Godfather Of Champions

Gareth Bale gave his dad a call after getting onto the First Team. On hearing that Forest was offering a professional contract, Bale’s father did not wait for him to finish his words before dropping the phone and driving from Cardiff to Nottingham in a rush.

Still, he needed time to get all the way here. Tang En and Bale could not possibly just sit and wait in the office. So, even though they had not officially signed the professional contract, Tang En brought Bale to the training grounds to introduce him to the members of Forest’s First Team.

Wes Morgan was delighted to see yet another player from the Youth Team coming to join them. Although he did not have much status on the First Team, he was still happy to help the newly arrived boy.

Tang En washed his hands of the matter after making the introductions; with a push, he passed Bale off to his team members.

After seeing Bale quickly become friendly with Wes Morgan, Kerslake stepped forward and announced that the day’s training was officially beginning. Meanwhile, Tang En continued standing by the sidelines and supervising them.

To Gareth Bale, the First Team, with the presence of Wes Morgan, George Wood, Kerslake, and Tony Twain, felt no different from the Youth Team he was familiar with. He believed that he would be very happy here and able to quickly adjust to the managers’ demands. He was also sure he would swiftly meet with opportunities to display his abilities.

Wes Morgan took great care of this little brother, helping him out numerous times during training. Tang En took it all into consideration. While Wes Morgan could only play as a substitute fullback from the perspective of his abilities, his warmth as a person was irreplaceable on the team. Because of that, Wes Morgan was also a non-saleable player of Forest.

The training had barely started when Tang En’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

He took it out. It was Allan.

Ever since Allan had taken on the matter of discussing Anelka’s transfer, he had for a while disappeared from Tang En’s sights. Tang En did not know how the negotiations were going; if everything was going well, or if they had gotten into a stalemate. He figured Allan’s call must have something to do with Anelka.

He took quick strides to the rest area on the sidelines and found a quiet corner to pick it up.

“Allan, I almost forgot about you.”

“Ha! I’m sure you know what I’m calling you for, right?” From Allan’s voice, Tang En found it hard to tell if the situation was good or bad; he excelled at hiding his emotions and intent.

“Of course. Other than Anelka, I can’t think of anything else.” Tang En shrugged.

“That’s right. I wanted to confirm your intent towards the French forward. Do you absolutely have to have him, or does it not matter either way?”

Tang En thought briefly. “Doesn’t matter either way.” He could approximately guess the situation; the transfer had probably progressed into a stalemate. “I can wait until Eastwood recovers from his injury. I can even take this chance to search for another forward on the transfer market. But the timing has to be quicker on your end and conclude sooner. Have you met with some trouble, Allan?”

“Mmm…” Allan pondered for a moment. “The two agents have big appetites. They regard the treatment of their younger brother highly. Straight off the bat, they’ve already asked for a signing fee of 1.25 million pounds. And that’s only for the two agents; it doesn’t include what we need to pay their younger brother.”

Hearing Allan relate the matter, Tang En was not angry. Instead, he laughed. He had known that it would be this way, so he was not in the least surprised.

“They’ve always been that way and always will be. You can tell those two guys that Forest’s manager said this: either they accept Allan Adams’ terms, or they can pack up and run back to Turkey! Let them understand their situation. It’s not us, Nottingham Forest, begging to buy Anelka. It’s them who’ve taken the initiative to look for us, hoping for us to give their brother a way out.”

Allan burst out chortling when he heard Tang En’s words. “You’ve been keeping a lid on those words, haven’t you, Tony?”

“Of course. Ever since you intended to speak to them.”

“Oh right, Tony. The team recently bought a Chinese player? What kind of considerations did you have? The Chinese market?”

“You’re not the Marketing Manager for nothing, Allan. Your whole mind is filled with thoughts of market expansions… I bought him because he compliments our team’s abilities well, not for his commercial value. Plus…” Tang En hesitated. “I don’t think that well of the Chinese market. If you’re intending to sell jerseys, we should sign-on a Japanese player. Japanese fans are really easy to rip off.”

Allan laughed and said, “Tony, you aren’t the manager of the Sports Competition Department for nothing either. Market expansion isn’t just about selling jerseys or opening merchandise stores for fans. But the joining of the Chinese player reminded me; I’ve got a new plan. Maybe it’s just because you’re the manager, so whenever you’re signing them on, you believe in looking only at a player’s techniques and their ability to enhance the team’s potency. However, I’m the Market Manager. What I’m interested in is how the players you’ve signed on can broaden the influence of the club and their effects on the market. It’s your job to train players and lead them to win matches and championships. Figuring out how to get the players to help the club make money is mine.”

“You’re right, Allan. We each have our jobs to do. Oh, are you negotiating with Anelka’s agents?”

“Yes.”

“Then what are you doing here, calling me and discussing market development in China?”

“I need to let those two guys cool down somewhat. They’ve probably never seen real money in their lives. If you’re free, we can keep chatting about other stuff. Do you like listening to music? I like Elvis. Is that surprising? In this age, I don’t think there are many who would still like his song. Evan likes Elvis a lot too. Both of us have the same hobbies. We’ve been old friends for many years.”

“I like Queen…Ah, Allan, you’re evil!” Tang En laughed uproariously, attracting even the attention of the players on the field. “You’re just letting the two Frenchmen wait for no reason in the room?”

“Yes. If I hadn’t suddenly remembered the Chinese player, I would have gone to find a room to nap for a bit after asking you about your intentions towards Anelka. Or maybe, I’d have gotten a cup of coffee and some sunshine. There are quite a few cafes on the streets of Paris. I’ll treat you the next time we come. In truth, the taste of the coffee isn’t that crucial… What’s important is the surroundings and the atmosphere. The atmosphere on Paris’ streets goes impeccably with coffee. In that aspect, England is not at all…”

Before Allan, Tang En would admit to a complete defeat. Allan, with his baby face, was easily underestimated by others. But, whenever that happened, the person was in for some bad luck.

“Then, what drink is suitable in America?”

“Cola. Walking and drinking it at the same time.”

The two chatted happily as if they had entirely forgotten about Anelka. Only after a long while did the two finally end their call, and Tang En returned to the sidelines of the training grounds to watch the team practice.

※※※

On the other side, Allan headed to the washroom after hanging up the phone. He faced the mirror and held his breath. His reflection in the mirror got redder and redder, and beads of sweat began to line up on his forehead. His neck also started reddening. He suddenly opened his mouth when he could not hold it in any longer, gasping roughly for air. Leaning heavily with his hands on the sink, he breathed raggedly to satisfy the demands of his lungs of getting fresh air.

As he breathed, Allan reared his head to look at the mirror. Satisfied with his current state, he unbuttoned the top of his shirt and turned to walk out of the washroom.

While Allan and Tang En were laughing and joking with each other over the phone, both Claude Anelka and Didier Anelka were becoming impatient waiting in the hotel room.

When Allan left, he had told them he was going to give the team’s manager a call to inform him about their terms. Who knew he would be gone for so long…

Each time they heard footsteps in the corridor, the two would straighten up their posture. But each time, it was not Allan returning It was very frustrating.

When Allan opened the door, he immediately noticed the two Frenchmen leaning back on their chairs, looking bored stiff. Naturally, he pretended not to see the astonishment on their faces and said to the both apologetically, “I’m sorry about making you wait for so long.”

“Ah… it’s no matter. Can we continue now, Mr. Adams?”

Allan Adams sighed. “What I’m even more sorry about is… Our main manager Tony Twain, does not intend on accepting your terms. I argued with him for a long time, but he insisted on his opinion that Anelka is not a player that he needs. I’m sure you all know, but I am immensely keen on bringing Anelka into the team. From the beginning, he was against the idea. So… if he isn’t agreeable, I’m afraid there aren’t any other options. You must understand; the team is under his charge. Furthermore, our club’s chairman, Mr. Evan Doughty, has extremely good relations with Mr. Twain…” he shrugged. “I’m truly sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. He says, if you don’t accept the current terms offered by Forest, then there is no need to continue transferral negotiations.”

Anelka’s brothers were utterly boggled.