Godfather Of Champions

With regards to Sun Jihai, Twain’s attitude towards him was very complicated. He personally persuaded him to come to Nottingham Forest in the first place. There was no denying that Sun Jihai was originally here because he was Richards’ replacement. It might not be fair to Sun Jihai himself to put it this way, but it was the case. But Twain was well aware of Sun Jihai’s performance after he came to the Forest team. He was a dedicated professional player. His attitude made up for the lack in his level. Overall, Twain was relatively satisfied. There was no incident other than some Chinese media which complained that Twain had not given Sun the main position.

But as his age increased and the frequent occurrence of injuries, it was indisputable that he gradually lost his place in the team. Now Sun Jihai could not even play as the substitute defender. More often than not, he could only be with the reserve team to participate in the games. Even if the Forest team was extremely short of people, Twain did not give him any chance.

During the period, the Chinese media attacked Tony Twain for being unkind to the Chinese player.

But Nottingham Forest was not a charitable organization. The players who did not have the ability and could not keep up with the team’s needs would naturally be eliminated. Sun Jihai was not a direct line of descent of the team and was not an indispensable player. Even if he highly motivated… he was not the only one with a high drive in Nottingham Forest.

Sun Jihai’s contract with the team officially expired next summer. Twain had no plans to give Sun Jihai a new contract. Not only that, he decided to sell Sun Jihai this summer. Now there were two EFL Championship teams which had expressed interest in Sun Jihai. They would not lose too much if the deal was managed well.

Both Sheffield United and Crystal Palace wanted to get the Chinese all-rounded defender.

But they had only expressed their intention to buy and had not yet made an official offer.

Just as Twain decided to wait and see for a period of time, Evan approached him in the hope that he would reconsider the contract renewal with Sun Jihai.

Twain was surprised when he heard the request.

“What’s the matter, Evan? I remember that we previously had a common view of Sun Jihai’s future.”

Evan smiled and did not immediately answer Twain’s question. Instead, he brought up Allan’s matter. “Didn’t you always tell me that plans can’t keep up with changes? You know Allan’s been out there looking for sponsorship for the new stadium project. He first found the Arabs. Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium was built with the backing of the Emirati people, at the cost of a decade’s naming rights. I think this is a very suitable price. But…” He spread his hands.

“The Arabs have agreed to fund the project, but they asked for a spokesman for the clubs to nominally monitor whether their funds are used appropriately. As a matter of fact, … I don’t have to spell it out and you understand, don’t you?”

Twain nodded.

“I don’t want to add a senior manager in the club that I’m not familiar with, no matter how much money he represents behind him.” Evan Doughty said with a laugh. But it let Twain understand that the man actually had a big appetite for power.

“Furthermore, China has done quite well in the worldwide financial crisis. So, Allan set his sights there…”

At this point, Twain finally interjected, “Have you found the moneybags from China?”

“Not yet.” Evan shook his head.

It was odd but Twain was somewhat sorry.

“In other words, rethinking the contract with Sun Jihai . . . Is it because we want to send out some hints to potential investors in China?” Twain was not stupid. He quickly straightened out the relationship between the two.

“Dunn told me that people in China are very disappointed with their own football. Under such circumstances, the only thing that can make the Chinese fans feel a little proud, besides Dunn himself, is the Chinese player, Sun Jihai still playing for the Forest team. He is now the only player from China who still plays in Europe’s top leagues.”

Shao Jiayi, who originally played for Cottbus, had been put up for sale by the team and sold to 2. Bundesliga. Zheng Zhi was also struggling in the English Football League Championship. Every time there were rumors that a certain Premier League team interested in him, it was ultimately just wishful thinking on the Chinese people’s part.

As for those young players whom high hopes had been placed…. they were currently not doing well.

Against such a backdrop, Sun Jihai and Dunn were the only solace for those Chinese fans.

Dunn was the hope of the Chinese coaches, while Sun Jihai… was obviously not the players’ hope, but he could long been considered the most successful out of all the Chinese players abroad. And it was estimated that for a very long time, there would not be a successor who could surpass his current position—the first Chinese player to go abroad, the first Chinese player to make his appearance in the European arena, the first Chinese player to score in the European arena, the first Chinese player in the UEFA Champions League, the first Chinese player in the English Premier League, the first Chinese player to win The Double… the countless “firsts” that were tagged on him by the enthusiastic Chinese media and fans.

Looking at these achievements, he really deserved the title of “The first successful Chinese player.”

Even if he was old, his form had declined and he made few appearances, as long as he was still on the Forest’ First Team squad list every year at the start of the new season, it was the biggest consolation for the Chinese fans who had no other demands.

Twain felt very sad. The greatest consolation in for the country’s football could only play as the second team substitute and was already on the verge of being abandoned by the team.

“I see.” Twain nodded and said, “I will reconsider giving Sun Jihai a new contract. But he must accept a pay cut. You know, he’s not in my plans for the new season.”

Sadly, the greatest consolation was already of little competitive value for the Forest team. The only reason he could stay was simply because the club wanted to use him as a cover to drum up funds from China. He went from a professional player to a flag hanging in front of the door to attract the bankrollers.

Evan left with a satisfied smile, and Twain looked at the two clubs’ faxed requests for quotes on the table in a daze.

If he wanted the two clubs to make their offers, how much would Sun be worth?

A million? Or a million and a half? Maybe… not even a million?

Sun Jihai’s presence in the team was minimal, perhaps because he was Chinese and relatively low-key. His lifestyle habits were not the same as the other European teammates. He never attended those parties with a lot of sexy girls to set the mood. He also did not go to nightclubs to relax. After each day’s training, he drove home alone to spend time with his wife and children. He would play with their children in their grassy backyard. Twain had once accompanied Dunn to Sun Jihai’s house for a small Spring Festival celebration in the previous year’s Spring Festival. While Dunn and Sun Jihai chatted in Mandarin, Sun Jihai mentioned his desires—“in fact, I don’t have many desires for life. I’m here alone to make money, to feed my wife and children. How can I not work hard? My wish is to work hard and make money. Make more money while I still can. I can live a better life after retirement. I don’t think about anything else… My teammates are really good to me, but I can’t hang out with them. After all, we are not from the same world.”

His life was so simple that it was boring, but he was long used to it. Playing in Nottingham was a job for him. His children had gone to school in Nottingham and were educated in England. But when he retired, Twain believed the family would return to China immediately. With the savings from the years he had worked hard in the United Kingdom, he could live like any ordinary Chinese.

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Sun Jihai did not know the connection between the club and China that surrounded him. He also did not know if his fate and future had changed somewhat due to these things.

His agent had previously informed him that two English Football League Championship teams wanted him to join. Sun Jihai wanted to see what the Forest team had to say first. Anyway, there was still one year left in the contract. He was not in a hurry to sell himself. If he were to join those teams in a year’s time on a free transfer basis, he could perhaps attract more buyers.

On top of that, after the team’s vacation ended, he only came to the training ground on time every day to train, and then drove home after the training. He would occasionally receive several media reporters from China, sign autographs for the Chinese students outside the training ground or somewhere else and take photos with them. He spent his days the same way as any previous season.

Until one day, Tony Twain called his agent, wanting to discuss the contract renewal negotiations with him.

The news surprised Sun Jihai—he was not an idiot, nor a hot-blooded teenager who liked to let his imagination run wild. He was aware of his place in the team. If the Nottingham Forest club was smart enough, the best option would be to sell him this summer. In that way, they could still receive a little money. Otherwise, after a year, they would get nothing. He thought so because he was certain that the team would not renew his contract.

He did not expect Twain to want to talk to his agent about renewing his contract.

His agent was not surprised by it. He vaguely heard that the club’s marketing manager, Allan Adams was campaigning in China.

He felt he could secure a good contract extension for both Sun Jihai and himself.

Twain gave Sun Jihai a new contract for a two-year extension starting from the summer, but Sun Jihai must accept a fifty percent pay cut.

Sun Jihai’s Chinese agent rejected Twain’s contract. He thought it was totally unacceptable to reduce the pay by fifty per cent. Because this contract was not based on the original contract to renew two years. Originally in the new season, Sun Jihai could still take one hundred percent of his salary. Once the contract was signed, he would lose half of his income. This was the main reason why he disagreed.

They could completely turned down the contract and had no qualms taking one hundred percent salary for a year until the contract expired next year before they moved to another team on a free transfer.

However, Twain would never agree to the other party’s proposed condition that the salary level remained the same. The team was now racking its brains to cut costs and control spending. If Sun Jihai left this summer, it would benefit everyone. As it happened, Allan wanted to seek provincial moneybags in China who were willing to foot the bill for his new plan, so Sun Jihai had become an important player. Even so, Twain would not have allowed a contract for a second team substitute to be offered the same salary as before.

He laid his card on the table to the other party that Sun Jihai’s level was no longer worth his original salary—he certainly did not put it in those exact terms as it would be too hurtful to say so. He spoke tactfully. He only gave the Chinese agent an example that no club in the world would offer such a contract for a player who was soon retiring. Even if AC Milan’s Maldini had to accept a pay cut, what more a Chinese player?

The agent also made it clear—since the club thinks that Sun Jihai still has his uses, then you should meet our requirements.

Twain said it was not possible. He could meet reasonable requirements, not the sky-high asking price. So, in order to show good faith, they should simply meet each other halfway—a twenty-five percent pay cut.

The proposal was approved by the other party. Then it was simple. Everyone would meet together, sign the papers, and have a glass of champagne to celebrate.

Sun Jihai would continue to belong to Nottingham Forest for the next two years. He would be thirty-four years old when his contract expired. At that time, whether he intended to continue to make a living in England or return to China to play for Dalian Shide, it was not something Twain had to worry about. Moreover, maybe next summer there could be a few inquiries and faxes on how much Sun Jihai could be sold, would appear in his desk again.

If Allan could really attract money from China, then who would worry about whether Sun Jihai would still be able to stay in the team?

Twain was not a philanthropist for Chinese football. He had no time to cultivate a savior for Chinese football, or to establish a flag-bearer.

After Sun Jihai’s affair had been settled, there was good news on the other side.

Agbonlahor laid the cards on the table with the Aston Villa club. In a private discussion with Martin O’Neill, he told the manager that he wanted to play for Nottingham Forest. The reason was simple: he had confidence for Tony Twain. He believed that going to Nottingham Forest could satisfy his desire to win honors. Tony Twain was a manager who could lead him to victory and glory, even if he had just recovered from a heart attack.

Martin O’Neill could not convince Agbonlahor. The boy was apparently captivated by Tony. Twain’s charisma.

Aston Villa began to seriously consider how much of a price tag would be enough for Agbonlahor…

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Three days later, Nottingham Forest announced that they were signing the nimble striker, Gabriel Agbonlahor from Aston Villa for a transfer fee of sixteen million pounds.

In the new season, Agbonlahor would wear the number 18 jersey left by Arshavin. He would run unhindered through the Forest team’s front field and crush each of their opponents with speed.

After Anelka, Twain finally had a fast striker of true significance.

If it was previously said that van Nistelrooy and Žigić were more like a heavy hammer, Agbonlahor was like a sharp dagger. With hammers and daggers, Twain could easily face all styles of enemies …