Li Shiguang was very satisfied with Ram's reaction. In his opinion, at least Ram did not make his judgment wrong.
Nodding slightly, Li Shiguang replied with a smile, "Philip, I like your honesty! Just like you thought, after I rejected Bayern Munich's offer, I also decided to let you know about it. After all, I promised you back in Munich that if you wanted to return to Bayern Munich, I wouldn't stop you!"
Seeing that Li Shiguang had no intention of hiding this from him, Ram was somewhat moved, but he also noticed the meaning behind Li Shiguang's words.
Ram exclaimed in surprise, "Boss, you've already refused?"
Li Shiguang nodded naturally, his tone calm: "Yes, in my heart, you are not for sale by Leeds United! And in my opinion, Bayern Munich's offer for you is an insult to your value."
Ram hesitated slightly: "Although I don't know the exact price, my agent told me their offer was quite high..."
"It seems your agent has gotten used to Bayern Munich's domineering style in the Bundesliga. That approach won't work on me!" Li Shiguang said with some disdain.
Although he said things that were derogatory about Bayern Munich.
But from the expression on Lahm's face, Li Shiguang could tell that Lahm seemed to be somewhat tempted by Bayern Munich's offer.
anyway.
His primary goal is to persuade Lahm to stay. If that fails, he will then consider negotiating with Bayern Munich.
After a moment's thought, Li Shiguang decided to be frank: "Philip, so what are your thoughts? Having worked with you for three years, whether as your head coach or a friend, I will respect your opinion!"
Li Shiguang went straight to the point.
Lahm didn't mince words, but replied with a hint of pain in his voice, "Thank you, boss! To be honest, I'm really torn! You know, Bayern Munich is where I started my football career. Since I was a kid, I've dreamed of being a starter for Bayern Munich, and I've always had a soft spot for that place! But... I'm no longer thinking about Leeds United as a stepping stone to my career, like I did three years ago. After working with you for so long, I've long considered Leeds United my second home team..."
Ram didn't finish his sentence.
However, Li Shiguang understood what he meant. Simply put, he felt that leaving would be unfair to Leeds United and himself... but if he didn't leave, he couldn't completely give up the dream and goal he had set out for since childhood.
Regarding this point...
Having a good understanding of Ram's personality, Li Shiguang had already devised a plan on his way back to the office.
Li Shiguang knew.
Trying to persuade this mature-beyond-his-years German through emotional appeals would be difficult. If he tried to appeal to Lahm's emotions, it would only lead to endless internal conflict, and it might even affect his performance on the field before he even decided whether to leave or not.
Since that's the case.
Why not try a different approach and have Ram stop considering feelings and focus solely on career development and personal income when making her choices?
"Philip, I want to ask you, besides your heartfelt love for football, have you thought about anything else?"
Faced with Li Shiguang's seemingly nonsensical question, Ram was a little confused and looked at him with bewilderment, asking in return, "Others? What other things?"
Li Shiguang smiled: "For example, earning enough money through playing football to achieve financial freedom. Or becoming the best player in the world, or the best full-back and defensive midfielder, loved by countless fans. Or winning numerous honors, becoming a legend of a certain team, so that after you retire, your photo and jersey will always be hanging in the players' tunnel at the home stadium, and so on and so forth..."
“Of course I’ve thought about it!” After hearing Li Shiguang’s explanation, Lahm immediately laughed. “Boss, of course I’ve thought about these things, in fact, every professional player has! But what does that have to do with whether I go back to Bayern Munich or not?”
“Of course it’s related!” Li Shiguang took a sip of water and officially began his PUA technique: “I know it’s very difficult for you to make a choice between leaving or staying, because you have deep feelings for both Leeds United and Bayern Munich.”
"Since that's the case, let's not think about it too much, let's put aside feelings and think about something practical!"
"Practical!"
"Yes! Take salary for example. Since you signed your contract extension last year, your salary has been above average in our team. Now, it seems that only Luca, Kaka, and Didico have higher salaries than you. Although I don't know how much Bayern Munich is willing to pay you, I think they probably won't offer as much as I do!"
Speaking of salary.
Li Shiguang has never mistreated his players.
Since the financial crisis was resolved, Li Shiguang has offered some of the highest salaries in the Premier League for both club staff and players.
Lahm's salary has more than doubled since he first joined Leeds United!
So when Li Shiguang finished speaking, Ram naturally nodded in agreement.
Seeing that Ram had no objections.
Li Shiguang quickly pressed his advantage: "Secondly, you're already aware of the team's situation, so I won't elaborate. But let's analyze the leagues. Serie A is gradually declining, La Liga is practically dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, and the Bundesliga is even more so, with Bayern Munich holding a monopoly! Meanwhile, the Premier League's competitiveness is increasing year by year. Coupled with the inclusivity of our league, believe me, Philipp, in just a few years, the Premier League will become the most eye-catching league in the world, bar none! And players playing in such a league will naturally become the most watched players in the world!"
Ram tilted her head and thought for a moment, and it seemed that Li Shiguang was not wrong.
After all, Li Shiguang had talked to them before. In his hometown, almost every Premier League match was broadcast on television, while in the Bundesliga or La Liga, only some key matches were broadcast on television.
"Finally! And most importantly! Philipp, you are a player I personally brought back from Munich. When I was sitting in the restaurant trying to persuade you to join, I told you that you had always been in my plans!"
"Now, we've both grown a lot. Together, we've won the Championship, the League Cup, and the Premier League! Next, there's the FA Cup, the Champions League, the Super Cup, the Club World Cup, and many more titles waiting for us to compete for! I want to ask you, are you willing to give up halfway through?! Don't you really want to hang your jersey in the players' tunnel at Elland Road after you retire, so that your successors can look at your jersey every time they step into Elland Road?!"
Let's finish this dose of adrenaline in one go.
Li Shiguang picked up his water glass again, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Ram, who was completely bewildered by his words.
This was the plan he had devised beforehand.
Let's not talk about feelings.
But every word was filled with emotion!
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