Henry thought he would have a happy summer, but in fact he became irritable from the moment he returned home with the national team to celebrate, accepted cheers from the people, and was received by leaders.
During a celebration banquet in France, he and Trezeguet began to complain privately.
"David, tell me, are my demands too much? I only want a weekly salary of 40,000 pounds, but the club can give Henrik a weekly salary of 100,000 pounds. For me, it is only an increase of 5,000 pounds.
His weekly salary? £30,000? It’s unbelievable.”
Henry entrusts all matters to his agent. This is a common practice and an unspoken rule within the football club.
Players generally don't go to the head coach and yell in front of the manager to discuss remuneration. That would be too pretentious, especially in this day and age.
On the club side, Aldrich, as the head coach, will not come forward to discuss money directly with the players. The club CEO is in charge, and the players themselves will not come forward. It is the agent who handles everything.
The traditional rule within Millwall is that "all information within the club cannot be publicized to the outside world!"
Henry will not publicize his demands through the media. This is "suicide"!
No club would like a player to be a big talker, especially when it comes to internal affairs of the club. At least on this point, Henry is very disciplined. When faced with the French media chasing after him and asking him whether he would transfer and leave, he remained firm.
He said he would stay at Millwall and is still discussing a contract extension.
The French media did not make so many groundless speculations. They only thought that Henry was now a world-class star because he was crowned European Cup champion. So his contract extension must be different from other players. The negotiation process with the club took a long time.
It makes sense.
Two years ago, when Millwall eliminated Monaco in the Champions League semi-finals, Henry looked at Trezeguet with complicated eyes after the game. Today, the situation between the two was reversed, and Trezeguet looked at Henry with complicated eyes.
.
If he had not chosen to leave two years ago to pursue the so-called dream of proving himself in the world's first league, perhaps his current reputation would at least be as good as Henry's.
Unfortunately, there is no if in this world.
Whether it is him, his predecessor Thuram, or Shevchenko, after moving to Serie A, it cannot be said that his reputation has declined, but if he still stays at Millwall, he will definitely become famous and reach a higher level.
Trezeguet suppressed the thoughts of "regret" in his heart. The deal is done, and the road is his own choice. There is no need to be resentful. Besides, he had a good life at Juventus, even if he did not become the San Siro crowd like Shevchenko.
The darling of attention, at least Juventus' competitiveness is still among the top in Europe, and its overall strength is stronger than AC Milan.
"Thierry, you can't compare with Henrik. I'm not talking about the level of competition. You have to know that six years ago, when I, Henrik, Pavel and Gareth were standing at the Lion's Den,
What does Millwall have? Nothing! In addition to winning titles and Ballon d'Ors in these six years, Henrik also won the hearts of all Lions fans, especially in, uh, uh, especially in
I
, against the background of the departure of Andrea, Lilian and others, his perseverance and loyalty have made him the legend, totem and flag of the club. You must understand that since 1995, in every transfer period,
The invitation letters and club offers that Henrik received were getting higher and higher each time. Faced with countless temptations, he chose to repay Millwall and Mr. Hall with his unswerving loyalty."
Trezeguet can no longer call Aldrich boss, but he still respects Aldrich from the bottom of his heart. It was the man who brought him to Europe from South America, made him rich before the age of 20, and made him famous.
Wan, let him carve out a small world of his own in this land.
Henry looked bitter and said: "I'm not jealous of Henrik. Of course he deserves the treatment he is receiving now. I just think the gap between him and me is too big. Even Ronaldinho has 50,000 pounds."
Why can’t I have a new contract with a weekly salary?”
"I don't know about this, but in my impression, Mr. Hall has never been stingy in terms of salary. It depends on the club's finances, but if what you said is true, this situation is very strange. Logically speaking,
, you should at least make the same money as Ronaldinho, after all, your contribution is obvious to all, and Ronaldinho is a Millwall youth training player..."
"My agent told me that the new contracts of Pirlo and Ronaldinho both have a weekly salary of 50,000 pounds, and the club only plans to give me 30,000 pounds. Maybe through negotiation, we can increase it to 35,000 pounds.
This is on the same level as Schneider, Gianluca Zambrotta, Materazzi and Bute."
After hearing this, Trezeguet shook his head, feeling incredible.
He has played for Millwall for four years and knows that Millwall has a tradition of giving preferential treatment to "veterans". This is completely understandable. The team needs veterans with extraordinary strength to stay. Otherwise, is it necessary to sell one star after cultivating one?
Before he moved to Juventus, Millwall offered him a very lucrative contract, but he still refused. The decisive factor for his departure had nothing to do with money.
Although Henry is not a veteran, he should not make less money than non-offensive players such as Schneider and Materazzi, especially since he produced such dazzling statistics last season. If Millwall really does this, how can they still do it?
Can we retain those newcomers who have made a name for themselves? Because in terms of qualifications, it is impossible for new players to surpass the players who first came to the team.
Aldridge returned to London and came to the club's office building early in the morning. It was still half a month before the team's summer training camp. He came back early and did not necessarily have to stay here to work. Many things that required him to make decisions could be made with just one phone call.
Done.
He came here mainly to ask about Henry.
The news in Fleet Street was abuzz, and the momentum of public opinion was very bad. It seemed to "force" Henry to transfer.
For the media, which one is more sensational, Henry leaving or staying? Of course it is the transfer and leaving!
So they are trying to build momentum, which can indeed generate enough gimmicks.
Aldrich listens to Adam's work report in the office.
The summer preparation schedule is still in full swing, and Adam mainly reports on the club's internal affairs.
The contract renewal is going well.
Except for Henry, everyone else in the first team has completed their contract renewals. The minimum renewal period is four years, and the longest term is five years.
Salary expenses have naturally increased significantly, but they have been controlled within an acceptable range for Millwall.
The new stadium is about to debut, and all sponsorship contracts have at least doubled in the summer.
Puma, Standard Chartered Bank, one is the jersey, the other is the chest advertisement on the jersey, plus the sponsorship contract of low-level echelon Umbro, as well as the arrival of a series of new sponsorship contracts such as in-stadium sponsorship. Millwall alone can
Generating more than 70 million pounds in annual sponsorship revenue, and with strategic partners outside of the country, their annual sponsorship revenue is likely to exceed 100 million pounds!
The business network that has been tirelessly built over the past six years has expanded into the global market. With the team's unprecedented success in competitive arenas, Millwall has begun to reap huge profits in real money, which is crucial to the long-term development of the club. This is a
The sign, the team's brand effect, even if one day the Hall family changes ownership of the team, the value of the team itself will not shrink significantly.
Finally, Aldridge paced back and forth in the office, listening to Adam explain in detail the entire process of renewing his contract with Henry.
After listening, Aldridge stopped and said in a deep voice: "He wants a weekly salary of 75,000 pounds? It's impossible to change?"
"That's what his agent said."
"Where is he himself?"
"I contacted him on the phone before and mentioned the matter of contract renewal, and he said that I would leave it all to the agent."
"I mean, more than a month has passed, what has he said to the outside world?"
Adam thought for a moment and replied: "According to what he said in interviews, when asked about the future of the club, he always responded in diplomatic terms."
diplomatic language?
That means saying nothing.
Aldridge thought for a moment and then said calmly: "Give his agent an ultimatum. If Henry does not renew his contract, he will be a substitute in the new season until his contract expires in two years and he can leave as a free agent."
Adam looked embarrassed and said: "Henry's commercial value..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Aldrich knew what he was worried about.
For such a super shooter, if Millwall is placed on the bench, his influence will inevitably be greatly reduced, which will further affect the value of the club.
Aldridge interrupted him and said calmly: "Adam, remember, Millwall is a wealthy club now."
Adam was startled when he heard this, then nodded firmly and said: "I understand, boss."
After Adam left, Aldrich came to the floor-to-ceiling window. The office building was in the Leo training base. He could see eight regular training fields outside the window. At this time, many young echelons were already training.
He stood with his hands behind his hands, closed his eyes and murmured: "Thierry, you make my heart hurt."
Players like Shevchenko and Trezeguet moved away. Aldridge didn't think it was a betrayal. Millwall was a small temple at the time and couldn't keep the gods. They wanted to go to the next level and didn't have the patience to accompany them.
Millwall is making progress together. Who can guarantee that Millwall will definitely be able to achieve this picturesque success today?
But Aldridge did it. He made Millwall shine. In particular, he made Henry richer, more famous, and his career more brilliant. It was more brilliant than the same period in its history. At least, the club's highest team honor.
As a shooter, he has won the highest individual honor on the field!
League champion, Champions League champion!
Top scorer in the league, top scorer in Europe!
What else is missing?
Ballon d'Or, World Footballer!
But Millwall has trained two Ballon d'Or winners, and facts have proven that you can get the top honors here.
What else is Henry dissatisfied with?
Was Aldrich ever stingy with what he could give?
Before asking, first ask yourself how much you have given!
If he wants to surpass Larsson and Nedved in terms of salary, then he has to pay more than Larsson and the others, and the most critical one is: loyalty!
Therefore, Millwall absolutely cannot accept the conditions offered by Henry's agent.
If the negotiation eventually breaks down.
Aldridge will put Henry on the bench, and if he has a conflict, he will deal with it differently.
In this era, clubs do not impose capital punishment on players, because the power of the players themselves has been greatly improved.
For a player of Henry's level, Millwall must first ensure his right to work, that is, he must be allowed to train, play football, and play games at the club. Therefore, even if Aldrich wants to push Henry into the shadows, he cannot
Just throw him to the reserve team for two years, otherwise Henry can sue Millwall and obtain an early termination of the contract.
This kind of situation is often a special case, and there is no hard and fast standard.
Just like if Van der Meyde stays and Millwall throws him into the reserve team, even if Van der Meyde goes to court with Millwall, it is very likely that Millwall will win the case in the end.
Because Van der Meyde himself does not have the ability and reputation to start the game at Millwall, the club believes that he is not capable enough, and it is acceptable to let him go to the reserve team, but Henry, the World Cup, the European Cup, the League, and the Champions League are all
A major championship winner, throwing him into the reserve team? As long as they go to court, Millwall will definitely lose. The bottom line is to let him play as a substitute. (To be continued...)
