Faced with Ethan's directness, Magbu and Melo exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
Weren't the English always said to be rather pretentious, with plenty of polite formalities before getting down to business?
Why did this club owner from England have none of those habits? Could it have something to do with his background?
Seeing their silent exchange, Ethan suddenly understood something and smiled. "I prefer to get straight to the point when discussing matters. I've always felt that a direct approach saves more time. Don't you agree?"
Magbu immediately laughed and nodded. "Good, very good!"
Melo also nodded repeatedly, and his impression of Ethan improved even further.
"Mr. Yu, we at Liberty Professionals are very willing to establish cooperation between our clubs. However, we need to know the specific details of this cooperation."
Melo, standing nearby, added, "For African clubs like ours, apart from our players, we honestly don't know what else we could offer in cooperation with New Manchester United."
Starting off by putting themselves in a lower position while actually waiting to drive a hard bargain, Ethan had seen this tactic many times in novels. Almost all business negotiations and transactions in stories played out this way.
Of course, Ethan was quite happy to see them adopt such a posture right now.
"Our club is currently in England's fifth tier, but our ambitions don't stop there. Our goal is to reach the Premier League in the shortest time possible. After that, we will become a football powerhouse in the Premier League and across Europe!"
When Ethan said this, his confidence was astonishing, not only to Magbu and Melo, who had just met him, but even to Alberto and Cassel.
Sometimes, they wondered where Ethan's confidence even came from.
Magbu wanted to respond to Ethan's words, but he did not know where to start, so he simply glanced at Melo.
That single glance told Ethan a great deal.
"Mr. Yu, if someone else had said that, I might think it was nonsense. But coming from you, we have to admit that it is a grand goal, yet not an unrealistic one," Melo said.
"To be frank, after receiving your club's call, we specifically looked into you. After all, your club has only been established for a year, so we were naturally cautious. But after checking, we felt our worries were unnecessary. To put it simply, based on Mr. Yu's business ventures in the United States alone, buying a Premier League club would not be a problem."
"New Manchester United is like my son. I would never abandon my son!" Ethan stated firmly once more.
"Of course. We greatly admire what Mr. Yu did last year. That is what a true fan does!" Melo took the opportunity to flatter him.
Ethan smiled without committing himself. "Let me put it this way. Our club wants to cooperate with you. In the future, Liberty Professionals will become our satellite club. We will have first refusal on your players. We will also organize an annual youth-team friendly. In return, we will send some players we do not currently need to your club so they can get playing time."
"Then what benefits would our club receive?" Magbu asked with concern.
His expression was like that of a desperately poor man seeing a pile of gold bars. From that look, it was not hard to see the operational difficulties faced by African clubs.
"First, we are willing to provide £50,000 each year to support your club's development. We believe this sum will be a great help in running the club. In addition, we will offer assistance in other areas, such as helping your club connect with sponsors."
Hearing Ethan's words, not only Magbu, but even Melo's eyes lit up.
These two main points were essentially all about money.
They were exactly what Liberty Professionals needed most at the moment.
Running a football club had always been a money-burning endeavor. Very few actually turned a profit. Clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid were truly exceptional. Ethan had never intended to gain anything from New Manchester United. Even if, under his management, New Manchester United eventually became a powerhouse and made a lot of money, he would only find ways to give back to the fans the money earned from them.
For Ethan, his transmigration had made him take many things more lightly. His only obsession was the football he loved.
Paying £50,000 to secure a satellite club was indeed a luxury for the current New Manchester United. But once New Manchester United became a powerhouse, it would definitely be worthwhile. Besides, Ethan had a backup plan.
"Mr. Yu, I must say your proposal is very tempting to us. And we believe you can deliver on your promises. But I am a little puzzled. Why are you so fixated on Liberty Professionals?"
Melo seemed to be a very cautious person. Although he was clearly tempted by Ethan's proposal, he still maintained a basic level of rationality and thought.
"Because our club has taken a liking to two players from your team," Ethan admitted frankly.
"Who?" Magbu's eyes immediately gleamed with the shine of gold coins.
"Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari!" Ethan said with a smile.
Both were future midfield enforcers. The former became Chelsea's star player and pillar. The latter was a formidable defensive midfielder for Inter Milan and contributed greatly to their revival.
Essien was now seventeen, and Muntari was only fifteen. Both were still very young, making this the perfect time to secure them. In the U-17 World Cup held in November, Essien would make a name for himself, and after him, Muntari would also catch the eye of European clubs.
Besides these two players, Liberty Professionals' current academy also had several other outstanding future stars. For example, Asamoah Gyan, who would score Ghana's first-ever goal in a World Cup finals tournament at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, was also playing for this team.
For now, Ethan had no way of buying all the star players he was familiar with. After all, a football pitch only allowed eleven players. Even if he signed every world-class star, it would not change much. Instead, it might cause more talented players to fail to fulfil their potential because of a lack of playing time.
Ethan was unwilling to do something that would waste such prodigious talent.
"These two players probably are not getting much game time yet, right?" Ethan asked with a smile.
Magbu nodded. "Michael Essien has been selected for Ghana's national youth team and will participate in the U-17 World Cup in November. As for Muntari, our club's coaches also think highly of him."
"£200,000. I will take both players as a package deal. In addition, if you agree to the cooperation, I can immediately pay the £50,000 annual fee. That is £250,000 in total!" At that moment, Ethan truly felt the benefits of having deep pockets.
If it had been a year ago, could he have spoken so confidently?
Magbu and Melo were clearly startled by Ethan. £250,000, offered just like that, so straightforwardly, was indeed beyond their expectations.
As for Essien and Muntari, they had talent, but it had not yet reached a level that would make them refuse such money.
In fact, for Ghanaian clubs, when faced with a choice between talented players and money, they invariably leaned toward the latter. After all, good players could be found, but if a financial backer was lost, finding another one would be difficult.
"Alright, Mr. Yu. You speak frankly and act decisively. £250,000. We have a deal!" Magbu agreed on the spot.
Ethan nodded toward Cassel, who immediately took out the pre-prepared agreements from his briefcase and began discussing them with Magbu, Melo, and the others.
Even though it involved £250,000, there were not actually many details to negotiate. In the world of football, there were not as many formalities and procedures as in the business world. As long as both parties were willing, almost anything could be agreed upon.
A transfer deal worth tens of millions might be settled with just a phone call. Could something like that happen in the commercial sector?
"By the way, Melo, do Essien and Muntari live nearby? I would like to visit them," Ethan said, somewhat eager to meet these future world-class midfield enforcers.
"Yes, they both live nearby. I can take you."
After saying that, Melo instructed Magbu to stay and wait for the lawyer with Cassel, since they still needed to discuss the signing of the contracts with legal counsel.
As for Ethan and Alberto, they left with Melo.
...
...
Although Accra was the capital of Ghana, it was not actually very prosperous. Sandy ground was everywhere, and the wind-blown sand beat against the old wooden houses.
Along the way, many youths could be seen playing football on those sandy patches, reminding Ethan of Brazil.
Sometimes, he thought that if not for chaos and poverty, Brazil probably would not have earned its reputation as the kingdom of football, nor produced so many outstanding superstars.
In Ethan's memory, among Brazilian superstars who did not come from the favelas, there seemed to be only Kaká. His parents were Brazilian middle class, so his professionalism and self-discipline were rare among Brazilian players, making him a star Ethan greatly admired.
"We're here. It's that two-story house ahead. You go first. I'll park the car. If I leave it here, the kids might throw stones at it!" Melo said with a bitter smile.
Ethan and Alberto got out of the car and walked toward the house Melo had indicated.
It was a simple house. The exterior was built with wooden planks painted green, tightly bound together. The courtyard was large, but entirely sandy, with no plants growing.
In one corner of the courtyard stood several small wooden stakes arranged like the training equipment often used on practice pitches, probably for Essien's daily training.
Pulling open the courtyard fence, Ethan and Alberto walked in, intending to approach the house and call out.
To their surprise, they had only taken two or three steps when a figure emerged from the house, followed by a youth holding what looked like a homemade shotgun, shouting at the two of them.
"Stop! Get out, or I'll shoot!"
Ethan and Alberto were scared half to death. They immediately stopped in their tracks, not daring to move a muscle!
(To be continued.)