Swansea City's external recruitnt work had actually begun long ago under Lynn.
It was just that they had been running into walls everywhere.
He had set his sights on many young English players, such as Defoe, Crouch, Jenas, Dyer, Sidwell, Lescott, Nolan, Paul Robinson, and others — players who were not even first-team regulars at their original clubs.
So were rely players at third-tier Second Division clubs, yet none of them were willing to co to Swansea.
They were not even willing to listen to Swansea's offer.
As for English clubs, whenever they negotiated with Swansea, they all demanded outrageous prices.
Wasn't Swansea rich? Then use money to smash !
It was as if every dostic English club was saying the sa thing.
Lynn was not going to be that fool with more money than sense.
Naturally, he cut off the idea of signing players from dostic clubs.
English players were already becoming more expensive.
Premier League broadcasting rights had given top-flight clubs powerful financial support, and that would trigger a chain reaction in the dostic transfer market.
Once Premier League clubs had money, signing players from lower divisions would naturally drive up player valuations as well.
Internal competition causing inflated prices was an inevitable trend.
Rather than spend a huge sum buying average players, only to treat them like pampered lords, Lynn would rather look abroad for good-value players.
Of course, Lynn would not give up on good players who had not yet made a na for themselves.
Danny Gabbidon's transfer went very smoothly.
The nearly twenty-one-year-old defender happily ca to Swansea City to report for duty.
Walter Raleigh of the South Wales Argus described this signing as a victory of special significance in Swansea's rebuilding process.
"In the battle with Cardiff City, Lynn's Swansea have ultimately won a fight in the transfer market! After leaving West Bromwich Albion, Danny Gabbidon has beco a new recruit for the Swans. Cardiff City were still locked in a drawn-out negotiation with Gabbidon over personal terms when Swansea launched a surprise raid!
"In just one day, Danny Gabbidon signed with Swansea without hesitation. Swansea CEO Mo Yuan personally extended the invitation on Lynn's behalf. After signing, Gabbidon declared that he would give everything for Swansea, and that he could not wait to fight the enemy on the Third Division battlefield next season!"
"Swansea have welcod a warrior!"
After learning that Cardiff City had failed to sign Danny Gabbidon, Cardiff manager Alan Cork gave his view to the South Wales Evening Post.
"Swansea's approach is completely wrong. They don't understand the player at all, yet they made the decision so easily, simply because they spent more money to tempt him. A team like that will achieve nothing!"
"Once the new season begins, Swansea will realize that even if they have enough players, that does not an they have a team with fighting power!"
The reason Swansea were able to sign Danny Gabbidon was that they gave him a £30,000 signing-on fee.
No matter what, Swansea had won.
That was the important part.
Swansea supporters breathed a small sigh of relief.
More and more fans ca to watch the players train outside the club. Seeing new faces join the team made them unusually excited.
It was a strange and wonderful feeling.
Watching the team slowly take shape from nothing was like watching their own child gradually grow up.
So fans even wrote growth diaries for the team, which beca very popular on supporter forums.
...
As the end of June approached, with Swansea's scouts going deep into countries across Europe and expanding the player database, Lynn sent Mo Yuan and Tony Benn out to handle transfer negotiations.
First, south of Britain, across the English Channel, Swansea's negotiation team arrived in France.
Patrice Evra, who had just terminated his contract with Monza and beco a free agent, agreed to head to Swansea with his luggage after the club guaranteed all living conditions: free accommodation and als, plus a small apartnt of his own.
French second-division club Sochaux allowed Benoît Pedretti to discuss personal terms with Swansea after Swansea made a £500,000 offer.
Within the terms Lynn had authorized, Mo Yuan offered Pedretti a £200,000 signing-on fee and a weekly wage of £2,000.
The rest of his benefits were the sa as Evra's.
Only then did Pedretti sign his na on the contract.
Then they headed east to Germany.
Tobias Rau, who had received very few opportunities at Eintracht Braunschweig in the German second tier over the past two years, was targeted by Swansea.
Swansea paid a £300,000 transfer fee, then offered Tobias Rau the sa contract terms as Pedretti, successfully taking away the German left-back.
Hanno Balitsch, who had been playing in Germany's lower divisions, did not cost Swansea much money.
Apart from a £100,000 transfer fee, he was willing to head to Swansea as long as his personal terms matched Evra's.
Centre-back Manuel Friedrich, who had only made five appearances in the German second tier last season, was the key part of Swansea's transfer work in Germany.
Mainz demanded a £1 million transfer fee.
After negotiations, both sides finally agreed on £800,000.
To secure Friedrich, Swansea offered him better personal terms than any of their previous signings: a £250,000 signing-on fee, £2,500 a week, plus additional benefits such as a free apartnt.
...
The recruitnt work continued.
Swansea's negotiation team then moved south from Germany to Italy.
Fabio Grosso, who had been drifting around the lower divisions, was brought in by Swansea for a £200,000 transfer fee.
His personal terms were not high, because Chieti, his original club, had been paying him very little.
From Italy, they crossed the Ionian Sea eastward and arrived in Greece.
Swansea had co for only one player: Angelos Charisteas.
This striker, who would shine at Euro 2004 and help Greece score the decisive goal against Portugal to create the Aegean miracle, had a relatively high chance of being secured now.
Greek football itself was considered second-tier in Europe, and the league was not highly competitive.
Aris were not a top club either.
When Swansea submitted a £500,000 offer, Aris bargained for another £100,000 and then let him go.
Because transfers involved whether a player held an EU passport, Swansea's scouts did not go to certain Eastern European countries.
There were definitely players there whom Swansea could sign, but without EU passports, the procedures would be troubleso, and the approval rate would be extrely slim.
So for the ti being, Lynn was not considering non-EU players.
Spain and Portugal each had one player who was a key target for Lynn.
He would personally go to negotiate for them.
So Swansea's negotiation team turned toward Northern Europe.
In Denmark, from Copenhagen, Brøndby, and Gladsaxe, Swansea spent a total of £1.3 million to sign three players.
They were seventeen-year-old central midfielder Thomas Kahlenberg, twenty-year-old centre-back Martin Albrechtsen, and twenty-year-old defensive midfielder Christian Poulsen.
The contracts they signed with Swansea gave them several tis what they had been earning at their original clubs.
After successfully signing the Danish trio, Swansea's negotiation team continued north to Sweden.
From the little-known Halmstads BK, midfielder Mark Nilsson was taken by Swansea for £200,000.
After signing Mark Nilsson, Lynn called the negotiation team back.
The remaining work would be completed by him personally.
...
By this point, the recruitnt work had reached July 6.
Ten days after Lynn's twenty-third birthday, Swansea City's first team had already grown continuously into a brand-new squad.
The constant transfer activity kept Swansea City at the centre of Welsh dia attention.
Just over half a month earlier, the photo David Livingstone used in his column had beco an object of public ridicule.
He had photographed the empty-looking Swansea first-team training ground and implied that Swansea might not even be able to put together a team.
That comnt had now slapped him thoroughly in the face.
As Lynn continued announcing new signings, the two outlets that benefited the most were the South Wales Argus and BBC Wales' sports program.
Walter Raleigh was able to obtain information on Swansea's new signings and introduce the club's new players to the public ahead of everyone else.
BBC Wales, anwhile, could occasionally film the new players training inside the club, allowing the outside world to see their basic ability through video footage.
Raleigh and Carter would sotis have als with Lynn, or go out to sea with him.
Both dia outlets had tasted the benefits of their connection with Swansea City.
At the sa ti, they also helped Lynn better control the club — at least in terms of guiding public opinion.
The fact that supporters were no longer causing trouble was already a very good sign.
Lynn handed training duties to assistant manager Emlyn Hughes, then travelled light.
His first stop was Malmö in Sweden.
...
On July 8, Lynn arrived at Malmö FF in a suit.
Inside the eting room, he spoke directly with the Malmö chairman.
Lynn was making an offer for a player.
"One million pounds."
"Not for sale!"
"Add another five hundred thousand."
"Two million!"
"I'll offer two million pounds. If you reject it, I stand up and leave imdiately."
"Er... fine! Two million pounds!"
After a simple round of bargaining with the club chairman, Lynn quickly reached an agreent on the transfer fee.
The Malmö chairman then called the player into the eting room.
When the player walked in, even after Lynn stood up, he still had to look up at him.
Because the other man was twelve centitres taller than Lynn.
The 1.95-tre Swedish tower: Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Zlatan, who was only eighteen and would not turn nineteen until October, walked into the eting room feeling completely confused.
After seeing Lynn, he still did not understand what was going on.
The club chairman briefly explained the situation to him.
Lynn stepped forward, shook Zlatan's hand, and said with a solemn expression, "Zlatan, I know what you're capable of. You will bring championships. You will bring glory to my club! You will help my team reach the top of Europe!"
"That's why I offered two million pounds to sign you — a sky-high price for Malmö."
"Now then, tell your conditions."
"If you would rather die than go to Swansea in Wales, then let's not waste each other's ti."
"But if you are willing to go, and all I need to do is satisfy your appetite, then say it."
"No matter how much I have to pay for you, I'll do it willingly."
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