In fact, Li Shiguang's expectations were completely unnecessary.

Given Leeds United's performance this season, all the major clubs in Europe would love to tear them apart before the World Cup even begins.

These past few days, Allen has been calling Li Shiguang non-stop. He receives emails from various clubs almost every day inquiring about his price, but Li Shiguang has told Allen to reject them all. He wants to wait until the World Cup starts next month before discussing anything else. If his players perform well in the World Cup, wouldn't that give him more room to raise his price?

May 17th.

Li Shiguang, who had been staying at home for more than a week, arrived in Paris, France in the morning. Florentino Pérez invited him to dinner, and afterwards they would go to the Stade de France to watch the Champions League final between Arsenal and Barcelona.

For more than a year, Li Shiguang has maintained a friendly relationship with Florentino.

Because Real Madrid's performance this season has been quite poor, after being eliminated from the Champions League Round of 16 by Arsenal, when Florentino Pérez resigned from his position at Real Madrid in February, Li Shiguang made a special phone call to inquire about the temporarily disheartened old man.

Before the match started, the two played a game in the VIP box where they bet 100 euros on the final champion.

After much deliberation, Florentino Pérez ultimately succumbed to his pure Madrid roots and chose to support Arsenal, the team that had eliminated Real Madrid in the round of 16.

Kind-hearted Li Shiguang could only choose Barcelona with tears in her eyes.

But less than 20 minutes into the match, Florentino felt that he was going to lose that 100 euros to Li Shiguang, that little fox, again this year.

In the 18th minute, Eto'o received a brilliant pass from Ronaldinho outside the penalty area. Before Lehmann, who was rushing out and falling to the ground, could touch the ball, Eto'o tipped it over. Lehmann had no choice but to grab Eto'o's ankle and bring him down. Although Giuly's shot was ruled invalid by the referee, Lehmann was also shown a red card and sent off the field.

With no other option, Wenger had to replace Pires with Almunia, and less than 20 minutes into the game, Arsenal faced the predicament of playing with one less player.

But just when Florentino thought Arsenal had no chance, in the 37th minute, Arsenal, playing with one less player, took the lead! Henry took a free kick from the right and lofted it towards Barcelona, ​​where Campbell outjumped Ogle and headed the ball into the far corner of the Barcelona goal!

During halftime, Florentino couldn't hide his excitement and kept whispering in Li Shiguang's ear that it seemed Li Shiguang would have to pay him back that 100 euros this year!

Florentino's idea persisted until the 76th minute of the match, when Rijkaard's miraculous substitution helped Barcelona equalize!

In the second half, Iniesta, who came on as a substitute, made a through pass on the left flank of the field. Larsson, who received the ball, deftly passed it to Eto'o, who had made a run into the box. Eto'o then scored from a tight angle in front of the goal, helping Barcelona equalize.

Just five minutes later, Larsson again passed the ball across the middle from the right wing, and Belletti, who had made a run from the backfield, took the ball and carried it into Arsenal's penalty area. In the end, he scored the go-ahead goal with a low shot from a tight angle in front of the goal!

Although Arsenal launched a fierce counterattack, they ultimately could not change the score of 1-2, and watched regretfully as Barcelona ascended to the top of Europe!

····

The day after returning to Leeds, Li Shiguang finally cured his laziness and went to work at the club.

But just as he sat down in his office, before he even turned on his computer, Milner appeared in his office.

When Milner walked in, Li Shiguang was a little puzzled. If he remembered correctly, he had received a notification from the English Football Association some time ago that Milner had been called up by Eriksson to the national team squad for the trip to Germany.

After handing Milner a glass of water, Li Shiguang asked first, "James, hasn't the national team notified us of the reporting process yet?"

Milner said with a hint of shyness, "I'm leaving soon, boss. I'm leaving for Germany the day after tomorrow."

"So, what brings you here today?"

"Um...yes, yes, I have something I'd like to discuss with you, boss." Milner seemed a little hesitant, and as soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his head to avoid Li Shiguang's gaze.

Li Shiguang understood his captain's personality.

Milner is a typical English tough guy, active and tough on the field, with a strong mentality. Although he is not good at talking in private, he always says what he thinks, and it is rare to see him so hesitant.

A conjecture suddenly surfaced in Li Shiguang's mind.

Could it be that a club has contacted Milner privately?

Just as he was about to ask, Milner took a deep breath, as if he had made a very important decision. He sat up straight and looked up at Li Shiguang: "Boss, a club has contacted my agent."

Li Shiguang raised an eyebrow slightly, revealing an expression of "I knew it."

To be honest, although Li Shiguang never forgot his original intention of running the black market, Milner really didn't want to sell!

From a personal perspective, Milner is the player he has worked with the longest on the team, and Li Shiguang also admires his professionalism and excellent character.

From a tactical perspective, Milner is an excellent replacement player. He can play almost any position except for striker, goalkeeper, and center-back. Therefore, even after signing Alonso and Rivaldo during the winter transfer window, Li Shiguang still kept Milner in his plans.

But right now, it seems that young Milner hasn't matured to the point where he can sit on the bench without complaint a few years from now...

Nodding slightly, Li Shiguang calmly looked at Milner, who seemed quite nervous after speaking: "James, what do you think? Right now, all I can tell you is that you've always been part of my plan, but I respect your own opinion!"

Seeing that Li Shiguang's reaction wasn't intense, Milner, who had already spoken, gradually relaxed. After gathering his thoughts, a wry smile appeared on Milner's face: "Boss, actually, I was quite conflicted before coming here. I didn't want to leave Leeds United, but I also wanted more playing time. But after just saying it, I think I should lean more towards leaving..."

Li Shiguang knew how Milner felt. Indeed, as he said, since the second half of the season, Milner had spent more time on the bench and rarely started.

As a player who has just turned 20, he needs to play games to improve his skills, so it is understandable that he wants more playing time. Li Shiguang understands Milner's statement.

Seeing that Milner was determined to leave, Li Shiguang did not try to persuade him to stay. However, since it was a real money deal, he needed to know who wanted to buy his player first.

So he asked, "But you have to tell me first, which club wants to buy you?"

Milner nodded: "It's Liverpool."

Upon hearing the name Liverpool, Li Shiguang's expression became quite interesting...