Team Spirit

Chapter 149 Madeira's exorbitant transfer fee: Ronaldo is merely a substitute, and we must apologize to Spokane.
Sky Sports: "Chelsea's hierarchy has made it clear that the Blues will join the race for Madeira!"

Who would have thought that the summer of 2003 in Britain would begin with an "unknown" man named Madeira?
Manchester United, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Chelsea, and Liverpool – all five of the Premier League's top five teams are participating.

This has directly affected these teams' player recruitment plans, and some linked deals cannot be completed for the time being, pending the results from this side.

Of course, this is not solely Madeira's achievement; he also benefited from a free ride.

The biggest linked deal this summer was actually Beckham.

Despite being eliminated from the EFL Cup and the Champions League, Ferguson and Beckham temporarily put aside their differences and helped Manchester United retain the Premier League title.

But a broken mirror is hard to mend.

When Beckham received the notification from the team, he remained calm.

If he had a choice, whatever the other answer might be, he would choose to stay at Manchester United.

But this option is not available.

In his campaign speech for the Barcelona Zhu Xi, Laporte made it clear that he would bring Beckham to Camp Nou, and that they had reached a gentleman's agreement with Manchester United.

Manchester United have made it clear that they want Beckham to join Barcelona.

This move has four intentions.

First, from a commercial standpoint, Real Madrid and Manchester United are the two best-run clubs commercially, so there is clearly a competition between them.

Secondly, from a competitive standpoint, they can strike at Real Madrid, the strongest team in European competitions in recent years, without exception.

Third, strengthen Barcelona's strength so that they can put more pressure on Real Madrid in the league, thereby affecting Real Madrid's European competitions.

Fourth, Barcelona and Manchester United are Ronaldinho's main suitors. If they acquire Beckham, Manchester United will be able to sign Ronaldinho and fill the void left by Beckham's departure.

Of course, considering the age of players like Giggs, Manchester United also needs to update other positions, so Madeira is also a target for them.

However, they cannot invest too much in Madeira before Ronaldinho's situation is settled.

Seven million pounds is the absolute maximum!
Converted to euros, that's about eleven million euros.

This was Manchester United's final offer, beating Arsenal's six million pounds.

As a result, Manchester United halted another deal of similar caliber... Sporting Lisbon's rising star Cristiano Ronaldo.

Sporting Lisbon, also known as Sporting CP, is so angry it's like their liver hurts.

What the hell is this, a competitor suddenly appearing out of nowhere?

Madeira is Portuguese, yet he made his name in England. This is the collective mistake of three of Portugal's biggest clubs!

However, Sporting CP has not given up and is still actively contacting Manchester United.

As a result... Beckham didn't move, but Madeira went first.

Chelsea's £14 million offer is shocking!
Transfermarkt: "You may not know who Abramovich is, but you must know that his first transfer offer after taking office was £14 million!"

Bild: "Extravagant! Chelsea attempt to sign England's third-tier youngster for a record-breaking €21 million!"

Tuttosport reports: "Serie A clubs are cautious about the Madeira deal, with some insiders believing Chelsea is just manipulating the books!"

Daily Sport: "Chelsea's reckless spending is pure folly; Lu Kai, outwardly a corrupt official but inwardly a corrupt official, is colluding with the Soviet Union. Beware of a football version of the 'Big Squid' meme!"

Mundo Deportivo: "We can't afford Madeira, but Simão offers better value! The well-established Portuguese winger Simão joins Barcelona for £4.2 million!"

Manchester Evening News: "Chelsea have gone mad! Madeira has scored 100 goals in a single season. It would have taken three years of Premier League experience to earn over 10 million pounds!"

France Football: "Abramovich's move was astonishing, his methods were superb! While the £14 million acquisition of Madeira was a huge loss, the resulting advertising effect allowed him to successfully overcome the resistance from European clubs, players, and fans!"

Dartford won by default.

Madeira surpassed Morgan, Ashley Young, Brad, Eastwood, and others to become Dartford's new record signing.

And it is very likely that this will not be broken in the future—that is the general consensus.

Of course, Ashley Young didn't get a real deal due to his broken leg, but he was worth a whopping six million pounds, which is why he established himself at Dartford.

Madeira isn't English and doesn't dislike Abramovich, but he still called Lu Kai to express his reluctance to leave Dartford and his desire to continue fighting with Dartford to make it into the Premier League.

After all, he is the team's second veteran, second only to Ashley Young.

Having followed the "Learning from the Strong Team" program for so long, he also has a sense of ownership towards the team!

"No, no, no, Madeira, don't be impulsive." Lu Kai's face turned pale after receiving Madeira's call. "I am very grateful for everything you have done for the team."

"But I cannot be so selfish as to confine a hero to a pond."

"The water is green, the clouds are white, and your sky is blue!"

"Go! Bring the storm from Dartford to Stamford Bridge, conquer Chelsea, conquer the Premier League!"

"Don't worry, we'll meet again in the Premier League soon, I promise you!"

Madeira was deeply moved: "But... Lu, some people aren't optimistic about Chelsea's future. I'm worried they'll fall as quickly as Leeds United, and then I'll..."

Lu Kai: "Datford will always be your home. If you're unhappy at Chelsea, we welcome you back anytime!"

Madeira had some other concerns until Lu Kai spoke up: "They're offering you a weekly wage of 50,000 pounds."

Madeira wasn't disappointed: "Is it the same as here? No problem, I can prove myself with my abilities, and I believe they will raise my salary soon!"

"As long as I don't lose money to play, it's fine. After all, it's the Premier League. I don't have the same financial resources as Ten Hag."

Clearly, Madeira misheard it as five thousand.

There is no unit of ten thousand in English; you can mishear fifty thousand and five thousand.

At least, a weekly wage of £50,000 is a figure that Madeira would never even dare to dream of.

He would have to play for Dartford for ten years to earn that much!
Dartford's current top salary is £5,000 per week, or £260,000 per year.

However, there are quite a few players who can earn this salary, and there are also many bonus expenses. In fact, the weekly wage can reach £10,000, which is £520,000 per year.

It is far higher than the average weekly wage of less than £1,000 in English League Two.

Therefore, the Green Gunners' total salary expenditure for the season is close to four million pounds, which is the team's main expense besides stadium construction.

That's quite a lot.

Currently, the average weekly wage for players in the Premier League is around £18,000, or £940,000 per year. However, if we exclude players like Keane and Gerrard who earn significantly more than the average £100,000 per week, the average wage drops further, not much different from what Dartford actually receives.

Sun Jihai's weekly wage at Manchester City was only 8,000, and even after the raise, it was only 12,000, which is Madeira level.

But Sun Jihai's net worth is capped at three million pounds.

Madeira, however, has already soared to fourteen million pounds.

Time is also destiny.

To show his seriousness, Lu Kai personally participated in the transaction negotiations.

He and Jiang Mengyun were both very satisfied with the price, and they knew that Abu was spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones.

However, Lu Kai made a small request based on his personal habits: "Because the number 4 has a bad connotation in our Chinese zodiac, we hope that there can be some small changes in the price."

Lu Kai held up one finger.

It means one pound.

Of course, when Morgan was being traded, Liverpool misunderstood and added £10,000 to Dartford's offer, which made Jiang Mengyun happy for a long time.

After all, Dartford's debt back then was only £10,000.

Chelsea's representative nodded repeatedly: "Understood, understood, no problem. Fifteen million pounds it is. This is the highest price I can command. If you're still not satisfied, I'll have to go back and consult the boss, but the boss wants this deal finalized as soon as possible, so..."

Jiang Mengyun was stunned.

Lu Kai was alright, but he was a little emotional for a moment. He thought, "How must Guo have felt when he sold a missile worth ten million US dollars for one hundred million?"

“Then we won’t trouble Mr. Abu. Fifteen million pounds will do.” Lu Kai made the final decision, giving the other party face.

Since the other party enjoys Abu's deep trust, there will likely be a need to contact them for future transactions, so it's wise to do them a favor.

The deal was quickly and publicly announced.

Both sides were intent on attracting attention.

The Times: "Green Gun winger joins Chelsea for £15 million, £50,000 a month, surpassing the £40,000 salary of team star Zola! Ten times that of his Green Gun days!"

At this time last year, this would have been the highest salary in the Premier League, comparable to Roy Keane.

Of course, Roy Keane's salary rose to £90,000 last season, but there are still many Premier League teams whose top salary does not reach the level of £50,000.

It takes time for the tide to rise and all boats to rise.

Madeira has become the most successful foreign player in British football, bar none!

Morgan, lying on his sickbed, watched the news, feeling both happy for Madeira and saddened by the vicissitudes of life.

It's worth noting that when he first joined Dartford, he quickly relegated Madeira to the bench.

Liverpool came to select players, and he was selected as Dartford's strongest player, once creating a transfer legend in Kent County and becoming the most expensive signing!
But if he and Madeira had switched positions, if he hadn't been so amazing back then and missed out on Liverpool, then it would definitely be Morgan who would have been promoted to Stamford Bridge for £15 million today.

Why would someone with a broken leg drag themselves to a hospital bed and be overwhelmed with emotion while reading other people's news?

Human destiny is no different.

Winning is losing, and losing is winning!
"The Voice of Green Guns: 'Anything produced by Green Guns is bound to be top-notch! Chelsea's respect for player value is truly admirable!'"

Dartford, on the other hand, used this deal to boost their market value.

That means those previously ridiculously low prices shouldn't even bother with us anymore; we're much more expensive now!

If you don't raise your prices, don't blame us for being disrespectful!
This has left some clubs that were previously confident in making signings feeling bitter.

How the hell did I run into Abu?!
But even now, most people still believe that Madeira's doubling of signings is just an exception.

No one expected this to be Chelsea's typical transfer strategy.

As a result, Chelsea went on a spending spree after taking down Madeira.

Glen Johnson is a rare and promising young full-back for West Ham United, but with West Ham United's relegation and the departure of players, it is unlikely that the full £4 million transfer fee will be realized.
Chelsea signed Glen Johnson for six million pounds, doubling his salary.

Joe Cole, the team's core player who also belongs to West Ham, has the same problem. His market value was over four million pounds... but he was acquired for six million six hundred thousand pounds, with his salary multiplied by two and a half.

Southampton's defender Bridge has the makings of a great player, worth no less than four million pounds, and the team has been doing well in the Premier League... Get him for seven million pounds, double his salary.

To fulfill Abramovich's wish for "Russian players to play in the Premier League," they even brought in midfielder Smertin from Bordeaux in Ligue 1 for £3.4 million.

Considering the prices of ordinary players in Ligue 1 over the past two years, this has definitely doubled.

The European football economy is sluggish this year, far worse than in previous years.

There have only been two deals exceeding 30 million euros: Beckham's and Ronaldinho's.

Transactions exceeding ten million euros are few and far between, perhaps only twenty or thirty.

Madeira could rank in the top five for the year!

In the current transfer system that requires top-tier league experience, this is practically a huge bug!

……

"Why not sign Ashley Young, but Madeira instead? Chelsea's transfer director said Madeira's talent is phenomenal, and the gap between him and Ashley Young will only widen..."

"Even without considering the long-term effects of his broken leg, Ashley Young might develop into a player worth three or even five million pounds, but Chelsea doesn't need mid-level Premier League players; they need top-tier world-class stars!" On television, Chelsea remained the focus of discussion among the presenters and commentators. The scene then shifted to an interview with a Manchester United executive, who stated, "Losing Madeira is indeed a blow to the team, but Manchester United's biggest target this summer is Ronaldinho. We need to focus..."

"In fact, we have a backup plan for Madeira. We have found a player in Portugal who can be a substitute for Madeira."

Sporting CP was overjoyed to receive a call from Manchester United informing them of further communication.

A deal for Cristiano Ronaldo has become feasible again.

Moreover, this misfortune has turned into a blessing in disguise. Cristiano Ronaldo, who was originally worth less than five million pounds, is now being offered seven or eight million pounds by Sporting CP to Manchester United.

It's worth noting that Quaresma, a more famous senior player than Ronaldo, only cost a little over four million pounds to join Barcelona.

Simão, once a dominant force, has returned to the Portuguese league in disgrace, and his current market value is less than five million pounds.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese team's "worst quality" winger in recent years, actually has the potential to fetch the highest price.

Who would believe it?
This is life!

"Director Jiang, a Panda Meteorite Latte, please." Alfred arrived at the convenience store with a stack of documents; the team needed to discuss player recruitment matters today.

After all, they have money now!

Team assistant coach Alf, reporter Emily, documentary filmmaker Kayla, and Ivanka were all present.

"Put it on my tab." Ten Hah pulled out a chair for Ten Hah, his disciple doing his bidding.

Upon hearing this, Alfred said, "Then everyone should order; it's on me."

Ten Hach's heart was bleeding.

If I had known you were going to pay for the whole thing, I wouldn't have put it on your tab.

Ten Hag glanced at Ashley Young, who was wiping dust beside him, and found some balance.

My knuckles were white from working a summer job; I was clearly upset by the news on TV.

Ten Hag then projected the information onto the screen and introduced it to everyone: "Whether this player is suitable for marriage, I'll show you in one minute... This player was selected from among those who are interested in joining us, highly recommended."

"His name is Lee Fowler, he is 1.7 meters tall, born in 1983, and is a defensive specialist. He is currently uncontracted and can join for free."

Lu Kai nodded, which meant he had passed.

He remembered this player.

A fringe Welsh international who won the tackles title at his peak, he was a very good defender and basically a "white Kanté".

Unfortunately, he had a drinking problem, which affected his performance. He spent most of his career playing for lower-level teams and had more than 20 transfers during his career.

While not as tumultuous as Jeffers Lewis's life, he was still a smaller-scale wandering hermit.

He's perfectly capable of being Barton's backup.

As for alcoholism, many players have this problem. Did Button and Duff drink heavily? Yes, they did!

But things got much better after we arrived in Dartford.

Now, the first thing they do before training is order something like "strawberry taro balls with popsicles".

People who don't know the situation might think they're perverts.

The second picture appeared quickly. Ten Hag said, "This was found according to Lu's request. Benjamin Foster was born in 1983. He is 1.93 meters tall and is a backup goalkeeper for Stoke City."

"He was a talented goalkeeper, joining Stoke City early on, but he didn't get any playing time. He was loaned out for two consecutive seasons, and his total appearances didn't exceed twenty."

"We'll have plenty of playing time next season. But the price won't be cheap; it'll probably be in the six figures!"

This statement sounds a bit incongruous, because a six-figure sum, or a few hundred thousand, is nothing in the transfer market!

But Stoke City is only a League One or League Two team, and if they really drag it out, they'll have to sell for tens of thousands of pounds.

It's only because Benjamin Foster was still young that he could reach six figures.

Considering Stoke City made a fortune in Turford, it's possible that the price could "skyrocket" to two or three hundred thousand pounds.

Lu Kai turned to Jiang Mengyun: "What was Leeds United's offer?"

Jiang Mengyun said, "Leeds United offered Scott one million pounds, but I think we can negotiate for several hundred thousand more."

That's right.

Benjamin Foster is here to take over from Scott.

Who would have thought that Scott, the top of the three regulars on the bench, would become a legend after defeating Arsenal in the FA Cup and receive offers from several teams?

Among them are Premier League teams.

Although Leeds United are currently in a sorry state, just a year ago they were a European competition team and a Premier League powerhouse. It's not an insult to ask Scott to compete for the job.

Despite his reluctance to part with Scott, Lu Kai had no choice but to reluctantly give him up.

After all, a goalkeeper coach for a youth academy can be hired for a salary of tens of thousands of pounds a year. If Scott is sold, dozens of goalkeeper coaches can be hired, so there will be no need for Scott to teach anymore.

Moreover... Scott's teaching plan has been compiled into a book, so even if he is not with the team, it can benefit the goalkeepers from the first team to the youth team.

“Then let Scott go to the Premier League to pursue his dream! We can talk to Stoke City about Benjamin Foster and try to secure him.” Lu Kai made the final decision.

After all, Scott Carson is a Manchester City legend.

But I, Benjamin Foster, am no ordinary man either, because I am a future Manchester United legend!

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Ferguson will sign Foster in 2005, and in 2007 he will be selected for the England national team, becoming a contender for the England goalkeeper position.

His 1248 career saves rank first in the Premier League.

Although there is no record of Carson winning twelve titles in six years with only two appearances, Foster has been playing in the Premier League for many years, and his strength is far greater than that.
With him putting competitive pressure on Kasper and taking on more playing time, Kasper will develop faster.

Scott was no longer able to put pressure on Kasper.

Joe Hart, on the other hand, is still honing his fundamentals.

"Um... Ashley, go out and buy me a bottle of mineral water," Lu Kai suddenly said.

Ashley Young was taken aback.

You're at the bubble tea shop, and you want me to go out and buy bottled water?

Is it really necessary to be so obvious when trying to get rid of someone?

Ashley Young was about to retort when Lu Kai continued, "Tengzi, you go with him. Look at the way he looks, like he doesn't know where he is."

Ten Hah raised an eyebrow, knowing that he had not yet fully gained Lu Kai's trust.

They could only leave hastily with Ashley Young.

Because the door wasn't closed, they couldn't eavesdrop.

The reason for sending them away is that although the next few signings are not expensive, they are crucial to the team and cannot be missed.

For Dartford, this summer will inevitably be a dismantling.

Madeira was just a prelude, but the tone was set too high, and other teams couldn't keep up for a while.

But as Chelsea waves its checks, these teams will eventually face reality and raise their prices to bring in new players.

Lu Kai doesn't plan to stay either; he'll let anyone who offers a good price go.

However, Dartford's strength will not diminish as many people think.

On the contrary... this miracle will not only not end, but will become even more dazzling.

Because Lu Kai plans to make significant signings.

One reason is to ensure that Dartford can stand out from League One next season and successfully gain promotion to the Premier League.

On the other hand, it's also because if Dartford succeeds in getting promoted to the Premier League, they will truly be on a global stage.

That will be when Dartford is truly devoured, leaving not a single piece of flesh behind.

This is the biggest calamity for all grassroots teams!
There's no escaping it, and no way to get through it.

There is only death!
We can only strive to die in a more glorious way, at a more attractive price.

Only a very few exceptionally talented teams, blessed with favorable conditions and harmonious teamwork, will be able to survive this disaster.

Lu Kai decided to give it a try.

So he has two things to do this summer.

One approach is to bring in players who can immediately contribute, start strong, and then sell them to those hungry wolves after successfully gaining promotion.

One option is to bring in a highly promising core player, who, after the team's promotion bid was broken up, would help Dartford avoid relegation in the Premier League by leveraging his talent.

These core players will grow very quickly, and Dartford will rebuild and rise again at a speed that people can't imagine.

By then, they will no longer be a dish to be shared.

They can leave the table and become diners, or they can become chess players.

Even if there's only one broken bench.

Every name on these lists will shine brightly in the future, and their achievements will be documented.

Ribery was already on the list.

His performance in the team is not outstanding at present, mainly because Lu Kai has arranged him in a position he is not used to, making him play on both sides, which has suppressed his progress.

After communicating with the core team, Alfred suddenly remembered: "Oh right, Lu, there's another kid who wants to join the youth team."

"I took a look, and his aptitude is quite good. He has good dribbling skills and is fast."

"Why don't you take a look?"

Lu Kai glanced at the name Raheem Sterling, without even looking at the rest of the information: "Have them come to the club tomorrow."

"Oh, right, tell Ten Hach to receive them."

Alfred nodded.

A while later, Ten Hach and Ashley Young returned with water.

Lu Kai said thank you, but didn't drink the water. Instead, Alfred gave Ten Hach a task.

After the game, Ashley Young asked, "Looks like this kid isn't all that great. I just sent you to bring him into the team."

Ten Hach shook his head: "It's not about importing, it's about rejecting!"

Ashley Young was stunned: "Then why are we asking you to go?"

Ten Hach narrowed his eyes: "Lu and Teacher are too kind. They couldn't bear to refuse a single mother and a black child."

"So let me be the villain."

Do I look like a bad person to you?

Ashley Young chuckled to himself, thinking to himself, "Isn't that right?"
However, after carefully reviewing the various test data of this child named Sterling, he was shocked.

This is way better than my childhood self!
Isn't that already considered exceptionally talented?

Moreover, they said they already have an offer from Queens Park Rangers, but they prefer to join Green Guns.

Has Lu Kai gone mad?
Why don't they want this kind of talent?
In six or seven years, this will probably be another Madeira!
What is he up to now?
(End of this chapter)