Football giants

Chapter 364 Isn't It Money?
"Sporting Lisbon's van Wolfswenkel with the ball..."

"Varane intercepted the ball beautifully and handed it to Javi Martinez."

"Harvey Martinez made another pass, to Strowman."

"The Dutchman stopped the ball, turned around, passed behind with his left foot, and passed the ball over the top!!"

"Beautiful, Drogba, goal!!!!"

"GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!"

"At No. 807 minutes into the game, Southampton made another victory, three to one!"

"Drogba, Southampton's third goal scorer, is also the best player in this game!"

"The Saints' two previous goals came from his assists. One was to give Strowman a chance to make a long-range shot, and the other was to help James Rodriguez score!"

"Two passes and one shot, Drogba's performance is amazing!"

The entire office was so quiet that only the roar of the commentator came from the TV.

And the overwhelming cheers from the fans in the stands at St. Mary's Stadium.

The two are intertwined and converge into an impressive wave of sound.

This is Southampton's devil's home court!

Watching the scene of Drogba and Southampton players cheering and applauding on the TV screen, the chairman of Manchester City, Al Mubarak, sat on the sofa with a livid face.

But the soft and comfortable sofa made him feel uncomfortable at this time.

"Southampton is too strong!"

The British middle-aged man in his fifties sitting on Mubarak's left sighed, shook his head and smiled wryly.

He was Manchester City's director of football, Brian Marwood, a former Arsenal winger.

"Who said it wasn't? The midfield composed of Strowman, Toni Kroos and Vidal completely suppressed Sporting Lisbon. Once the midfielder is suppressed, Sporting Lisbon is over!"

The speaker was seated to Mubarak's right hand, the club's acting chief executive, John Mike Biss.

After the former CEO Gary Cook resigned because of the email scandal last year, John Mike Biss temporarily acted in this position, and he did a good job, but there is still a certain distance from his recovery.

Mubarak stared at the TV screen in dismay.

Although neither of the opponents had anything to do with Manchester City, they insisted on sandwiching Manchester City in the middle.

Not long ago, Manchester City suffered a disastrous defeat to Sporting Lisbon and was eliminated from the Europa League in a desperate manner.

Although coach Mancini explained after the game, leaving the European arena will help the team to focus more on the Premier League.

But such an explanation, in the eyes of everyone, seems somewhat pale and powerless.

Because, now Manchester City is still behind Manchester United in the Premier League standings.

Furthermore, with Manchester City's current bench thickness, it is completely feasible to fight on two fronts.

Giving up the European arena for the sake of the league, such a reason can only fool ordinary fans.

I didn't see Southampton fighting on four fronts, and they have won two championship trophies so far.

Could it be that the Saints' four-line battle is easier than Manchester City's two-line battle?

Thinking of this, Mubarak couldn't help but have a doubt in his heart.

"Why can Southampton beat Sporting Lisbon so easily but we can't?"

This question from the chairman of the club stunned both the left and the right.

how to answer?

Mubarak didn't seem to see the thinking and embarrassment of the two assistants on the left and right, and continued talking as if talking to himself.

"The same midfielder, we have Gareth Barry, Yaya Toure, David Silva, David Pizarro, James Milner, De Jong, Hargreaves and a group of first-class and even top stars who are well-known in Europe and the Premier League."

"Why are the three little-known stars of Southampton able to suppress Sporting Lisbon in such a mess, but our star-studded midfielder can't do it at all?"

Mubarak didn't get angry, he was just asking about his own doubts and incomprehensions.

Brian Marwood and John McBees looked at each other, and they all saw the meaning in each other's eyes.

The chairman and the boss behind the scenes are dissatisfied with the current situation of the team!

From the acquisition of the team in [-] to now, Manchester City has invested nearly one billion pounds in the transfer market, with a net investment of nearly [-] million pounds, which is many times more than Southampton, but their results in the European competition are so much worse than Southampton.

More importantly, Southampton is a Championship team!
Anyone who changed this would definitely be dissatisfied.

In the end it was John McBeess who spoke.

"Actually, Southampton's midfield configuration is also very strong. Strowman is the main midfielder of the Dutch national team and also serves as the vice-captain. He can be regarded as the fastest-rising midfielder in the Netherlands in recent years. His momentum has even surpassed that of De Jong."

"It goes without saying that Vidal is the main force of the Chilean national team. The World Cup in South Africa has been brilliant, and now it has attracted the attention of many wealthy teams. Toni Kroos is a well-known genius midfielder who spent 6000 million pounds on the Saints..."

When Mubarak heard this, he waved his hand, "They didn't spend a penny!"

After being interrupted, John McBees smiled awkwardly.

Insiders have been rumored that Toni Kroos was actually pocketed by Abramovich.

Even the salaries of Toni Kroos, Drogba, Matic, Sturridge and others were all given by Abramovich.

It is said that it was because Abramovich made a bet with Yang Huan and lost miserably!

Of course, this kind of thing can only be whispered in the small circle, and no one will tell the outside world.

It's as if Southampton distributed millions of pounds in bonuses on the same day after winning the League Cup. Most people in this circle know and marvel at Southampton's generosity, and even some media know it.

But no one will announce it.

Even Ferguson and Wenger remained silent this time!

And this time Southampton did it more cleverly than before, and no one got caught.

What can be said and what can't be said, everyone in the mob knows by heart.

This can be regarded as the unspoken rules of the industry!
"Southampton's entire lineup configuration is very reasonable. Strowman, Toni Kroos and Vidal are three different types of styles. Bielsa integrated them together, and the effect came into play."

Brian Marwood was born as a professional football player. He looks at problems professionally and hits the nail on the head.

"Compared to Toni Kroos, who was introduced with a lot of money but only performed quite well, Stroman can be said to be the thickest thigh in Southampton's midfielder this season. He is almost proficient in passing, organization, defense, and offense..."

"This player can be said to be one of the Saints' most improved players in the past two seasons. From being selected for the Dutch national team, to a substitute, to the main force, and now an important member of the Dutch national team's midfielder, and even serving as the national team's vice-captain, this player's strength has improved rapidly, which can be seen."

"Vidal is both offensive and defensive. He is a typical box-to-box player. He plays a role similar to Yaya Toure. Toni Kroos is a midfielder commander. He has a general demeanor, but he needs to further refine and grow. It's a pity that his worth is as high as 6000 million pounds. It's still a loss. Only Strowman is the most eye-catching, and his performance is also the most impressive!"

Mubarak looked at Brian Marwood, "Didn't Mancini say before that the team lacks a solid central defender and a midfielder with excellent organization and passing skills?"

"Yeah!" Marwood nodded immediately, "As for the central defenders, AC Milan's Thiago Silva, Juventus' Chiellini, and Southampton's Harvey Martinez, these three players are our targets."

"In midfield, just three players, Southampton's Stroman, Tottenham's Modric and Benfica's Witsel."

Gareth Barry, as a midfielder, is considered very good among England's local players.

But compared with players such as Modric, Stroman and Witsel, it is still not as good.

"Harvey Martinez, Stroman?"

Mubarak read the names of the two players, as if muttering to himself.

Harvey Martinez switched to Southampton last summer.

But as soon as the Spanish international came to England, he immediately withdrew from the original midfielder to the central defender.

The result was this change of position, but the commander-in-chief of Southampton's defense was replaced!

The defense is stable and experienced, the ball is accurate and decisive, has the ability to organize the ball, and has the overall view of the game.

Coupled with the assistance of three players, Varane, Gary Cahill and Nastasic, Southampton's defense cannot be said to be top-notch, but it fits the team's entire tactical system very well.

"Is Southampton willing to sell?" Mubarak asked suddenly.

Brian Marwood was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head, "I don't know, but there should be a chance. I heard that the Saints plan to discuss contract renewal with Strowman."

The so-called contract renewal means that either the player's contract is about to expire, or the player has performed well and asked for a salary increase.

Stroman has only joined for two seasons, and the contract does not expire so soon.

Therefore, it can only be the latter.

"Many teams are now eyeing Strowman. Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Roma are all interested in him. There is also news that Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich all want to introduce Harvey Martinez."

Hearing this, Mubarak was envious and jealous, and at the same time shook his head with a bit of distress.

"It seems that this saint is full of treasures!"

John Mike Biss took the opportunity to interject, and said with a smile: "Who said it wasn't? Neymar, Isco, Varane, Carvajal and other young players are already attracting attention. The team performed well in the Europa League this season. Now they beat Sporting Lisbon [-]-[-] at home in the semi-finals and entered the final with one foot. I am afraid that this group of players in the team will be targeted!"

Someone robs, the competition is fierce, and the player's value naturally soars.

John McBees's words reminded Mubarak.

The season is coming to an end, if you want to make transfers and recruits, you have to hurry up now.

Many fans think that the most troublesome thing about transfers is the transfer fee negotiation, but it is not.

The most time-consuming part of the transfer operation is often the negotiation of personal treatment between the club and the players, and there are too many side details.

Therefore, in the transfer of many stars, the club and the player's agent often negotiate the personal treatment first, and then conduct in-depth negotiations on the transfer price with the opposing club.

John McBeece also had his own calculations in mind.

He is now the acting chief executive, while City have been looking for a chief executive, and once selected, he will have to go back and continue to be his manager.

However, if he can participate in and take charge of the team's transfer operation during this period of agency, then even if a new CEO comes in the future, even if he is deprived of the title of CEO, he can still participate in the transfer operation, and his power will be much greater than before.

At that time, he was still a member of Manchester City's core management.

Mubarak did not think so much, after all, the practice of the transfer market is indeed the case.

So the Middle Eastern people nodded, "As for Harvey Martinez and Stroman, you go talk to Southampton immediately."

John McBeess nodded in agreement.

"Oh, by the way, there is also Neymar, this star is also quite good, let's see if Southampton is willing to let go!"

"Okay!" John McBeess was excited now.

Three transfers, even one successful operation, is a great credit.

Mubarak has his own agenda.

Next season, Southampton will be promoted to the Premier League.

With the fighting power shown by the Saints this season and the team's huge lineup, the competition in the Premier League next season is bound to become extremely cruel.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and this Southampton!
Seven teams compete for the top four in the league, how tragic!

That being the case, it is better to forcibly poach corners first, which not only weakens competitors, but also strengthens its own strength.

Isn't it just money?
Just dig a few more barrels of oil!

What a big deal!

(End of this chapter)