bayern Munich, Juventus, and AC Milan chose to retreat in the face of Evan Doughty's exorbitant demands, there were new buyers to replace them and fill the vacancies left by them.
In the football world, Real Madrid, the best club of the last century, who had always spent as much as they could and repeatedly set the world transfer fee record, made an offer to Nottingham Forest and offered Bale 27 million pounds.
Evan Doughty was eager to establish a good relationship with Real Madrid through this deal, but Allan told him that if he sold for 27 million, it would make them feel that they were too easy to deal with and would not be interested. So the Forest team counter-offered 34 million pounds.
For a defender, this was not a low price … but it was not an appalling sky-high price. With Real Madrid's wealth, this amount of money was nothing.
As a result, the Forest fans panicked. They knew that they might lose another favorite player. They realized that it was useless to go to the club to protest now, because no one would care about the fans' voices, especially when the club was still his own.
This time they went to plead with the player himself.
Outside the apartment where Bale lived, the fans began to gather spontaneously and then sang the Forest team song and the anthem written for Bale, holding signs asking Bale to stay and Bale's head.
Real Madrid had accepted the Forest team's offer.
This was a bad sign.
Because it meant that Real Madrid could already talk to Bale's agent about the contract. As long as Bale signed the contract, then he would leave Nottingham Forest forever, leaving the team he had been in for twelve years.
The calls for Bale not to go grew louder. Many Forest fans were using various means to hope that their favorite "little monkey" would listen to the fans and not choose to leave. Although they knew that the current Nottingham Forest had nothing to attract people to stay.
"Real Madrid sent the contract text," Bale's agent, who was also his father, said to him.
In the past, Bale lived alone in Nottingham, with his father and mother together. But this whole summer, his father had to be with him.
The fans' singing and shouting continued to come from outside the closed window.
"Gareth! Gareth! Gareth! "
Bale sat on the sofa, listening to these voices, a little confused.
"Real Madrid's offer is very tempting." As a father and agent, he always had to think for his son. He read the contract again.
The father turned his head to look at his son. Apparently, he did not hear what he had just said. He sighed, "If you can't make a decision, I think you can call Mr. Twain."
Bale finally looked up at his father.
"Uh … I think maybe he has some advice, better advice than me as a father." He winked at his son.
Gareth Bale's mind also seemed to light up. When the boss was in the team, he would ask him if he had any doubts. Why did he forget now?
Twain was sitting on the bed, reading a book by the lamp on the bedside table. He wore black-rimmed glasses and frowned slightly. He looked much older than his actual age.
At this time, he and Bale were in the same city. He had also heard a lot of rumors about Bale's transfer, but he did not expect to receive a call from Bale.
"Boss, I need help." This was Bale's first sentence after the call went through.
"What's wrong, Gareth?" Twain asked despite knowing the answer.
"I'm at a loss right now … I don't know what choice I should make." Bale's voice was low, and he was not in high spirits.
Twain was not in a hurry to answer. He listened attentively and found a faint noise coming from the other end of the phone.
"Those fans haven't left yet?" He turned over and picked up the watch on the bedside table. It was almost 11 o 'clock in the evening.
Obviously, Bale also looked at the time. He replied, "They'll disperse in another half an hour." It had been like this for the past few days, and Bale was used to it.
Tang En chuckled silently. "Gareth, are you willing to stay in the Forest team?"
Bale shook his head and answered, "I don't know. I used to be very determined to stay … But after a season, I'm hesitant … "
"You want to hear my opinion?"
"Yes, I do."
Twain was silent for a moment. He removed his glasses from the bridge of his nose and lowered them to the side. Then, he closed his eyes.
He seemed to be recalling his time with Bale, how he had unintentionally met the Welsh kid, and how he had brought him back to Nottingham … and his interesting and talkative father.
"Gareth …"
"I'm listening, boss."
"If I were an ordinary Forest fan, I think maybe I'd also sing in front of your window tonight to ask you to stay …"
"So you want me to stay?" Bale's tone carried a faint expectation.
"Let me finish, Gareth. But I'm a football manager. There are some things that can't be completely left to emotions. Of course, logic doesn't mean that going to Real Madrid is necessarily better than staying in the Forest team. But there are better possibilities than staying here, and there are worse possibilities than staying here. There are many possibilities in the future, and I can't tell you which one is better. If I let you stay, and the Forest team's performance is terrible, then I'll be harming you. If you let me leave, and you lose yourself in the locker room of a powerhouse team, then I'll be harming you. "
Bale listened patiently.
"So, I think you should follow your own initial thoughts. But you're only 25 years old. It's normal for you to want to go out and make a living. "
Twain did not give him a choice, because it was not his business in the first place.
After listening to him, Bale asked, "Boss, from an emotional point of view, do you not want me to leave?"
The question struck a chord in Twain's heart. In fact, from the moment the first Forest player he was familiar with was sold, his emotions could not accept such a reality. So, he tried his best not to pay attention to the transfer rumors related to the Forest team.
Kompany, Pepe, Akinfeev … These people were all heroes who had followed him to conquer the world. As a manager who had poured all his heart and soul into the team, he valued these feelings.
"If it's possible, Gareth, and I mean if it's possible … I'd rather none of you leave." Twain said these words very affectionately, without the slightest unnaturalness, because these were the true thoughts in the depths of his heart. "But …" He emphasized his tone and made a turn.
He was just about to continue when he was quickly interrupted by Bale's words. "No buts, Boss. I know what to choose!"
Then he hung up.
Twain stared blankly at the phone in his hand. He thought he had already guessed what Bale would decide. Although it was somewhat selfish to think so, he was very happy.
Yes, very happy.
He laughed.
※ ※ ※
A day later, in the same place, when the night wind had not yet blown away the heat of the day, there was already a team of no less than a hundred people gathered. They held up banners and Bale's portrait, singing and shouting, trying to use the fans' feelings to win back Bale's heart.
The sports news and media during the day all reported that the negotiations between Real Madrid and Bale had entered a critical stage. Perhaps by the weekend, the matter of Bale joining the team would be announced.
As the current vice-captain of the Forest team, Gareth Bale enjoyed a high reputation among the fans. He came out of the Forest team's youth training camp and was an iconic figure like George Wood. He was optimistic and cheerful. Even when he suffered a serious injury, he did not give up football. He was a key player in Tony Twain's glorious era. The nickname "Little Monkey" reflected everyone's love for him. If such a player left the Forest team, then what kind of confidence could the Forest team give the fans?
As the fans gathered more and more and the singing grew louder, someone noticed that the window that had been tightly shut for the past few days had been opened.
More and more people noticed the change. They stopped singing and shouting and raised their heads to look at the window.
"Are you sure, son?"
Bale's father stood in the room, holding a cell phone in his hand.
Bale stood at the window. The night wind blew the curtains, blew his hair, and also blew his heart. The dark mass of people below seemed to be even more than the people who had gone up to the sky. They all looked up at him.
"Yes, Dad. I've decided. "Bale nodded.
He walked to the window and shook out the thing in his hand. There was an immediate burst of cheers below.
Because he was holding a Nottingham Forest red jersey in his hand.
Behind him, his father dialed Valdano's number. "… Mr. Valdano? I'm … Yes, I've brought his reply … My son … "He turned to look at Bale standing at the window. He was waving to the fans below. There was another burst of cheers at the scene.
"He's very grateful for Real Madrid's interest in him. It's the dream of any professional player to be able to play for a great team like Real Madrid … But my son has reiterated to me his love for Nottingham Forest. He won't sign the contract. He'll stay at Nottingham Forest."
Bale put the team emblem on the Forest jersey to his mouth and kissed it. The cheers below became louder.
"Gareth! Gareth! Gareth! "
"Forest, Forest, Nottingham Forest!!"
※ ※ ※
The next day, Bale's father contacted the media and announced that Bale had decided to stay in the team. This made the Nottingham Forest fans feel completely relieved.
The most disappointed person was probably the Real Madrid president, Florentino Florentino, because the player he favored had rejected his invitation.
The most unhappy person was probably Evan Doughty.
Bale pledged allegiance to the Forest team, but the Forest team's number one did not appreciate it in his heart. His refusal cost him the opportunity to establish a good relationship with Real Madrid and a lot of money …
But on the surface, he also made a speech, expressing that he was happy that Bale had finally chosen to stay, which proved that loyalty was still priceless. He promised that Bale would return to glory with the Forest team.
But everyone was probably booing him in their hearts …
Kerslake then also expressed that he was happy to see Gareth Bale's name in the new season's list. Compared with the president's hypocrisy, the manager's happiness was from the heart. Bale was definitely an irreplaceable player for the team. With him on the left flank, people could rest assured.
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