Football: The immortal legend on the green field

Martins showed a satisfied expression: "Notify Torres from the youth team to report to the first team!"

"How is the negotiation with Ajax's Brazilian Maxwell going? And Alves from Sevilla, our defense is still a little weak."

"Alas!" Pablo sighed, "We acted too late. The new season is only a few days away. They know we are rich. Maxwell is 26 years old and Alves is 24 years old. They are both in the prime of their careers. Moreover, they are the mainstays of their respective teams' defenses. Their asking prices are not low. Maxwell wants 1000 million and Alves 1800 million. The main reason is that Alves has been selected for the Brazilian national team, so the prices are also rising."

Martins thought about it for a long time and finally made up his mind, "Maxwell can sign directly, Alves' base price is 1500 million. If Sevilla agrees, then sign. If not, forget it."

"Okay! 1500 million should be no problem. With eight players joining in the new season, our first-team will have as many as 42 players. This is too much. I have worked at Atletico Madrid for 10 years and have never been so rich. Even so, we still have more than 3000 million euros in cash, haha..."

"About this point, I was just about to discuss with you how to lose weight!"

"Well! Looks like we have to sell another batch of people." Pablo said with a strange expression; "You are not going to sell Sandy and George Cole?"

These two players were brought in from Barcelona for free by head coach Antic last season. It is really unfair to sell them for money.

(Here is a side note: there is a strange phenomenon in the La Liga. Because they are in the same city, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid are sworn enemies, but are on good terms with Barcelona. On the other hand, the Spanish players in Barcelona are at odds with Barcelona, ​​but often flirt with Real Madrid.)

"I won't do something as stupid as Antić!" Martins snorted; "They will retire after the end of next season and their contracts expire. I'm talking about the other players! Let the assistant coaching staff compile a list of 20 players who are no longer suitable to stay in the team, with ability and age as the main reference."

Pablo was shocked. "Twenty people? Did I hear that correctly?"

"I can't let all 20 of them go, but at least half of them have to go. I think 32 players are enough for the first team."

"Okay! Whatever you want."

"Come on, let's go back to the office."

The two returned to the office and continued to talk about transfer issues in the summer window.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Pablo went to open the door.

A fat man in a suit and tie was standing at the door.

The fat man had a harmless smile on his face and greeted, "Hello, Mr. General Manager!"

"Mendez?" Pablo asked in surprise; "Why are you here?"

Mendes did not answer, but asked, "Is the head coach here?"

"come in."

Pablo invites Mendes to sit down.

"George Cole and Suarez asked you to come?" Pablo asked directly after sitting down.

Mendes is not the vampire who will control the European transfer market in the future. He showed a gentle smile and said, "I am their agent. I have the obligation to help them solve some problems. It happens that both of you are here, so I don't need to talk to you one by one."

Pablo and Martins exchanged glances.

Then he smiled and said, "I know why you are here. You just want to know what our plans are and whether we are willing to let George Cole and Suarez leave, right?"

Mendes continued to smile and said nothing.

Martins was very angry. "As an agent, you approached other clubs on your own without communicating with the club in advance. You are challenging the dignity of the entire professional club. If you succeed, how will the club operate in the future?"

Mendes nodded; "Okay! I was reckless, but you bought Shen Bin, and this club was acquired by his compatriots. You don't need to think about it, and you know George Karl's situation in Atletico Madrid. You really won't let George Karl be a substitute! This is unfair to him."

"Also, Suarez's salary is the lowest in the team. There are seven or eight clubs offering him better treatment. Do you think Atletico Madrid can keep these two players?"

Martins nodded. "So, I just want to emphasize one point, that is, we will never let Suarez go. He is an important piece of my puzzle for the next few years, although it will be difficult for him to play as a starter this season. As for other matters, you can discuss and solve them. I will not disturb your negotiations."

"Is the Champions League so important? We are no longer the poor club that cannot make ends meet. We will increase the salaries of our players next season. George Cole was the absolute main force in the defensive midfielder last season, so we will consider it. Besides, Mr. Martins normally puts two players in the defensive midfielder position in Haarlem. He may not be a substitute. Even if he is a substitute, he is not comparable to Villarreal, a small country town with a population of only 30,000. Are you still going to play?"

"What if George Karl went to Villarreal and their Champions League journey only stopped at the round of 32? You have to be responsible for your employer. He didn't understand as a player, don't you understand either? You have to consider your George Karl's entire career. And those who trained with him and came to the first team together will think so. They will feel betrayed. George Karl is a product of Atletico Madrid's youth training and our captain. We worked hard together and agreed together, but suddenly he changed his mind."

Pablo: "I know they swore together to work hard together to become teammates in the Spanish national team, just like they did in the youth team, and to fight together for the national team. Is he really sure he wants to leave?"

Mendes was somewhat uncomfortable with the continuous rhetorical questions and the direct way of talking that exposed the truth.

Mendes took a deep breath and said, "Since you are so sincere, I will also tell you our bottom line."

He stopped smiling and said seriously, "George Karl has to leave. I have advised him, but it was useless. It is precisely because he has the ambition to play for the national team that he decided to leave Atletico Madrid. Due to the strength of Barcelona in the past two years, the main midfielders of the national team are almost all occupied by talents produced by La Masia. Others can only compete for those pitiful substitute positions."

"He is already ranked around tenth in the national team's midfield pecking order. He believes that the reason why he is not valued by the national team coach is because he has not been able to participate in the bigger platform of the Champions League."

"Also, I have contacted Villarreal. They spent 1200 million to buy Chinese player Deng Zhuoxiang. They are out of money, so they hope to get the right to use George Karl for two years on loan."

Pablo said angrily, "They want to leave, but we didn't force them to leave. If they leave, they don't want to pay. How can this be a good thing? He is not a player outside our plan. If we keep him, we can increase the depth of the midfield. Besides, we have to make money!"

Mendes scratched his cheek, knowing that this request was a bit excessive.

For a moment, neither of them spoke and remained silent.

Pablo frowned; "Suarez stays, and his salary is raised to the same level as the main rotation. George Kerr can leave, 800 million euros, no price reduction. Villarreal will make two payments, 200 million when the contract is signed, and another 200 million before the start of the next season. We own half of George Karl, and all expenses during his time with Villarreal will be paid by them. This is the bottom line."

Mendes gritted his teeth: "Okay! I'll talk to Villarreal."

Although Mendes proposed this condition, Pablo still wants to reduce the risk. Villarreal will face three-line battles in the new season. For a small club, due to the lack of depth in the lineup, the risk of players' injuries will be greatly increased, and this aspect must be considered.

After all, George Karl is a product of Atletico Madrid's youth training system. He has played for the team for six seasons and made great contributions to Atletico Madrid's relegation. He can't be too greedy.

But looking at Mendes' calm face, he had no choice. The players' hearts were no longer here, and there was not much point in forcing them to stay.

He also doesn't want to have too much trouble with Mendes, as he might have to buy players from him in the future. He has many high-quality assets, such as Cristiano Ronaldo who plays for Manchester United.

Let’s part ways in peace!