"Hello, Joel!"
In the reception room of New Manchester United's executive office, Ethan extended his hand to shake hands with the shrewd-looking young man in glasses. The other man also had a smile on his face, but it felt somewhat superficial.
"Hello, Mr. Yu. It's a pleasure to meet you!" Joel was no longer the frozen food manager at a supermarket from two years ago. Now, he was dressed in a suit and tie, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, appearing refined and scholarly.
He was an agent, an agent with only one player under his name.
However, for Ethan and New Manchester United, how many players Joel represented had nothing to do with them. What truly mattered was that Joel was Kitson's agent.
"I wanted to meet Dave, but unfortunately, it seems he doesn't want to see me!" Ethan shrugged helplessly, then sat down opposite Joel. Mourinho and Mark David were also participating in the meeting, with a female assistant nearby.
"Mr. Yu, Dave asked me to convey his words. He is very, very grateful to you for giving him the opportunity. He respects you greatly, but he hopes to receive the treatment he deserves." Joel had a cheerful smile on his face.
He felt that his decision to resign with Kitson, leave that damned supermarket, and become a professional agent was a brilliant one. Now, he could actually sit down and negotiate face-to-face with a world-renowned wealthy man like Ethan. What an incredible thing this was, and how glorious it would be to tell others!
"The treatment he deserves?" Ethan smiled, nodded, and said, "Of course. I never exploit my players, so I have already prepared a brand-new contract for Dave."
After speaking, Ethan took a folder from the assistant beside him and tossed it across the table to Joel.
The red folder slid across the smooth office desk. Joel stopped it, picked it up, and looked through it for a while. Adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses, he shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "Does Mr. Yu think Dave's value is only £4,500 a week?"
Ethan made a gesture for him to make an offer.
Joel's lips curved upward. He had thought Ethan was a straightforward rich man, so he wanted to take a big bite out of him. He raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and said, "£8,000 a week, plus goal bonuses, appearance fees, and so on."
Hearing Joel's outrageous demand, Mark David, who was beside them, was the first to lose his composure.
"£8,000 a week? You might as well rob us! Do you know what our team's highest salary is right now?"
Joel remained unperturbed, smiling. "Of course. Juninho's weekly salary is £6,800, the highest in League Two. I heard you're planning to raise his contract even further. I think Dave's salary should at least be on par with his."
In his previous life, when Ethan saw some head coaches cursing agents, he would find it amusing, even a little curious. But now, after encountering Joel, he felt that these agents were truly infuriating.
Ethan thought it was normal to pay players a reasonable salary. The maximum salary he had reserved for Dave Kitson was £6,000 a week, because he was still young and had great potential. Perhaps he would renew his contract again next year, and his salary would be even higher then.
But now Joel was asking for £8,000 a week all at once. Wouldn't that immediately put him at the very top? What about the future?
Ethan was not stingy over that little bit of money. The key issue was, what would the other players think?
Juninho was the team captain and the core of the team. He only earned £6,800 a week. If he knew that Dave's salary was the same as his, would he not feel resentful?
Moreover, Ethan was not the type of person who liked to be controlled. It should be said that Kitson had misjudged Ethan's intentions from the start.
If he had come to talk to Ethan in person, openly and honestly, Ethan would have respected his opinion, and then both sides would have sat down to negotiate a suitable price that both could accept. However, Ethan had invited Kitson to the club to talk, but he had only sent his agent.
Asking for a raise was reasonable. They could talk openly and honestly, with mutual consent. If it was suitable, Ethan would give it to him. If not, he could transfer or do whatever he wanted, and Ethan would not stop him. But he should not refuse to meet. Who did he think he was?
Ethan was not the kind of person who would be threatened by players. He believed Mourinho was not either.
At least, it was not difficult to see from Mourinho's livid face that he was suppressing his anger.
"I just want to ask, Joel, what makes Dave deserve the same weekly salary as Juninho?" Ethan's tone was very poor.
Joel was startled. He also heard the displeasure in Ethan's tone, but he still pretended to be calm and said, "Brighton have talked to me. They are willing to pay Dave £8,500 a week. They hope Dave will transfer to Brighton."
At this point, Joel changed his tone. "However, Dave is very grateful to New Manchester United. The team developed him, and he has feelings for the club. So he hopes that if he can get £8,000 a week and be guaranteed a starting position, he is willing to stay."
Ethan really wanted to grab this idiotic agent and beat him up right then. He clearly did not understand the situation!
"Otherwise, he'll transfer to Brighton, right?" Ethan asked coldly.
Joel was somewhat taken aback, but he still stubbornly nodded and said, "Yes. Brighton are close to London. Dave has been a Tottenham supporter since he was a child. He hopes to attract the attention of London clubs, and transferring to Brighton might not be a bad thing!"
Ethan shook his head and laughed. "Joel, then do you know that Dave still has two years left on his contract with our club?"
"I know!" Joel nodded.
"Then do you also know that if I don't let him leave, he won't be able to leave New Manchester United?" Ethan emphasized his tone.
Joel was clearly stunned. He seemed to have never considered this side of the problem.
This guy had not made any progress since becoming a professional agent.
"I don't want to waste any more time with you. Go back and tell Dave that he'd better find a team willing to pay his £2 million release clause. Otherwise, for the next two years, he's going to rot on the bench. And tell him, I won't add a single penny to his salary!"
With that, Ethan turned and left. Mourinho and Mark David also followed, leaving Joel sitting there dumbfounded. Perhaps even now, he still did not know what he had done wrong.
...
Back in his office, Ethan was still angry. He felt that Dave Kitson was too conceited. When he had acted up toward the end of the season, Ethan had suggested that Mourinho punish him heavily. As a result, Kitson learned his lesson, and it was thought that he had changed for the better. The team also planned to continue relying heavily on him. After all, he had once almost been selected for the England squad.
But who knew he would pull such a stunt at this time?
Was the England squad so amazing?
Crouch in my team is a regular, and you, Dave, are just a forward who almost made it.
Moreover, looking at New Manchester United's current squad, besides Almunia and David Green, who is not a national team regular?
Ethan's principle was simple. If you wanted a salary increase, fine, he would not mistreat you. But if you were unreasonable and made outrageous demands, then do not blame him for being impolite.
"José, it seems we need to find a strong center-forward!" Ethan looked at Mourinho behind him and said with a bitter smile.
The latter shrugged. He knew that when Ethan said that, he must already have a suitable candidate in mind. "What about Kitson then?"
"What do you think?" Ethan retorted.
Mourinho smiled. "You've already said you'll make him rot on the bench, so what can I do?"
"What if there's really a team willing to pay £2 million for his release clause?" Mark David pressed from the side.
It had to be known that the transfer market in European football had been very hot in recent years, and player prices had also risen accordingly. Moreover, Kitson's performance this season had indeed been very good, so it was hard to guarantee that no one would be optimistic about him and actually pay £2 million to take him away.
For small teams, this was an astronomical transfer fee, but for big clubs or wealthy clubs, this amount of money was nothing.
After hearing this, Ethan and Mourinho both burst into laughter.
"If someone is really willing to pay £2 million for him, then sell him. Frankly, Kitson can be a target man, but his technique is relatively rough, not much better than Olić's. Moreover, his speed is slow, and his presence always somewhat slows down the pace of my attacking moves." Mourinho was clearly not very satisfied with Kitson either.
In his tactical system, the ideal striker should be a combination of Crouch and Kitson: physically strong, able to link up with teammates, and very diligent. Kitson currently did not fully possess these qualities.
Mourinho thought that Ishmael Miller was a very suitable candidate. This kid's finishing was rough, but his body was like a tank, tall and robust, with excellent technique, fast speed, and outstanding explosiveness. This kid was simply born for Mourinho's tactics.
Unfortunately, he was still very young and could not play for the team temporarily.
Currently, Ishmael was being coached by Moniz and Meulensteen to improve his first touch and enhance his shooting skills. How far he could go in the future would depend on how much he could improve in these two areas.
"Tall and strong, good in physical duels, also fast, with good team-play awareness and strong tactical execution. Wow, José, your demands really aren't low!" Ethan said with a chuckle.
Mourinho also laughed. He knew Ethan was just joking, and usually when he said that, it meant he already had suitable candidates and targets.
And Ethan did not disappoint Mourinho. Two days later, he had the scouting department compile a detailed report from videos and match data collected from OPTA, then delivered it to Mourinho.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)