The morning after the glorious, impossible night before, the Crystal Palace training ground was a place of quiet, happy exhaustion. The sun was shining, the air was warm, and for the first ti in what felt like a lifeti, there was no sense of impending doom.
We had done it. We were safe. The back pages of the newspapers, which had once been filled with predictions of our demise, were now filled with breathless praise.
"THE MIRACLE OF MANCHESTER," scread one. "BOY WONDER PULLS OFF THE IMPOSSIBLE," declared another. It was a strange, surreal feeling, like waking up from a long, terrible nightmare.
I was in my office, the door closed, the Navas report from Sarah open on my tablet. She had been in before , as always. I sotis wondered if she ever went ho.
When I had arrived at half past seven, she was already at her desk, a mug of coffee in one hand and her notebook in the other, her dark eyes scanning a spreadsheet of Premier League free agents.
She had looked up, given a single nod: the Sarah Martinez equivalent of a standing ovation, and said, "I’ve already started a shortlist."
I had laughed. Of course she had. It was a thorough, professional piece of work, exactly what I had co to expect from her. But my mind was already racing ahead. Navas was the start. He was the experienced head, the steady hand.
But I wanted more. I wanted fire. I wanted hunger. I wanted players who had been written off, who had a point to prove, who would run through walls for the chance to show the world they were not finished. I wanted to build an island of misfit toys.
My mind drifted back to my own youth, to the players I had idolized, the ones who had burned so brightly and then, for one reason or another, had faded away. Two nas, in particular, stuck in my head. Two fallen angels. Bojan Krkić and Alexandre Pato.
Bojan, the boy wonder of Barcelona, the heir to ssi’s throne, a player of such subli technical gifts that he had seed destined for greatness. And Pato, the Brazilian prodigy, the duck, a forward of such explosive pace and lethal finishing that he had taken Serie A by storm as a teenager. Both had been tipped for the very top. Both had, for different reasons, lost their way.
I leaned back in my chair, my eyes closed, and I let the System do its work. "Show Bojan Krkić," I whispered to the empty room.
[Player Profile: Bojan Krkić]
[Age: 26]
[Current Club: Stoke City (On loan at Alavés)]
[Contract Expiry: June 30, 2019]
[Status: Unhappy. Low Confidence. Technical Attributes: Still Elite (17/20). ntal Attributes: Fragile (9/20). Estimated Transfer Value: €1-2 million.]
My eyes snapped open. One million euros. For a player of Bojan’s technical ability. It was a steal. A gamble, yes, but a calculated one. He was a player who needed an arm around his shoulder, a manager who believed in him, a system that would allow him to play with freedom and joy. He was, in other words, a Danny Walsh player.
"Now show Pato," I said, my voice a little more urgent now.
[Player Profile: Alexandre Pato]
[Age: 27]
[Parent Club: Villarreal CF (On loan at FSV Mainz 05)]
[Contract Expiry: June 30, 2020]
[Status: Frustrated. Public Performance Data (Mainz): 14 appearances, 2 goals. Underlying Performance Data: Excellent (xG per 90: 0.6, Key Passes per 90: 2.1, Successful Dribbles per 90: 3.4). Motivation: High (Desire to prove himself in a top league). Recruitnt Challenge: Convince Villarreal to sell and Pato to join a non-Champions League club. Probability of Success: 20%. Estimated Transfer Value: €6 million.]
There it was. The hidden gem. The player everyone else had written off. Two goals in fourteen gas. On the surface, he was a flop.
But the System saw what nobody else could. It saw the quality of the chances he was getting, the creativity he was still showing, the explosive dribbling that was still there. He was a world-class player trapped in a team that didn’t suit him, his confidence shot, his reputation in tatters. He was perfect.
I now had my holy trinity. Navas, the wise old head. Bojan, the technical magician. And Pato, the explosive wildcard. The Island of Misfit Toys. It was a beautiful, crazy, brilliant idea. And it was a plan that I had to put into action. Now.
Marcus knocked on my door at nine, his arms full of printed reports and his eyes bright with the kind of energy that only a man who had spent the night watching football footage could have. He dropped a thick folder on my desk.
"Highlights from the last six months of La Liga footage," he said, without preamble. "I’ve been going through it since we got back last night. There’s a player at Villarreal who I think you need to see."
He tapped the folder. "His numbers look terrible on the surface... fourteen La Liga appearances, two goals. But when you watch him play, really watch him, you see sothing different. He’s not getting the service. He’s not in the right system. But the underlying quality is still there. The pace, the movent, the finishing instinct. It’s all still there." He paused, looking at with a slightly sheepish expression. "I know it sounds mad. But I think he could be special."
I looked at him for a long mont, then I looked down at the System notification that was still glowing quietly in my vision. Marcus had arrived at the sa conclusion as the System, independently, through sheer hard work and an obsessive eye for detail. It was a reminder that I didn’t need the System to tell what was right. I just needed people like Marcus around .
"His na is Pato," I said.
Marcus blinked. "How did you know?"
"Because I’ve been thinking about him all morning," I said, which was true enough. "Get everything you have. And then I need you to do the sa for Bojan Krkić at Stoke."
Marcus’s eyebrows shot up. "Bojan? The Barcelona kid?"
"The sa. He’s on loan at Alavés this season. Two fallen angels, two different countries, both written off. I want to know everything."
Marcus stared at for a mont, then a slow, wide grin spread across his face. "You’re building sothing mad, aren’t you?"
"I’m building sothing brilliant," I said. "There’s a difference."
Fueled by a fresh surge of adrenaline, I picked up the phone and called the chairman’s office. "I need a eting with Steve," I said, my voice firm. "As soon as possible."
***
Thank you to Sir nayelus for the support.
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