Chapter 387 Can the Leicester City miracle still come true?
As the America's Cup final begins at the National Stadium in Santiago, the capital of Chile, Pan Yi's trip to watch the game is almost over.
The finalists are the host team Chile and Argentina.
The two teams shook hands within 120 minutes, and Chile won the final penalty shootout with 41, winning the America's Cup for the first time.
The devastated Argentina team, after the 2014 World Cup, once again lost in the final and could only get a second place.
As for the Brazilian team where Pan Yi has the most disciples?
In the last round of the group stage, they only narrowly defeated Venezuela, the weakest team in South America, 2:1, and then entered the quarterfinals and were eliminated by Paraguay.
Good, this way David Luiz and the others can have more time to rest...
This morning, Pan Yi had just woken up from a large hotel of several hundred square meters when he received a phone call.
It was actually Vardy calling?
This guy doesn’t want to come to Chelsea, does he?
That's pretty good. I happened to loan Bamford out, and the team is still short of a striker, right? I should have made up a new household registration book.
But when Pan Yi picked up the phone, it was an older voice: "Hello, coach Pan Yi, this is Ranieri, Claudio Ranieri."
Pan Yi was stunned.
Tinker Ranieri?
Oh, that's right. The Italian coach, who was still coaching the Greek national team last year, has now taken over as the coach of Leicester City.
So he should be with Vardy now.
It’s July, and it’s almost time for many Premier League teams to assemble.
That is to say, Chelsea, who played in the Champions League final, and whose players participated in the Copa America, will push back the training time by a few days.
Ranieri asked him for Vardy’s phone number, what would happen?
"Hello, what's the matter?" Pan Yi asked politely.
After all, Ranieri is a coach who has coached Napoli, Fiorentina, Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Parma, Juventus, Roma, Inter Milan...well, there are really too many.
No wonder they are called tinkers! Wherever there is a leaky pot, just mend it, and then carry a good pot away.
But in short, he has coached so many well-known teams, especially Chelsea, and is considered a world-famous coach. Pan Yi always wants to give him some face.
What's more, he is still a 63-year-old comrade, so he should be polite.
As for Vardy, this kid gave the phone to someone without even saying hello... I'll settle the score with him next time!
"That's right." Ranieri was also very polite, "Ramirez from your team doesn't play a lot of playing time in your team. Have you considered selling him to me?"
Oh, it turns out we were discussing transfer matters. Pan Yi understood.
Then, he slapped his head.
Yes, he almost forgot.
The Leicester City that Ranieri returns to now is not the same Leicester City that ended up ranking 14th and avoiding relegation last season!
In Pan Yi's previous life, this Leicester City team had to overpower bg6 in the new season, perform a blue arc miracle and finally win the Premier League championship!
And this summer, after Ranieri took over, Leicester City has also been making constant moves.
They spent 7.2 million pounds to buy Japanese international Shinji Okazaki from Mainz, 3 million pounds to buy tall central defender Robert Huth from Stoke City, and the same 3 million pounds to buy Inler from Naples; p>
Coupled with Vardy bought last season, as well as Mahrez, Wes Morgan, Drinkwater, Andy King, Schmeichel Jr. and others, this championship framework is almost complete. p>
And in the current team, there is only one key player missing——
N'Golo Kante!
Kante's important role in the Leicester City team goes without saying, just one fact.
That is, after helping Leicester City win the championship, Chelsea bought Kante to Stamford Bridge, while Leicester City's other main players and head coach basically retained the original team.
Then in the next season, Kante once again helped Chelsea win the championship, and Leicester City returned to the relegation ranks...
In his previous life, Ranieri only spent 5.6 million pounds to bring Kante to Fox City from French Ligue 1 team Caen;
But if Ranieri wants to buy Kante now, it is unjustifiable if the price does not increase more than ten times.
What's more, everyone around the world knows that Kanter is Pan Yi's favorite general. Even if he offers 100 million pounds, he might not even dump you.
Perhaps it is because of this consideration that although Ranieri may still appreciate Kanter, he did not consider buying him at all, but chose a lower alternative: Ramirez.
He mainly served as Kante's substitute at Chelsea last season, and of course the price will be cheaper.
Ramirez is indeed similar to Kanter in some technical characteristics. He can both run and fight, and even outperforms him in terms of offensive ability.
It seems that no matter which timeline, Ranieri's requirements for the defensive midfielder are similar.
There are actually players similar to Kanter and Ramirez, so why did you still come to Pan Yi?
Obviously, Ranieri started based on the principle of "the players Pan Yi uses are easy to use"!
As for Pan Yi, he actually feels a little "guilty" towards Ranieri or Leicester City.
After all, in this life, with his Chelsea team and Kante on his side, it is probably impossible for Leicester City to "replicate" the miracle of winning the championship.
This is likely to be a miracle that is unlikely to happen in the next ten years or even decades.
This also makes Pan Yi a little curious. If Kanter is really sent back to Leicester City, can Ranieri really cast the same magic?
But Pan Yi immediately denied himself.
Crazy, there is no reason to watch others win while you are left in the dust. Isn’t this time-traveling in vain!
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ranieri." Pan Yi said, "Ramirez has decided to go to the Dragon Country to play football."
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"Ah?" The person on the phone paused in obvious surprise, and then there was silence.
Pan Yi is not trying to trick Ranieri.
Just a few days ago, Jiangsu Suning officially sent a fax to Chelsea Club, asking for Ramirez, with an offer of 40 million euros.
And just like Shanghai SIPG offered Oscar a sky-high contract, Jiangsu Suning also gave Ramirez an offer he couldn't refuse.
Therefore, this is a good deal for both the club and Ramirez personally, and the deal is basically confirmed.
"Then... what about Mikel?" Ranieri's voice finally sounded again.
If he hadn't said anything, Pan Yi would have thought that the old man had just lost his temper.
But think about it, in the past we only had to compete with the five major league teams, or even within the Premier League, but now there is another Dragon Kingdom...
Moreover, these Dragon Country clubs are all very wealthy, and they do not hesitate to waive transfer fees and big contracts.
Although a prominent person can earn a lot of money, he is still attractive to players! Therefore, it is impossible for a club like Leicester City to rob him.
The sixth largest league in the world is no joke!
Now it seems that Ranieri is going to settle for the next best thing and pursue Mikel instead.
Mikel was still behind Ramirez in the starting order last season, even on par with Loftus-Cheek, but he is indeed a dark and tough defensive midfielder, which meets Ranieri's requirements.<
/p>
"This..." Pan Yi hesitated.
Originally, after letting Ramirez go, Chelsea's defensive midfielder position only consisted of Kante, Matic, Loftus-Cheek and Mikel.
In addition, the B seat can be pulled behind to play midfielder, and Ake and David Luiz can also step up and play as a defensive midfielder. Although there is one less person, it is not a big problem.
But if there is one less Mikel...
That would be a bit stretched, and Pan Yi would have to buy new players.
We originally needed to buy a forward, and now we have to buy a midfielder. It seems that it is still difficult to have free time during this transfer period.
"How about it? I can offer...20 million pounds!" Although Ranieri's expression could not be seen, it was obvious that the old man gritted his teeth.
20 million pounds can be Leicester City’s top transfer bid this season.
"I'll think about it." Pan Yi did not agree immediately.
Mikel is 28 years old this year. He may decline in two years, and he is not the main player of the team. It stands to reason that 20 million pounds is already a very good deal.
Manchester United only spent 20 million euros to buy Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern, which is equivalent to almost 15 million pounds...
But it’s still the same problem. Chelsea’s own midfielder is not rich now.
Seeing that Pan Yi didn't give any guarantee, Ranieri was obviously a little anxious: "If you have any conditions, you can raise them."
It seems that Ranieri should have looked for other options, but they were not as good as here.
Or maybe he has identified these Chelsea midfielders...
"Okay." Pan Yi said suddenly.
It was mainly the "guilt" and "curiosity" mentioned just now that made Pan Yi decide to help Ranieri and Leicester City.
If Ranieri gets a reduced version of Kante and everyone else remains unchanged, what will Leicester City's performance be like this season?
As for the hole left by Mikel's departure, Pan Yi naturally has a way to fill it, it just takes some time.
"However, in exchange, you have to owe me a favor."
"Favor?" Ranieri over there was stunned for a moment before he could be happy.
He has been coaching for so many years, but he has never heard of people defaulting on favors when transferring.
Pan Yi said with a smile, "Today you poach my people, I promise you. If I poach your people another day, don't be unreasonable."
"This..." Ranieri was a little dumbfounded.
Isn’t this transaction too elaborate?
But then he thought again, Chelsea is now full of talents, why do they need to dig up people from Manchester City?
"Is that okay?" Pan Yi asked again.
Ranieri thought for a while, "Okay, I promise you. But you also have to promise me... you can't poach Vardy away."
Pan Yi laughed.
From the other end of the phone, I could clearly hear Vardy’s laughter.
Indeed, if Pan Yi really wants to poach people from Leicester City, of course the only person Ranieri can think of is Vardy who will fall into his eyes.
"Don't worry, I will only ask you for some players you don't want." Pan Yi said, "Do you have any players you are ready to terminate?"
"..." This time Ranieri was in trouble.
You have a Chelsea team, Premier League champions and Champions League champions, and you have come to Manchester City to find players who want to terminate their contracts??
How could he have imagined that Pan Yi now has another identity, that is, the boss of the English second division club York City!
Not long ago, Chelsea and York City also officially formed an associated club relationship.
This kind of association with the club is actually a trivial matter. Pan Yi mentioned it and no one said anything at all.
Now, Pan Yi just wants to get some players for York City who can break into League One.
For a League Two team, the terminated players of the Premier League team are almost the right "swill".
These players are generally capable enough to play in League One, but they are not picky because they were terminated.
For the club, there is no need to pay additional transfer fees to sign the contract, and only a normal salary is required.
"Is there any?" Pan Yi asked.
"Yes, yes..." Ranieri hesitated and said, "There is a goalkeeper named Conrad Logan, who is 29 years old this year. There is also a midfielder named Gary Fletcher, who is 34 years old this year. Also
There is..."
"Okay, I've written it all down. If you do this when the time comes, you can help me recommend these players to our associated club, which is York City in the English Second Division..."
After hanging up the phone, Pan Yi nodded with satisfaction.
Mikel was sold for 20 million pounds, and he also found so much strong support for York City. The deal was worth it!
Although it seems that these people who have been terminated by Manchester City are too old, these experienced veterans are definitely a big killer in the English second division!
Why not get the players released by Chelsea?
Because the grades are different.
Most of the players Chelsea don't want can play in the English Championship and the upper reaches of League One, and they don't bother to go to League Two.
For a relegation team like City, they are just right. They are in the middle and lower reaches of English League One, but they are very strong in English League Two, and they are not challenging League Two...
Of course, in addition to looking for Ranieri today, Pan Yi has also contacted some other teams before.
For example, Bournemouth's Eddie Howe generously provided Pan Yi with several players for free, such as Ian Hart, Joe Partington, Miles Edison, and Daryl
·Flahavan and other players who were originally scheduled to terminate their contracts.
In exchange, Chelsea also loaned Ghanaian winger Atsu to Bournemouth for free.
In short, thanks to Pan Yi's efforts, York City is now gradually becoming a second-tier English aircraft carrier.
So, now is the time to find a new captain for this aircraft carrier...
"To be honest, I really don't know why you asked me to be the head coach of York City."
Scaloni looked at Pan Yi seriously. This is the head coach he admires most in his life.
Now that they have all returned to the Cobham training base, Chelsea's training camp for the new season is about to begin.
However, he has only studied with the most awesome head coach in the world for one year, and it seems that he is about to be "driven" away.
Yes, he already knew that Pan Yi was the owner of the English second division team York City, but he was still surprised.
"No reason, I just think you will do a good job." Pan Yi smiled.
Scaloni had a don't tease me expression: "Please, you know, I'm not ready at all."
"Then when do you think you will be ready?" Pan Yi asked with a smile.
Scaloni was at a loss for words, and he didn't know very well.
"The job of head coach is indeed very important. For some people, they may not be able to do this job for the rest of their lives. But for some people, he can do it without any effort, and in my opinion
, you belong to the latter."
Scaloni couldn't help but feel a little moved. This was Pan Yi's highest praise for him.
Pan Yi continued:
"Perhaps, maybe you haven't noticed it yourself, but I feel it very deeply. From the time you played football, you have been a player who is diligent in thinking. You are always thinking about why, how, and how this happens.
How to change it."
"In the eyes of many players, this is simply a hassle, but it is the most important quality of a head coach."
"This is the case when you are a player, and it is still the same when you are a coach or an assistant. You like to get to the bottom of things, and you want to make things clear when you encounter them."
"You have extremely high requirements for yourself, and at the same time you are able to clearly communicate what you want to others. I think you are ready."
Scaloni was stunned when he heard this. He had no idea that Pan Yi understood him so well!
In fact, in Pan Yi's previous life, Scaloni served as Sampaoli's assistant for two years as an assistant coach at Sevilla and the Argentina national team, and then became the head coach of the national team.
Then, he led the Argentine team to defeat the Brazilian team at home and win the America's Cup, ending a 28-year championship drought.
Later, he led the team to achieve 35 games undefeated and win the World Cup in 2022!
In the end, Scaloni was also elected as the 2022 Men's Football Coach of the Year.
Therefore, Pan Yi has confidence in him.
What's more, in this generation, Scaloni has studied for a year next to a disciple like himself, and his level will be greatly improved under the influence!
"Originally, I really wanted you to practice in the Chelsea youth team first, familiarize yourself with the environment of coaching alone, and adapt to the change of status. But now... you also know that York City needs someone who can lead them to upgrade.
New head coach, so I came to you."
"But I don't have much confidence." Scaloni was helpless.
This will definitely be a new challenge for him.
When playing football, he can be confident because he has played football for decades and he only needs to follow the head coach's instructions.
Later, he became Pan Yi's assistant. He didn't need to do anything, he just had to follow Pan Yi's arrangements and wishes.
But now, he has to coach alone. He has to be responsible not only to the management, but also to the players, and to all the fans.
This is an unprecedented challenge for him.
"Listen to me." Pan Yi smiled reassuringly at Scaloni, "Actually, coaching a team is not as difficult as you think. Do you know why?"
Scaloni didn't know what was going on and looked at Pan Yi intently.
"When coaching a team, the key factor that determines your success or failure is sometimes not whether you have outstanding tactical qualities, because that is secondary, but your management and coordination and communication skills are the most important." This is actually not difficult to understand.
Especially for York City, which is now reorganized, its strength can be said to be outstanding in English League Two, and there is absolutely no problem with its overall strength.
As long as the head coach is not bt, and as long as these players can do their best to play for him, York City's results will definitely not be bad.
But what determines whether these players are willing to give their all to a head coach is not the head coach’s tactical literacy, but the management ability, coordination and communication skills, and the head coach’s personal charm.
And Scaloni has exactly this ability.
In the 2022 Argentina national team in Pan Yi's previous life, many people said before the game that this was a team with relatively dim stars, but it was the most united national team in history.
In addition to superstars like Messi in the frontcourt, veterans with little fuel like Di Maria, and Dybala and Lautaro Martinez, the midfield and backfield are made up of some wealthy substitutes and main players from mid-to-lower teams.
Composition.
But Scaloni and his coaching staff have put this team together very well, with clear tactics and a good team atmosphere. The addition of Aguero as a sleeping assistant is even more powerful.
Argentina's final victory can be said to be a manifestation of the spirit of unity.
Scaloni also won the support of all players and fans with his excellent management. Even after an unexpected loss to Saudi Arabia in the first game, he still could not change this.
As for his lack of football tactics, is that important?
He can even find several coaches with excellent tactical abilities to serve as assistants.
Just like Pan Yi, his physical training is far inferior to Pintus, but what does it matter?
Not to mention that behind Scaloni, there is a boss who knows tactics very well and can offer help at any time...
"Believe me, you can definitely do it. Inzaghi and Nagelsmann were both my assistants, and they soon went to coach alone, and they are still the top teams in the five major leagues. Now you are just going to a League Two team.
Team, what else is there to be afraid of?"
With Pan Yi's encouragement, Scaloni finally plucked up the courage.
The person he admired most was Pan Yi. Since Pan Yi said he could do it, there was no reason for him not to give it a try.
If Scaloni was still worried about gains and losses when Pan Yi asked him to go to York City, now he is starting to feel a little more confident.
"Let me tell you, I didn't buy York City just for fun." Pan Yi patted Scaloni on the shoulder seriously, "I not only hope that it can be promoted to the English League One, the English Championship, and even the Premier League.
, I also hope that it can become the best cradle of stars in the world, produce countless world-class stars here, and then...conquer the world again!"
Scaloni was dumbfounded.
This is so crazy!
If these words did not come from Pan Yi's mouth, he would definitely sneer at them, because it is simply impossible.
A League Two team conquers the world?
But the person in front of him is Pan Yi.
A head coach who has won many battles since his debut, a Bole who knows people more accurately than anything else, a legend who is always creating impossible miracles...
There was no way he could doubt Pan Yi's ambition.
The only thing I can do is admire and envy.
Looking at the entire European football world, no, the whole world, Pan Yi is the only one who dares to think so.
"So, now, are you willing to be the head coach of such a team and lead them to success step by step?" Pan Yi looked at Scaloni sincerely and asked seriously.
At this point, the atmosphere has been heightened to this point, what else can Scaloni say?
He was like the bride who was questioned by the priest at the wedding and could only say one word: