"Breaking news this morning. Manchester City announced last night that the club's board has reached an agreement with the Abu Dhabi United Group of the United Arab Emirates. The consortium has invested €86.1 million in return for a controlling 55 per cent stake and is continuing negotiations with smaller shareholders in the hope of completing a full takeover."
"Speaking publicly about the deal, Sulaiman Al-Fahim described the acquisition as part of a long-term plan. The new investment will initially be used to reduce Manchester City's substantial debts and strengthen the playing squad."
The television picture switched to Al-Fahim at Gigg Lane, the Bury ground Manchester City were temporarily using as their home. Speaking English with a noticeable accent, he outlined the consortium's ambitions to the assembled reporters.
"We intend to take Manchester City towards the top of the Premier League and eventually compete for the title. I hope that one day this club will be playing regularly in Europe alongside Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and the other leading sides, becoming one of the strongest teams not only in England but in European football. I know that will not happen overnight, but that is the direction we are working towards."
"I have already spoken with Kevin Keegan. I would like us to win a trophy in our first season, and everyone at the club will be expected to work towards that objective. We also understand that the squad which only narrowly avoided relegation last season is not strong enough for where we want to go. I will speak with Kevin about recruitment. If the right player becomes available, whether he costs £20 million, £30 million, or even £50 million, we will consider it."
Al-Fahim certainly spoke like a man with enormous financial resources behind him. He also confirmed that Manchester City's long-discussed stadium project would be accelerated immediately. The proposed new ground was expected to cost around £150 million, with the consortium hoping it could be ready for the start of the 2006-07 season. In his view, Gigg Lane was never going to be an adequate long-term home for an ambitious Premier League club.
The broadcast returned to the studio, where the presenter began running through the players already being linked with Manchester City. The list covered almost every position on the pitch and included some of the biggest names in Europe.
Up front, City were reportedly monitoring Ronaldo at Real Madrid, Thierry Henry at Arsenal, Ruud van Nistelrooy at Manchester United, David Trezeguet at Juventus, and Zlatan Ibrahimović at Ajax. Ibrahimović was already rumoured to have reached an understanding with Juventus over a possible winter move, although Manchester City's sudden arrival in the market could complicate matters. Keegan was known to admire the tall Swedish striker and believed his combination of size and technique would suit English football.
The midfield list was no less extravagant. Giggs, Scholes, Ballack, Sneijder, Cambiasso, Figo, Pirlo, and Hargreaves were all mentioned, while reports also claimed that Keegan had taken an interest in Beckham, De Rossi, Essien, and Yaya Touré at New Manchester United. The latter group had the additional advantage of already proving themselves in the Premier League.
"It is understood that the Abu Dhabi United Group has made as much as £130 million available for transfers," the presenter continued. "That would give Kevin Keegan the freedom to recruit heavily across the squad, even if his targets are currently playing for direct rivals."
...
"The Premier League really is becoming more interesting by the year," Ethan said, unsure whether to laugh or worry.
From a commercial perspective, Abu Dhabi's early arrival at Manchester City was almost entirely positive for the league. Abramovich had transformed Chelsea the previous year; now another enormously wealthy ownership group was entering English football. To outside investors, the message was obvious: the Premier League had become one of the most attractive sporting properties in the world.
Birmingham, Aston Villa, Fulham, and several other clubs had also been linked with potential buyers. Interest in English football was no longer limited to one or two isolated cases.
Manchester City's acquisition would only increase that attention. The Abu Dhabi group wanted international visibility, and the quickest way to achieve it would be to strengthen the squad aggressively. Expensive transfers would bring famous players into the league, generate headlines around the world, and raise the Premier League's profile even further.
For the league's commercial operation, that was excellent news.
For Ethan as the owner of New Manchester United, it was rather less convenient.
A stronger Manchester City meant another wealthy competitor. Winning the Premier League was already becoming harder, and another club with essentially unlimited spending power would only intensify the competition.
"At current prices, £130 million is enough to rebuild almost the entire team," Mark Davey said. "But if they think money alone will persuade Ronaldo to leave Real Madrid for Manchester City, they're going to be disappointed."
Ethan smiled and nodded.
A genuine superstar required more than wages. The club also needed sporting credibility, European football, a platform capable of increasing the player's commercial value, and a structure that could manage his global brand. Manchester City, at least for the moment, offered very little of that.
It was precisely why Ethan had insisted on establishing a sophisticated commercial department from the beginning. Without it, even if New Manchester United could develop players such as Kaká and Messi, keeping them once the giants came calling would be another matter entirely. The club would eventually become nothing more than a finishing school for richer teams.
"I don't care who else they try to buy," Ethan told Davey. "Our players need to be kept away from all of this speculation. We're fighting for the league and playing in the Champions League. I don't want Manchester City's money becoming a distraction inside the dressing room."
New Manchester United had already earned a reputation as one of the hardest clubs in Europe to negotiate with. Persuading a player to leave was only the first obstacle. Getting Ethan and Davey to agree on a price was another entirely.
Essien and De Rossi were particularly unrealistic targets. Mourinho relied heavily on both, each had played a major role in the previous season's title, and both still had several years remaining on their contracts. Even an enormous offer would mean nothing unless Ethan agreed to negotiate.
After discussing how the club should respond to any approaches, Ethan went to speak with Mourinho.
The manager was not especially worried. Essien and De Rossi had both grown up within New Manchester United's system and were deeply attached to the club. Essien had already rejected interest from Manchester United in the past, while De Rossi had turned down approaches from major Italian sides including Milan, Juventus, and Roma.
If those clubs had failed to tempt them away, Mourinho did not believe Manchester City would have much success either.
The conversation soon moved on to the more immediate issue.
The Manchester derby.
The rivalry with Manchester United carried its own intensity, but matches against Manchester City were hardly insignificant. City might have spent the previous couple of years displaced from Manchester itself, but they remained local rivals, and their sudden takeover had only increased the interest surrounding the fixture.
Mourinho wanted the win badly. After the eighth round, the Premier League would pause for another two-week international break. Once the players returned, the schedule would become even more demanding, with league matches, Champions League group fixtures, and the League Cup all arriving in quick succession.
At home, Mourinho selected an aggressive side intended to overwhelm Manchester City rather than simply control them.
The timing could hardly have been worse for Keegan. City's ownership had changed only days earlier, and uncertainty had spread through the squad. Players knew an expensive rebuilding programme was coming. Some wondered whether they would still have a place at the club by January. Others were already being linked with replacements.
Keegan nevertheless wanted to make an impression on his new employers. Instead of following Fulham's example and defending deep against New Manchester United, he instructed City to be proactive and take the game to them.
Against Mourinho's side, that was always a dangerous gamble.
New Manchester United rarely feared opponents willing to attack, particularly when the quality gap between the two teams was substantial.
Sun Jihai started at right-back for City after producing a respectable run of performances earlier in the season. Unfortunately for him, his direct opponent was Cristiano Ronaldo at full speed.
The Portuguese winger tormented him from the opening minutes.
Nor was City's problem confined to one flank. Kaká was devastating through the middle, Beckham controlled the match from behind him, and Drogba occupied the centre-backs with his strength and movement. Every part of Manchester City's defensive structure was pulled apart.
The final score was 7-0.
Keegan's side had provided another brutal demonstration of something Premier League teams were beginning to understand: if an inferior opponent wanted to survive against New Manchester United, giving them space was close to suicidal. Newcastle had already tried to trade attacks with the Red Rebels and lost 5-0. Manchester City repeated the mistake and suffered even more heavily.
Beckham continued his extraordinary start to the season with a goal and two assists. Kaká scored a hat-trick, while Cristiano Ronaldo, Robben, and Drogba added one apiece.
During the television coverage, the cameras repeatedly found Al-Fahim in the stands. Although Khaldoon Al Mubarak had been chosen to oversee Manchester City's long-term administration, Al-Fahim had been eager to attend the derby personally and witness the beginning of the club's new era.
Instead, he watched a humiliation.
The City players had not lacked effort. They ran, competed, and clearly did not want to lose. But the uncertainty caused by the takeover had affected them, and Keegan had compounded the problem by making a disastrous tactical choice. He had genuinely believed his team could absorb New Manchester United's attack while playing an open game.
They could not.
Martin Samuel was merciless in his column the following morning.
"This was an extraordinary victory, but the outcome was shaped before the match had properly begun. The moment Kevin Keegan decided that the best way to contain New Manchester United at their own stadium was to attack them, Manchester City were in trouble. Their defensive line was far too high, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo, Drogba, and Robben constantly threatening the space behind it, while Beckham was given exactly the passing angles he needed to release them."
Samuel then asked the obvious question.
Which defence in England could comfortably handle New Manchester United's attackers one-on-one?
Arsenal had failed the previous season. Chelsea, despite their enormous summer spending, had failed at Stamford Bridge. Manchester United had struggled with the same problem, while Liverpool had occasionally come close to controlling Mourinho's side without ever solving it completely.
Why, then, had Manchester City believed they could?
"Keegan misjudged the difference in quality between the two teams," Samuel concluded. "The result was a demolition. The greater concern is what a defeat like this does to a squad that had actually started the season reasonably well. Al-Fahim has promised investment. After this, Manchester City supporters will be hoping those petrodollars arrive quickly."
Nobody knew whether the new owners regretted anything after their first derby. Nobody knew whether they were already reconsidering Keegan's position, despite the newspapers immediately speculating about a managerial change.
All anyone could see was Al-Fahim leaving the stadium beneath a grey Manchester sky with a face every bit as dark as the weather.
The storm around Manchester City might last for a while yet.
New Manchester United, by contrast, received even better news elsewhere. Chelsea defeated Liverpool 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, allowing Mourinho's team to climb the table again. They now trailed only the still-unbeaten Manchester United and Arsenal.
Manchester United's own situation, however, was becoming increasingly unsettled.
The Glazer family continued buying shares aggressively, while supporters organised protests and boycotts in an attempt to prevent the takeover. Shareholders were repeatedly urged not to sell.
"They're financial predators. They'll bury Manchester United in debt and destroy everything this club has built."
The anger was not limited to the stands. Several senior figures inside the club were deeply uncomfortable with the takeover, with Roy Keane among the most outspoken opponents. Unfortunately for the supporters, a growing number of shareholders were more interested in the price being offered than in the long-term consequences.
Against that background, Manchester United laboured to a 1-0 home victory over Middlesbrough, Alan Smith scoring the only goal. They were still winning, but the sharpness and confidence of their opening weeks had begun to fade.
Then the Premier League stopped for the international break.
England were due to play World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Azerbaijan.
For the first time in years, there was no David Beckham in the squad.
His retirement had been real.
(To be continued.).