As Aldridge walked out of Old Trafford and was about to take a taxi to the train station, his cell phone rang.
He just took out his phone out of habit and canceled the silent mode. He found a few text messages and two missed calls. Just when he took out his phone, another call came in.
Caller: Melanie.
"Hi."
"Aldrich, where are you? You are so crazy today!"
"I'm going back to London."
"Huh? Are you still in Manchester?"
"Yes, I just had a chat with the Manchester United coach in his office."
"What's there to talk about with him? You two are not from the same era. Then you can come to my house for dinner. My mother also wants to meet you. She said she wants to see my boyfriend."
"Okay, then you tell me the address and I'll take a taxi there."
After hanging up the phone, Aldrich temporarily suppressed the gloom in his heart.
He did not agree to Ferguson face to face, or refused.
There is no problem with the transfer fee. In this year, Manchester United's asking price is reasonable, although maybe in three to five years, the value of Larsson and Trezeguet will soar to more than 15 million pounds.
However, the transfer involves three parties: Manchester United, Millwall, and the players themselves.
If Manchester United didn't make an offer, Aldridge could ignore it, but if Manchester United made an offer, the situation would be completely different.
Aldridge will not agree hastily, because the importance of these two players to Millwall is self-evident.
But we can't refuse decisively. What if the players want to leave? It's not like Manchester United made an insulting offer or failed to meet their salary needs.
If there is a conflict between the will of the player and the club, the advantages of keeping the two in the team may not outweigh the disadvantages. Moreover, Aldridge wants to establish an image. If he forcefully retains the players and creates rumors of discord, it will have a negative impact on him signing new players in the future.
It will have a negative impact. Millwall itself is unattractive. If the head coach can no longer attract players to come and vote, then this club will have no future at all.
It’s not that Aldridge can’t sell players. He borrowed 30 million pounds from his eldest brother Barnett. What will he give in return?
Just rely on the low income from club operations? I'm afraid it won't be repaid in ten years.
He pays the main players a salary that is almost the same as England's first-tier stars, just to retain the players. If he wants to sell them in the future, he will sell them at a good price.
If the deal between Larsson and Trezeguet is completed, Aldridge will earn close to 10 million pounds a year from these two players!
In the next two years, he will inevitably make up for the balance of payments by selling players. The club's budget will be exhausted after this season. If operating income can increase significantly this season, then Audrey
Qi can still last for one season, but by the time 1997 comes, I'm afraid he will become a pauper.
It's not enough to just get out but not get in, but you can't sell people this season. The first season of the Premier League is too important for Millwall. It is not only about survival, but also about the ultimate achievement.
Aldridge called Andrew while waiting for the bus. When Trezeguet was introduced last year, his agent was changed to Andrew. In the summer, Larson renewed his contract and became a player in Andrew's hands.
After briefly explaining to Andrew that Manchester United would offer two players, it was not for Aldrich to ask what to do. In fact, he and Andrew, the two brothers, should be two parties with a conflict of interest.
If it weren't for the fact that Larsson and Trezeguet had just signed new contracts in the summer and their wages had increased significantly, especially Larsson's weekly salary rose directly from eight thousand pounds to fifteen thousand pounds, then Andrew, as an agent, would have had a huge increase in salary.
Work around, either to help the player transfer to Manchester United, or to help the player get a bigger contract at Millwall.
Everything was silent between the brothers, and Aldrich actually felt relieved. At least the most difficult agent in the transfer transaction was his brother. He was sure that Andrew would not stab him in the back.
The taxi came, and after Aldridge got in, he asked the driver to drive to Liverpool.
It only takes less than an hour to drive from Manchester to Liverpool. The two cities are so close, but their culture, religion, politics, economy, and football are all opposites.
Throwing all his worries aside, Aldrich looked out the car window at the street scene. Along the way, he could see the vastly different cultural atmosphere of the two cities, and he could also feel that historical changes had led to the different destinies of the two cities.
Manchester has a conservative tradition. The "world factory" that emerged more than 200 years ago has declined. After World War II, the industry declined. The manufacturing industry has been declining in the past thirty years. Large-scale layoffs have caused Manchester to embark on a painful transformation, from manufacturing to services.
industry, and in the streets and alleys, Manchester City people are all sad and remembering the city's lost glory.
As a famous port city in the UK, Liverpool is more open, free and multi-element, so the talented Beatles were born here. It also quickly embarked on the road of revival in the 1990s. In recent years, the economic growth rate has exceeded that of London, becoming the British economy.
Pioneer of growth, Liverpool is an artistic city that has produced many artists.
As the scene before his eyes changed, Aldridge suddenly thought that Melanie was from Liverpool, and perhaps most of her musical talent and inspiration came from the magical port city of Liverpool.
Aldrich favors talented people and respects hard-working people. Perhaps it was because Melanie possessed these two qualities that he was attracted to her.
And he turned a blind eye to women who had no skin. Otherwise, as a young and rich man, he would have spent time with countless third-page girls.
When he got off the car in front of Melanie's house, Aldrich looked down at his appearance and immediately regretted it.
The suit is of excellent quality and has no wrinkles. However, there are obviously two stains on the trouser legs from the knees down, which were left when he rushed into the court to kneel down to celebrate. There are also some dirty marks on the suit.
The players picked it up when they came over for a hug.
Taking off his suit and putting it on his arm, he stood in front of the door and suddenly thought: It was the first time he came to the door, but he was empty-handed.
He, who always paid attention to etiquette and demeanor, felt embarrassed.
If I had known this, I should have bought a bottle of Ferguson's good wine before coming here.
After standing in front of the door for a long time, he suddenly found that the door opened. Melanie stared at him with a strange expression and asked in a low voice: "Why are you standing at the door and not ringing the doorbell? Do you not want to come?"
Aldrich said with a wry smile: "I came in a hurry, I didn't bring any gifts."
Melanie rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm and dragged him home. She also kissed him on the cheek and said, "I know you just finished directing the game and you just came here for a casual meal, not a high-society dinner like yours.
It makes people nervous, just feel free to do it, my family is very hospitable."
Aldrich secretly cursed: Upper class?
If anyone else had said that, Aldrich would have thought it was sarcasm.
In the UK, the real upper class cannot be compared to the Hall family. The real aristocrats can often have afternoon tea with ministers in Downing Street, go horse riding and play ball with the royal family... The Hall family,
Just a nouveau riche.
It is said that Liverpool is a Scoss people, warm and hospitable. Aldrich met Melanie's parents for the first time and had a great impression.
Melanie has a younger brother who is a Liverpool fan like Melanie.
He went to watch the Liverpool game in the afternoon, and witnessed Liverpool's narrow victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Anfield. He returned home happily and heard that Manchester United had a difficult draw with the newly promoted team at home, which was even more joyful.
What surprised him even more was that he saw his sister's boyfriend at home during dinner, the magical head coach of the newly promoted team, Aldrich, who was only a few years older than him.
The dinner went on very harmoniously. Although Aldrich was not as knowledgeable as an academic, he was well-traveled and well-informed, and his conversation was gentle and gentle.
What just gave him a headache was that Melanie's brother watched the post-match highlights and started talking about football with him. He was talking about which Millwall player would have greater achievements in Liverpool, while thinking about himself.
Liverpool can win the league title this season.
Liverpool, that is also a traditional giant that has failed to win the league championship since 1990.
Aldridge doesn't want to hit him. Even without Millwall's sudden emergence, Liverpool's next top league championship is not known until what year or month. At least in the history Aldridge has experienced, it was almost 24 years!
Will it surpass Manchester United's dark record of not having a top league for 26 years at the end of the Ferguson era? It's hard to say. Anyway, there is no sign that Liverpool will quickly win the league title in 20 years. After all, the Premier League at that time was already a different landscape.
Already.
After dinner, he chatted happily with Melanie’s family for nearly two hours. Seeing that it was getting late, Aldrich stood up to leave. Melanie’s mother offered some words of pleading: “It’s so late, so let’s leave tomorrow.
There happens to be a guest room at home for guests to stay."
Melanie knew Aldrich very well. She picked up his suit, unfolded it, put it on for him and smiled at his family: "You don't know, he is a workaholic. He will definitely go to the club early tomorrow morning. Don't embarrass him."
.”
Melanie's parents both smiled, kindly and gratifiedly, feeling that hard-working young people like Aldrich are rare anymore, because now we are in such a flashy society.
Melanie sent Aldridge out. Outside the door, the two hugged each other and kissed goodbye. When she was blushing and panting, she said: "I will go to London to watch the game on the weekend. You have to work hard! Although I believe
You, but the media looks down on you, it still makes people angry, Aldrich, you will fight back hard against those voices, right?"
The only time she has is these past few weeks, and the Spice Girls will be busy working on their first album.
Millwall was not favored before the season, which is reasonable. No newly promoted team will be particularly favored, especially a team like Millwall that has no foundation and has not introduced well-known stars on a large scale.
Aldrich pinched her soft face and smiled: "I don't care what others say."
Seeing her staring, as if she was dissatisfied with what he said, Aldrich sighed: "I don't have time. Who would spend hours every day flipping through newspapers to see what people outside are saying about themselves? Spend more time
Think about how to fight back? Are you tired? Well, let’s not talk anymore. I should leave. Anyway, I will be back in two weeks. By then, haha, I guess your family won’t welcome me.”
Melanie kissed him on the lips again, and said with a smile: "If Millwall beats Liverpool at Anfield, if you dare to show up here, be careful not to go back to London! Hahaha, Aldrich, be careful on the road,
Give me a call when you get home."
Aldrich shook his head and said, "It will be very late and nothing will happen."
"no!"
"Send a text message."
"No! Phone, otherwise I will call you every ten minutes."
"You win. I'll call you when I get home. Good night."
Aldrich turned around and walked to the intersection of the community, got in the car and left.
It wasn't until the taxi disappeared that Melanie jumped back home with her hands behind her back.
Aldrich closed his eyes tiredly in the car.
Manchester United's transfer intention comes at the wrong time. This is the beginning of Millwall's devilish schedule. Next week they will face their local derby rival Arsenal at home. The week after that, they will be back here again. Although it is not Manchester, it is
Liverpool...
ps: Thanks to the "post-90s gentleman" for the tip!
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