Serie A is the most prosperous among the European leagues. In addition to the top three in the north, other teams have also become wealthy due to commercial income from sponsors and broadcast fees. Even teams that are relegated can attract some international stars to join them. These small football teams
The team's poaching also gave Aldridge a headache.
Because two TV stations in La Liga are competing for broadcast contracts this summer, La Liga teams also have a lot of funds to expand their teams. Therefore, many teams in the middle and upper reaches of La Liga have also begun an "arms race." However, due to the league style, they
Most players look down on the Premier League, and the talented players that have appeared in England in recent years have also ended in dismal results when they went abroad to play, such as Gascoigne, Rush, etc.
The Premier League has also begun to recover steadily after easing the financial austerity caused by the European War ban and the huge financial pressure of building new stadiums or renovating stadiums. The investment of major teams is increasing day by day, and successful commercial operations have begun to allow Premier League teams to try
To the sweetness.
Although Manchester United won the Premier League championship last season, Ferguson was not satisfied with the lineup. After missing out on Ronaldo and Shearer, he could comfort himself that at least he brought Solskjaer and introduced backup goalkeeper Van der Gou.
, the substitute goalkeeper that Manchester United brought in last season transferred to Sunderland in the winter, and then became a substitute goalkeeper for Manchester United.
It brought Boboski, who performed amazingly in the Czech national team, and baby-faced compatriot Johansson also came to Old Trafford. Finally, Manchester United also acquired Cruyff Jr., who was originally involved in Barcelona.
was involved in Ronaldo's trade, but the latter obviously had a strong sense of self-esteem and refused to be a plus in the deal, and then put on the Red Devils jersey.
Arsenal's summer was very turbulent. There were rumors all over London that Riochi would be sacked. However, the manager named Arsene Wenger was not familiar to Fleet Street, and Arsenal completed a heavyweight signing.
Rega Vieira, the former is regarded as the hope of Arsenal's revival. The latter is not the main player at Millwall, so he can only place his hopes on it.
Liverpool has successively introduced many capable players and invested more than 10 million pounds. Chelsea, under the management of Bates, has set its sights on late superstars. Vialli, the veteran who won the Champions League with Juventus last season, spent 10 million US dollars to come to Chelsea.
Stamford Bridge.
Compared to other Premier League teams, they have recruited more players, and some have even expanded their teams significantly.
Millwall has made no move in the transfer market. Other than selling, they are selling.
The transfers of Vieira, Pires, Solskjaer, and Thuram brought Millwall nearly 30 million pounds in revenue, excluding purchases and wages in the past two years. Millwall net
Earn more than £20 million!
This has led to young coach Aldridge being praised by the outside world as a manager with business acumen. However, this has also led to criticism from the outside world that Millwall lacks enterprising spirit.
After selling away two main players and two main substitutes, it is obvious that Millwall's strength has declined instead of increasing. In the new season, they will face stronger teams such as Manchester United, Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Arsenal.
competition, there is no doubt that their attitude in the transfer market has shown that they are lagging behind.
Aldrich has been very busy recently, too busy to take time off.
Tomorrow is the day when the players return to the team for training. But he is having a secret conversation in a box at the Ritz Hotel.
There were four people in the box, all dressed in suits and ties. Next to Aldridge sat club CEO Adam, and opposite them sat FA Chairman Wiseman and CEO Kelly.
When the meal was almost done, Aldridge got straight to the point: "Mr. Chairman, renting Wembley is not a plan I came up with hastily. On the contrary, I made up my mind to make this request to the FA after careful consideration."
Wiseman and Kelly remained calm, and the chairman nodded slightly, gesturing for Aldrich to continue speaking.
"First of all, Millwall's stadium is small, with a capacity of less than 20,000. We will compete in the European Cup Winners' Cup in the new season. I don't know if UEFA can pass our stadium review, but that doesn't matter. I think Millwall is
Representing English football in Europe involves an image problem. Secondly, if, if Millwall can win the Premier League crown in the new season, our stadium will definitely not be able to pass the UEFA review for Champions League home games next season.
At that time, I will still come to you to make the same request."
Last season, Millwall won two titles and one runner-up, and secured a ticket to the European war. In this era, the three major European cups have the strongest influence: the Champions League, followed by the European Cup Winners' Cup, and finally the UEFA Cup.
The Champions League is the stage for the champions of various countries, and the European Cup Winners' Cup is the stage for the cup champions of various countries. In the remaining UEFA Cup, the participating teams have strength, but most of them do not have championship titles, and the flavor of exchanges and exchanges is stronger.
Therefore, Millwall will fight on three fronts to compete for four important championships in the new season. The Cup Winners' Cup is the stage for the king of cups, but Aldridge does not value it. He has only one goal in the new season: the Premier League championship!
And he is thinking further. If Millwall competes in the Champions League next season, after all, the Champions League is about to usher in expansion. By then, I am afraid that they will not be able to play home games at the Lion's Den Stadium because of the stadium capacity problem. UEFA will definitely not allow it.
The game is played at the Lion's Den Stadium.
The Champions League is a golden signature created by UEFA. Without the Champions League, UEFA would be ineffective. Therefore, the threshold for the Champions League is naturally high. In addition to the strength of the team, the hard power of the club is also one of the standards that cannot be lowered.
Aldridge needs to plan ahead. It is impossible for Millwall to build a high-standard new stadium within a year. So once they can win the Premier League championship in the new season, they will have to rent someone else's stadium to play in the Champions League next season, otherwise they will
Was disqualified.
Recalling that around two thousand years ago, Arsenal rented Wembley to play their Champions League home games, so Aldridge took the lead and started renting him out this season until the new stadium was built.
The benefits of renting in advance are obvious. Players can become familiar with Wembley earlier, minimizing the negative impact of not having home field advantage.
Secondly, Wembley’s large capacity means more ticket revenue.
At the same time, it can also benefit Millwall’s publicity and increase its influence.
Wiseman and Kelly whispered to each other, and then Wiseman sighed and said: "Aldridge, I want to help you, but your plan is not a long-term solution. If Millwall keeps performing well, then Wen
Has Bulli always been lent to you? I heard that Millwall's new stadium plan was shelved after the Hall family took over, and it was converted into a youth training base. You must have your own big stadium.
"
Aldridge nodded with deep understanding. In fact, Adam sitting next to him was frightened. If Millwall really invested in building a new stadium, it would definitely be a dereliction of duty on his part as CEO!
The capacity of the new stadium is only 25,000, and it will not meet UEFA's Champions League standards after it is built. It is hard to say whether it can be expanded by then. If the money is wasted, Adam will definitely resign and will become a new stadium.
The laughingstock of the circle.
I couldn't help but glance at Aldrich. This young boss still had vision and courage.
Aldridge took out a document and handed it to Wiseman and said: "This is our new stadium plan. The investment budget is between 100 million pounds and 150 million pounds. My brother is doing it for me.
Customers, Millwall invested 20 million pounds in the initial stage, and with all the remaining loans, the land will be finalized before the end of this year and construction will begin, and the construction will be completed within five years."
Suddenly more than 100 million pounds of funds are needed to build the stadium. Even the Hall family does not have so much liquidity. The Millwall club itself is not valuable, but the players they have are!
A year or two ago, Millwall asked for a loan, and it was impossible to borrow more than 100 million pounds. Even if Barnett came forward, unless his company was used as collateral, the major banks would only refuse.
But this summer is different. The valuation of Millwall's entire team has exceeded 50 million pounds. In addition, Barnett has come forward as a lobbyist. Millwall can also invest 20 million pounds in the early stage. The bank is willing to sign the agreement, and then according to the
The project progress is being funded step by step. If something unexpected happens to Millwall and they are unable to repay the loan, subsequent funding will be terminated. Aldridge will also lose everything and can only file for bankruptcy.
With this decision, Aldrich put everything on the line.
He can't do it without building a new stadium, and building it early is cheaper and more effective than building it later.
If when the Premier League completely enters the era of capital, Millwall encounters financial pressure to build a stadium again, I am afraid that Millwall will never be able to turn around.
Where does the revenue come from?
In addition to the club's commercial development, it can only sell players.
The revenue from selling players this year has reached nearly 30 million, of which 20 million has been invested in the preliminary construction of the new stadium.
Next summer, Stam will definitely leave. As long as he is not injured and cannot be transferred, then Millwall can start repaying at least next summer's income. In addition, the Premier League's broadcast share is getting higher and higher.
Millwall also strives to enter the Champions League every year to obtain new benefits, which must be based on the team's record. Therefore, Aldridge is not relaxed at all, but it is this pressure that makes him optimistic about the future.
A long period of work filled with drive and passion.
Wiseman and Kelly discussed for some time, and the final focus of the dispute was on interests.
A corrupt institution like the Football Association is full of political struggles, and Kelly, who can sit in the executive position, is often the target of criticism, because since the establishment of the Premier League and it was separated from the control of the Football Association, the debt of the Football Association has
It keeps getting higher and higher. Kelly's role as CEO of the Football Association is just to make money.
In this regard, Aldridge doesn't want to quarrel with the opponent bit by bit. After all, a team like Millwall has taken a huge advantage by renting to Wembley, both in terms of income and image.
In the end, the two parties negotiated terms. In addition to Millwall paying the Wembley venue maintenance costs after each game day of the rented venue, the FA will receive 15% of the profit from ticket revenue. As Millwall's
rental fee.
15% does not sound like much, but Wembley can accommodate more than 60,000 people. Even though Millwall only has 30,000 fans in attendance, tickets for European games are more expensive than domestic league cup games. Even at 20 pounds, the FA
Each game earns at least 100,000 pounds. After one season, if Millwall can go further, the FA will not have a problem earning nearly one million pounds. This income is already quite a lot for the FA.
Wiseman has reached a verbal agreement with Aldridge, but he has to go back and agree with the FA internally. He will give Aldridge an accurate answer before the start of the Community Shield game in the new season.
Aldridge smiled, shook hands with Wiseman and Kelly, and then took a step forward with Adam.
Tomorrow, the team's training camp will begin, and Millwall's transfer door has also been closed.
The club signed a number of new sponsorship contracts in the summer, and with the £9 million gained from the transfer market added to the club's account, Millwall's finances were at least secure for the 1996-97 season.
Now Aldridge's headache is how to face a team that has had almost no rest in the summer to face the new season.
Attached is Millwall's first-team roster for the 1996-97 season.
Goalkeepers: Butt, Keller, Wright.
Defenders: Schneider, Mills, Materazzi, Richards, Stam, Southgate, Helguera, Ferdinand, Capdevila, Zambrotta, Neal (seriously injured for one year)
, came back in March 1997 and did not appear in the entire season.)
