Godfather Of Champions

“Is it true? Has the boss really decided to come back?”

Before the start of training, the players gathered in groups of three or four to chat while they waited for the manager on the training ground. The topic was naturally the news that had just been announced yesterday – Tony Twain would return to coach Nottingham Forest.

Joe Mattock looked at Bale eagerly, hoping to get confirmation straight from his mouth.

“Isn’t it all written clearly on the official website? It was even reported on the news,” Bale said with a shrug, but he could not suppress the smile on his face. “This time it’s true!”

“Ha! I knew the boss wouldn’t stand by and do nothing! Now that the team’s results are so poor, who can turn things around? Only Tony Twain!” Mattock danced and gesticulated with joy.

“Shh! Lower your voice!” The defender Nkoulou hurriedly put his index finger to his lips and signaled for them to tone it down. “Don’t let Freddy hear it!”

“Don’t worry. I think Freddy will be the happiest, knowing that the boss is coming back,” Mattock said, shaking his head.

As his teammates were discussing this intensely, Mitchell put his hand on Wood’s shoulder and said to him with a smile, “Are you relieved, George? The boss is finally back.”

“There’s little over half a season left,” Wood replied expressionlessly.

“Don’t be too demanding, George. I’m content that he is able to return for however long. Look at the guys! I think even if we meet Manchester United again in the next game, we can win, even if it is an away game.”

While many people were happy with Twain’s return, some people took exception to it, like the Italian player, Balotelli. Now he could not be bothered to focus his attention on the return of a former manager. His agent told him that a transfer in the winter was not a good move. If he could put it off until the summer, he would be able to fight for more in terms of the package. Now Balotelli’s mind was full of thoughts on the transfer away from the Forest team. He did not care what the team’s next results would be. He was already 28 years old and did not have enough prime years to spend on such a team.

With the news of Twain’s imminent return announced, the team was clearly divided into two factions. One of which was naturally Twain’s original players, waiting with joy for his return. The other group was those players who had nothing to do with Twain. They had come to the Forest team one by one in the last few seasons. They did not know how the new manager would treat them. Would they still be able to guarantee their current main positions and continue as the main players in the future? Would the fate of the formerly fringe players in the team change? These questions lingered in their minds and caused them to feel ill at ease. Some people even informed their agents in advance that if the new manager did not cooperate with them, they should leave without delay.

Before Twain had officially become the Forest team’s manager, there was already an undercurrent of turbulence within the team. Without knowing all these things, had Twain, who was far away in Spain, considered it?

※※※

The sun shone much brighter in Spain than in Britain. The damp salty sea breeze felt soothing on the face as it blew. Twain sat in an open-air cafe with a cup of coffee in front of him. A view of the beach stretched into the horizon. Although today was not a weekend or a holiday, plenty of visitors could still be seen on the beach. The wind made the waves roll, and the crashing sounds drowned out the playful beach activities.

However, he was not in a relaxed frame of mind that would allow him to play in the water. He was not here in Barcelona, Spain, on vacation this time. At present, he was waiting for someone.

The terms ‘flush with success’ and ‘smug’ were just about right to describe the football agent, Xia Yang, of today. Four years ago, he was just a moderately well-known agent in China, making a living by introducing young players to Eastern European and South American clubs. He might seem to know the European clubs very well as portrayed in the Chinese media, but in fact, those relationships were only obtained through his groveling and shameless pestering. The big shot agents could directly make calls to the clubs’ managers and chairmen. Whereas he had to make an appointment in advance to meet with an Eerste Divisie team’s manager to see if the other party had the time, or whether they were in the mood … If he had not been thick-skinned, he could hardly make it in this line of work.

However, things were different now. Although he was not a big shot like Mendes in Europe, he did not need to beg, borrow, and steal to promote his own players either. He would receive many calls from European clubs every year, hoping that he could recommend cheap and good quality East Asian players, or help pull strings and establish connections to build cooperation with China. He had also become a well-known top-notch agent. He no longer limited his scope to introducing young Chinese players to the moneyless Eastern Europe and South America clubs. He even started a sports industry development company, introducing some foreign clubs interested in the Chinese market to play commercial games in China, from which he took a cut and made a lot of money.

All these changes should be credited to the young man he took an interest in at the time.

When Chen Jian was recalled to England for the second time by the Forest team and given a place in the youth team, there was no media coverage of the matter in China. However, Xia Yang used the channels he had from his long-term connections in European football to hear about the news. The professional agent’s keen perception made him think that this might be an opportunity – in fact, he was not interested in Chen Jian’s future at the time, but in establishing a relationship with Europe’s then most powerful club, Nottingham Forest, through Chen Jian. Long-term cooperation in the future would not be an extravagant hope. It was like Mendes gave Pepe to Twain for cheap.

During Chen Jian’s years at the Forest team, his relationship with the team did not progress as well as he had imagined. Although the Chinese media hype made him a little famous due to his connection with Chen Jian and the Forest team, Chen Jian’s prospects and his own aspirations all came to nothing when Tony Twain spectacularly announced his resignation after winning the Treble. Without a choice, he accepted Chen Jian’s suggestion and did not talk to Nottingham Forest about renewing his contract. Instead, he let the Forest team put him on loan once again, while they slowly looked for the right team to take over. As the player under him and, moreover, the player who once brought him some fame, Xia Yang had really hoped that Chen Jian could have a good team to belong to. In the end, the Forest team found him a team in Eredivisie and loaned him out again.

No one thought that Chen Jian, whom no one was optimistic about, would actually forge a path in Eredivisie. At the end of the first season, Xia Yang received numerous transfer offers from clubs in different national leagues. This included a fax from RCD Espanyol in Spain’s La Liga.

Through making contacts and communication, Xia Yang was even more surprised to find that RCD Espanyol’s intention to buy Chen Jian was definitely not a whim. When Chen Jian was still playing for FC Volendam, their football scouts had already noticed him. After watching him for three seasons, they finally decided to make a move. At that time, Chen Jian contract with Nottingham Forest had also expired. The Forest team did not intend to continue to provide a contract for the worthless Chinese player. If they were to transfer Chen Jian at this time, they would not have to spend a single cent on the transfer fee, which was a very attractive condition. Xia Yang also took the opportunity to play up the cheap deal and said that Chen Jian was a “bargain” and an investment with lots of upsides and absolutely no risk.

At that time, the Eredivisie team, which had loaned Chen Jian, also wanted to sign him. However, after Xia Yang and Chen Jian discussed this, they felt it was time to go to a bigger stage. In this way, Chen Jian joined RCD Espanyol, which ranked mid-stream in La Liga then.

García González, RCD Espanyol’s football director at the time, described Chen Jian as “a younger George Wood.” He believed that Chen Jian’s dogged fighting spirit and clear-mindedness shown in the midfield were exactly what the team needed.

For a Chinese player to make his mark in European football, it was far from enough to rely on his own strength. He also needed luck and opportunities. Chen Jian had pretty good chances. Nottingham Forest was first interested in him and then the RCD Espanyol football director thought highly of him. Without those opportunities, even if he had the ability, perhaps he would have continued to play in the lower-level leagues.

Chen Jian has gradually shown his ability in RCD Espanyol after going through about half a season of adaptation. He managed the defense and offense in the midfield in a smooth and orderly manner. He gradually established himself in the main starting position in the La Liga team.

For a Chinese player, to be able to play in a team in one of the four big leagues was a remarkable achievement. Even those players who only occasionally played as substitutes in the lower level leagues would receive lengthy coverage and sustained interest from the Chinese media. This was doubly so for Chen Jian, who was trusted and liked by his teammates, coaches, and fans based on his own strength, rather than playing in a mid-stream team in La Liga sponsored by Chinese companies.

In fact, the Chinese fans were very self-aware. They did not expect Chen Jian to become a world-class star player. It was enough as long as he could secure a main position in a team.

During the weekly broadcast of La Liga games, RCD Espanyol received more attention than the traditional La Liga powerhouse teams such as Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Although he initially wanted to start his professional football career at Nottingham Forest, Chen Jian did not expect to fulfill his dream with RCD Espanyol in the end.

Now, his five-year contract would expire in a season and a half. However, Xia Yang was in no hurry to negotiate another contract with RCD Espanyol.

These four seasons had not only enhanced Chen Jian’s reputation and strength but also expanded Xia Yang’s horizons. In any case, RCD Espanyol could not even guarantee to participate in the UEFA Europa League (formerly the UEFA Cup) every season. Xia Yang currently deemed the team’s level to be not high enough. Chen Jian was 28 years old this year, which was the golden age of a professional footballer. He did not want his ace player to spend his last playing years in such a team. If there were better options, why should he not leave?

Therefore, starting a season ago, Xia Yang has asked for sky-high prices in the negotiations with RCD Espanyol. He not only asked for Chen Jian to get the highest level of wages in the team but also demanded a huge signing fee. RCD Espanyol was only a small team and could not meet Xia Yang’s demands, so the two sides were in a deadlock. It dragged on until this summer and still remained unresolved. RCD Espanyol now seemed to have figured out that the Chinese player obviously wanted to play in a higher-level team. Originally, selling players that other clubs were interested in to make money was the way for clubs like RCD Espanyol to survive. Even though Chen Jian was the core of the team’s midfield, if there was a club that could offer the right price, he was definitely not an indispensable player.

RCD Espanyol simply did not continue the negotiations with Xia Yang about renewing the contract. They just waited for other clubs to make an offer. Of course, outwardly, they were still going to announce that “we’re trying our best to keep Chen”, “Chen Jian certainly wants to stay with RCD Espanyol, but he needs a contract that corresponds with his contributions” and so on…

Xia Yang was not worried about wasting efforts and having all his hopes and plans come to nothing. Chen Jian’s performance in RCD Espanyol’s three seasons spoke for itself. Many European teams had privately contacted him before, so he was aware that Chen Jian still had a lot of potential to unearth.

Seeing that the winter transfer window was about to open, he had recently received calls from several clubs. Among them were teams from the Premier League, but also from Serie A. Of course, most were from La Liga teams. After all, they had to play against RCD Espanyol twice a season and were most familiar with Chen Jian’s level. Now Xia Yang simply looked down on those low-level league teams, expressing interest. He basically would not consider any teams other than those in the three major leagues. Even if they were France Ligue 1 and Bundesliga teams, he was not interested.

Just as Xia Yang was waiting for a good offer on Chen Jian, he and Chen Jian received a phone call from a long-lost person.

The call was made to Chen Jian, and when he heard the greeting in Mandarin spoken with a British country accent on the phone, Chen Jian immediately knew who the caller was.

Tony Twain called him as the Nottingham Forest manager and Chen Jian suddenly recalled the four years that had lain dormant in his mind. With the departure of Twain, he had originally thought that he would never have a chance to cross paths with that red team again in his life. Unexpectedly, fate declared otherwise. Tony Twain was actually back in his old position!

Hence, the meeting between Xia Yang and Twain took place…

※※※

“I’m really sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr. Twain. There was a traffic jam on the road…” Xia Yang, dressed in an Armani casual suit, shrugged apologetically in front of Twain. In fact, he was deliberately late. There was no traffic jam. Today was not the weekend and the appointed time was not during rush hour. He drove on the highway like a snail, just so that he would be late to let Twain wait. In the beginning, it was tough for him to get to meet with this man, as the other party simply did not care for him. He had to grovel for it to happen. Now things were not the same. I’m not the one begging you now, he thought. You have come to beg me, Mr. Twain! How can I get back my lost self-respect without putting on some airs? I’m sure you won’t mind, will you?

Sure enough, Twain just smiled and shook his head as he said, “It doesn’t matter. The scenery here is beautiful. I was enjoying it.”

“I haven’t seen you for so many years. I did not expect Mr. Twain to still speak Mandarin so fluently, ha!” Xia Yang’s tone made people think that he and Twain must be old friends. Xia Yang deliberately affected it. In any case, Twain was also a well-known European manager who just led the England team to win the grand slam of the national teams. If he were friends with him, would his status not be elevated as well?

Twain did not mind the Chinese agent’s deliberate friendliness.

“Let’s get straight to the point, Mr. Xia. How did Chen Jian react to the Forest team’s invitation?” Twain directly asked.

“Well…” When it came to the main topic, Xia Yang hesitated. “You know, Mr. Twain. Chen Jian is currently happy with RCD Espanyol. He’s the core player and has a good relationship with his teammates and coaches. The fans also adore him and want him to continue playing for RCD Espanyol… You know, just this summer, we even turned down Kaiserslautern’s invitation…”

Twain sneered in his heart. Who did not know that Xia Yang wanted Chen Jian to leave RCD Espanyol, which did not have much of a future? What was the reason that caused the renewal negotiations not to go well? Wasn’t it due to the man in front of him asking for a sky-high price? RCD Espanyol simply could not satisfy the conditions put forth by him. He basically did not want to let Chen Jian stay here. However, he still said, “Chen Jian is currently happy with RCD Espanyol”… This kind of bullsh*t could fool maybe a three-year-old child, but not Tony Twain.

“Kaiserslautern is only a team that had just returned to the Bundesliga last season and could barely manage to keep its place. It’s understandable that you are not interested in them,” Twain mocked Xia Yang without batting an eyelid to remind him that he was not an idiot and would not be imposed on.

How could Xia Yang not understand the meaning behind Twain’s words? He felt a little embarrassed at the moment, but fortunately, he was thick-skinned, and a smile immediately showed on his face. “Of course, of course. As Chen Jian’s agent, I also hope he can have a better stage… He’s only 28 years old, it is time to accomplish great things… I want him to go to a team that can steadily play in European tournaments every year, whether it’s the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League or whatever… Chen Jian himself also feels this way.”

The agent became well versed through years of struggle and hardships. If Twain mocked him, he would mock Nottingham Forest’s current situation, for they might not even be able to play in next season’s Europa League…

Twain re-examined the agent in front of him. His manners had undergone a huge transformation as compared to four years ago. The most important thing was that he was more confident. He found that Mr. Xia was more difficult to deal with than formerly… The agent of four years ago would simply have no courage to speak in front of him. Now he stood his ground.

Nottingham Forest was currently in the 16th spot in the league tournament, one step away from the relegation zone. It would indeed be difficult for them to participate in any European tournament next season.

Obviously, the agent had thrown out one of the conditions that were most attractive to them – to qualify for next season’s European championships. If you want Chen Jian to join Nottingham Forest, then you have to lead the team back to Europe, Mr. Twain!