One of Manchester City's greatest assets lies in the youth and potential of their current squad.
Most of their key players are still very young — for example, Jens Lehmann, the oldest, is just 27 years old.
Another strength is that the squad size is quite tight, aning the team is well-balanced without too many surplus players.
With three major competitions on the horizon, this compact but talented squad ensures that every player will have a real opportunity to contribute and prove themselves.
Naturally, while Manchester City focused on strengthening their squad through transfers, other clubs in the Premier League were equally active in the market.
Like Alan Shearer's transfer to Newcastle United broke the British record, with the club signing him from Blackburn Rovers for £15 million.
Then Chelsea paid a club record £4.9 million for Lazio and Italy midfielder Roberto Di Matteo.
Middlesbrough, having survived the previous Premier League season thanks to TV broadcasts and sponsorships, paid a club record £7 million for Juventus and Italy striker Fabrizio Ravanelli.
Unexpectedly, Manchester United, the club with the most absences last season, beca very active in the transfer market this season, making several important moves.
Manchester United paid Slavia Prague £3.5 million for winger Karel Poborský, who played a key role in helping the Czech Republic reach the final of UEFA Euro 1996.
Jordi Cruyff, son of the legendary Johan Cruyff, signed for Manchester United from Barcelona for £1.3 million.
anwhile, after eight years at the club, Lee Sharpe left Manchester United to join Leeds United.
Not satisfied with their current squad, Manchester United's David Gill — who had previously succeeded in signing Ole Gunnar Solskjær — decided to pay another visit to Maine Road.
Richard and Marina Granovskaia welcod him naturally.
Gill wasted no ti. He pulled Richard and Marina aside and got straight to the point.
"Larsson. Na your price. Manchester United are prepared to make a reasonable offer."
Richard didn't flatly refuse. "How much can Manchester United offer?" he asked casually.
David Gill's eyes lit up. United were planning a sumr overhaul, and they had cash to spend — especially after pocketing £4.5 million from Lee Sharpe's transfer.
"Four million pounds," he said confidently. "That should be fair, especially since Larsson hasn't proven himself in the Premier League yet."
But Richard only smiled and waved his hand. "I wasn't talking about the transfer fee. I ant the weekly wage. How much can Manchester United offer Larsson?"
Gill paused, thought for a mont, then narrowed his eyes. "Seven thousand pounds a week."
Richard shrugged. "Then you'll need to convince him to take a pay cut."
"A pay cut? How much is he earning at Manchester City?"
"He's one of our top earners — twelve thousand pounds per week."
Gill's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're insane!"
But it was true.
At City, Larsson was the second-highest earner, behind only Ronaldo, who made fifteen thousand pounds per week.
At United, the salary structure was much stricter. The highest earner was Eric Cantona, on twenty thousand pounds per week. Peter Schichel ca next with eighteen thousand, followed by a sharp drop: younger players like Beckham, Scholes, and Giggs barely earned over four thousand, and even big-money signings like Andy Cole weren't making more than ten thousand.
It wasn't that Manchester United couldn't offer Larsson twelve thousand or even more — it was simply that salaries were tied to each player's standing within the team. If Larsson earned more than ten thousand at United, it would undoubtedly disrupt the wage structure, prompting more than a few players to demand raises.
Thanks to this discussion, David Gill quickly realized sothing: Manchester City never outright rejected Manchester United's inquiries about their players. Even in the case of Larsson, the stumbling block wasn't the controversy of a potential transfer between the two Manchester clubs — it was purely about wages.
David Gill was genuinely interested not only in Larsson but in several other Manchester City players as well. However, their salaries were simply too high. After all, it would be humiliating for a prestigious club like Manchester United to ask players to take pay cuts just to join. So, reluctantly, Gill began to pull back.
The eting with David Gill was held behind closed doors, ensuring that no one outside the room knew it had even taken place.
After wrapping up the episode with David Gill, Richard and Marina began reviewing Manchester City's scouting database to search for another player—specifically a midfielder.
Unexpectedly, rather than finding a midfielder as they had initially hoped, Richard instead discovered so amazing youth players.
The first was 15-year-old Ashley Cole.
The second was another 15-year-old — Samuel Eto'o!
However, for Samuel Eto'o, the situation was urgent. His na wasn't found in the current City database but was forwarded by Karren Brady from FC Girondins de Bordeaux, who had already established a scouting network in Africa.
Based on what Karren told them, Eto'o was currently negotiating with Real Madrid, which quickly prompted Richard and Marina to decide to leave for Africa.
On a hot, sunny day in Békoko, Douala, Caroon, Richard, dressed in a polo shirt and wearing black glasses, attracted attention as he followed the address written on a piece of paper.
The architectural landscape around him began to resemble a slum; even though the residents here weren't the poorest in society, they certainly didn't live in wealth.
As Richard and Marina arrived at a small bungalow, he took off his sunglasses and carefully surveyed the cramped house. He sighed softly, reflecting that many future football stars, despite their vast earnings later, had struggled in their family lives before achieving fa.
It was precisely this kind of opportunity that Richard capitalized on. Sotis he questioned whether his actions were unscrupulous, yet he could never persuade himself to walk away.
When there was a chance to seize a golden opportunity, who cared about others' opinions? Besides, he wasn't a ruthless businessman; he could justify this to himself.
After adjusting his outfit, he knocked on the door.
"Who is it?"
The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man, unkempt yet not scruffy, with a visible air of despondency.
Richard handed over his business card with a smile as he glanced at his translator, who then translated Richard's introduction. "Hello, sir, I'm Richard Maddox from England..."
After the introduction and thanks to the local translator, Richard and Marina soon found themselves sitting inside.
"You take it from here," Richard whispered, to which Marina nodded.
After stating their purpose, the middle-aged man was taken aback, his hand trembling slightly as he held the card.
"Samuel? But he is only 15. How much will you offer him in a contract?"
In many parts of the world—Africa, South Arica, even Europe—playing football was a way for families in the lower strata of society to change their destinies. Becoming a professional player could lift an entire family from poverty. For talented youngsters with no financial ans, there was no room for negotiation before the spotlight shone on them; they went where the money was.
Soon, at that mont, a mother and son appeared in the living room.
Richard's eyes lit up.
Samuel Eto'o!
The fifteen-year-old boy stood in front of his mother, who wrapped her arms around his neck as if fearing soone might take him away.
Richard smiled as he sized up the boy, assured he had the right person. He turned to the middle-aged man and said, "His na is Samuel Eto'o, right?"
The man nodded and beckoned his son over to greet Richard, visibly nervous since it was his first ti seeing a foreigner here.
Eto'o opened his mouth, seemingly unsure of how to address Richard, ultimately managing only a soft hello.
After that, it was Marina's turn to negotiate.
She pulled a stack of docunts from her briefcase and handed them to the Eto'o family.
"My club is called Manchester City. You might not have heard of it before. This is a brief introduction to the team. Just so you know, next season, my team will be competing in the top tier of English football."
"Sir and miss, even if what you say is true, we can't just hand over our child to you to take him to unfamiliar England."
This was basically the sa situation as with Real Madrid, as the family was reluctant to be separated from Eto'o just yet.
Eto'o read the docunts with great interest, his eyes filled with longing, while his father appeared sowhat uninterested. He said sternly, "I also don't believe Samuel should be separated from his family at this age."
Marina nodded, responding candidly, "What we want is Samuel's talent, naturally. I understand your family has so difficulties, which is fine. If Samuel agrees to co to Manchester City, I can offer him an apprentice contract of £1,000 a week, and once he joins the senior team, I believe his salary will increase significantly."
"An apprentice?"
"£1,000?!"
Eto'o's parents' eyes widened in disbelief. This was different from what the previous club had offered them!
After Marina explained, they understood it ant they would clear over £4,000 a month, while the standard welfare benefits in the UK at that ti were less than £500 a month. This money could enable them to live better in London, especially with free accommodation included.
Currently, Eto'o was still stuck at Kadji Sports Academy, commonly known as KSA, a sports academy and football team based in Békoko, Douala, Caroon. It was founded by businessman Gilbert Kadji. Not only did he not have a salary, but he even had to rent boots to play and train there!
"Not only that, the club can provide your family with free accommodation. Additionally, if you don't mind, this gentleman here can offer job positions for you, sir."
Richard smiled at this as he looked toward the Eto'o family.
As for the family, they were shaken to their core.
This sudden windfall was overwhelming.
Still, Eto'o's father didn't agree imdiately; instead, he said, "Let us think it over."
Both Richard and Marina weren't in a hurry.
"If you decide, feel free to call , or you can co to Manchester for a visit first," she said before placing an envelope on the table.
After they left, the Eto'o family opened the envelope on the table to find £1,000 and three round-trip tickets from Caroon to Manchester.
After finishing with Eto'o, Richard imdiately planned to return to Manchester, but he had a mission for Marina Granovskaia.
"You're going to Bordeaux to et with Karren. Use the funds from Roberto and Cafu's transfers to buy three players: Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira, and Claude Makélélé."
The French heavyweights!
Originally, after a series of standout performances for both Bordeaux and France, Zidane had received offers from Europe's top clubs during this transfer window. However, Karren, the new CEO who had been briefed by Richard—who had already set his sights on these three midfielders—blocked any transfer attempts involving them.
"I already know Zidane and Vieira from before they turned professional. Both are far more likely to join if you ntion my na," Richard said, carefully outlining the strategy to Marina as he prepared to persuade them to join Manchester City.
He didn't have a choice!
To compete in the Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup — plus ensure that City qualified for next season's UEFA Champions League — he had to secure this trump card as early as possible.
Losing Roberto Carlos and Cafu? It didn't matter anymore!
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