That was why the German dia occasionally reported that Bayern wanted to poach the original Wang Shuo.
This undoubtedly put pressure on Dortmund.
"Thomas," Watzke took over the conversation, looking at Thomas Essien with sincerity.
"I’ll be frank with you. We will consider this matter very seriously. But I also have to be honest—we can’t be like Bayern. They can give Luca Tony an annual salary of 10 million euros. We can’t do that!"
Luca Tony’s annual salary at Bayern was absurdly high.
He was the first star in Bundesliga history to reach an eight-figure annual salary.
In 2007, when Bayern signed Ribery, the Frenchman with the scarred face earned only half of what Luca Tony did.
Bayern’s legendary captain, Kahn, also only made half of Luca Tony’s salary at the ti.
But Dortmund couldn’t possibly pay that much.
Because right now, the highest-paid player at Dortmund was Sebastian Kael, at only 3.5 million euros.
"Of course, my player has never thought about leaving Dortmund. He doesn’t even know I’m here today."
This statent from Thomas Essien took Watzke, Zorc, and the others by complete surprise.
"He’s a person who is extrely focused on football. Of course, he might be a little distracted by his love life right now."
"I also fully understand Dortmund’s situation, but I hope you can seriously consider this. Wang Shuo’s contributions to Dortmund are plain for all to see."
Since Thomas Essien had laid his cards on the table and had co with a consultative tone, Watzke and the others naturally had to offer so assurances. They promised to take the matter seriously and give him a response before the end of the season.
...
When the morning training session ended, Wang Shuo received a call from Thomas Essien.
The two went to downtown Dortmund for lunch together.
At the table, Thomas Essien updated Wang Shuo on the results of his morning negotiations with the Dortmund managent.
He had already inford Wang Shuo the previous night.
He had even originally planned to et up first to strategize.
But Wang Shuo had been evasive at the ti, and Essien didn’t know what he was up to.
Thinking back now, he was probably in Dusseldorf.
When it ca to Wang Shuo’s private romantic life, Thomas Essien was concerned, but would never get involved.
Besides, he had always thought that Lina Gerk was a great catch—a goddess in the eyes of German n.
"Even if they agree to renew our contract, they’ll definitely wait until the end of the season, and it will take effect starting next season."
Thomas Essien had taken the initiative this ti to help Wang Shuo get a raise.
Even Wang Shuo himself felt it was a bit much.
He had joined in June, and now it was only the end of September. Demanding a raise already seed a bit hasty.
But Thomas Essien was right. Giving Dortmund enough ti to consider it was perfect timing.
Wang Shuo’s current annual salary at Dortmund was in the upper-middle range, lower than veterans like Kael and De De.
It was also slightly lower than Shahin’s.
Shahin’s annual salary was estimated to be 2.5 million euros.
It was said he only started earning that after his recent contract renewal.
As for players like Reus, Götze, and Grosskreutz, they were all making around one million euros.
Subotic was at 1.5 million euros.
In a way, Wang Shuo’s 2 million euros was decent.
But Thomas Essien was also right.
When it ca to salary, you had to fight for what you were worth.
The greater your contribution, the more you could ask the club to pay.
If you don’t ask, the club won’t be grateful.
If you do ask, as long as you deliver a matching performance, the club and the fans will still be satisfied with you.
"There’s one more thing. Old Gao told that several companies back in your country have been contacting him. They want to get in touch with you to see if you’re available for endorsents, and they’re offering very good fees."
"Chinese companies?"
"Yes. I’m not too clear on the specifics. Personally, I think you should talk to Old Gao and see whether you want to build a team in your country or how to handle it."
Thomas Essien was genuinely unfamiliar with matters in China.
Wang Shuo, however, was reminded of Giant Yao, who had his own dostic team to handle his affairs.
But Wang Shuo was a complete blank slate in this area.
That’s why they had approached Gao Huairen, hoping he could act as a go-between.
Wang Shuo got the picture.
"In any case, leave the negotiations with Dortmund to . Your only job is to give it your all and perform as well as you possibly can on the pitch," Thomas Essien instructed.
Wang Shuo agreed.
He also took the opportunity to ask about the Huairun Football School’s recent training tour in Germany and how his forr teammates were doing with their overseas trials.
The training tour was effective, but their match results were disastrous.
This was mainly because their opponents were all Bundesliga or 2nd Bundesliga U19 or reserve teams, so their overall strength was much higher.
As for the overseas trials, it was surprising that Wu Chengzhi, a winger, had actually caught the eye of Schalke 04.
The player was very fast, had strong Breakthrough ability on the flank, and was only 17 years old.
Wu Youqiang, Zhang Xiaopeng, and Lin Guodong were currently on trial with 2nd Bundesliga teams, all for relatively long periods.
As for Chen Dalin and Chen Xiaosen, they hadn’t found a team yet and were training with Mainz.
Thomas Essien was considering helping them arrange trials with Eredivisie teams.
"Oh, right. Zhao Yifan is doing quite well in the reserve team. He might actually make his Bundesliga debut this season," Thomas Essien said with a smile.
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