The match was nearing its end, and Leeds United were still leading by three goals, with no change in the score.
After making his last substitution, Li Shiguang stopped watching from the sidelines and went straight back to the bench.
As soon as I sat down, Simone's voice came from my left.
"Boss, it looks like Liverpool will only be able to play in the Europa League again this year."
“Hmm…you noticed that too?” Li Shiguang agreed with Simeone’s opinion. “To be honest, their lineup is fine, but they are lacking in spirit. Look, apart from Gerrard and Milner, the other players seem lifeless…Although I don’t think much of Grant, if they play like this, Benitez won’t be able to beat him.”
Simeone pursed his lips, looking at Milner running hard on the field, his face full of regret: "It's just a pity for James. If he hadn't left back then, he would have been the first captain in Leeds United's history to lift the Premier League trophy."
"Well... in professional football... it's normal for people to come and go, and this is his own choice."
As Li Shiguang finished speaking, the final whistle, consisting of two short and one long whistle, rang out on the field.
As expected.
Leeds United secured a comfortable away victory against Liverpool, maintaining their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Although he was visiting Anfield today, he had won the game after all, so Li Shiguang didn't put on airs. After hearing the whistle, he immediately got up and walked towards the Liverpool bench, shook hands with Benitez, gave him a light hug, and then parted ways with him before returning to the sidelines to wait for his players.
After the players had all left the field, Li Shiguang hugged them to celebrate the victory, and finally, he and Simeone walked towards the players' tunnel.
But to his surprise...
As soon as Li Shiguang entered the players' tunnel, he saw Morse standing at the corner in front, and judging from his appearance, it seemed that he was waiting for him.
Li Shiguang's prediction was correct.
Before he and Simone even got close, Morse took the initiative to come up to them, extended his hand, and greeted Li Shiguang with a smile: "Hi... Li... Long time no see."
Holding Morse's hand, Li Shiguang smiled and said, "Hi... David... I'm sorry to have taken another victory from Anfield in front of you."
Upon hearing Li Shiguang's words, Morse's smile turned into a wry one, and he said self-deprecatingly, "Compared to the 5:1 score last time, you've already held back today... Do you have time to chat?"
what?
Still harboring designs on Torres?
This was Li Shiguang's first reaction.
Morse had clearly guessed Li Shiguang's thoughts, so he didn't bother to hide it and directly expressed his meaning: "I still want to talk to you about Torres. Shall we go to my office?"
Li Shiguang had always had a fairly good impression of Morse.
Faced with an invitation personally extended by Morse, even though he was adamant about not selling, Li Shiguang couldn't very well refuse Morse in this situation.
So he didn't say anything more and nodded in agreement.
After attending the post-match press conference, Li Shiguang was led by a staff member to Morse's office.
I just sat down.
Morse got straight to the point: "Lee, we've known each other for so long, and I've always considered you a friend! I'm very sincere about bringing in Torres, and I hope you can give me a reasonable price. I absolutely won't haggle!"
Friendships aside, when it comes to business, Li Shiguang is ruthless and doesn't care about family ties.
He really doesn't want to sell Torres right now.
One reason is that Torres is in his prime, and Leeds United, competing on three fronts, does indeed need sufficient personnel reserves.
But a larger part of the reason is that, in Li Shiguang's view, if Torres continues in his current form for another year or two, he will definitely be able to sell for a higher price!
Ignore Morse's emotional appeal.
Li Shiguang remained firm: "David... the email I sent you a few days ago was sent at my instruction by Allen, so I have always believed that 80 million euros is a very reasonable price for Torres!"
Morse didn't expect that even after he personally went to the players' tunnel to invite Li Shiguang to talk, Li Shiguang still asked for 80 million euros.
His face flushed red instantly, and he looked at Li Shiguang with some anger, wanting to say something but unable to utter a word.
After a while, Li Shiguang was still drinking the coffee he was holding.
The old man, who had been in charge of Liverpool for sixteen years, seemed to have lost most of his strength. His body, which had been sitting upright, slumped down and he leaned back on the sofa. He sighed, "Ah... 80 million euros... Lee, with Liverpool's current finances, we simply cannot afford that price."
Li Shiguang knew that Morse was stating an objective fact, and he also saw the old man's dejected expression.
But this was business, and being soft-hearted would only hurt him. So he put his water glass on the table, looked at Morse seriously, and said, "I've heard about Liverpool's financial situation... David... I'm only telling you this because I consider you a friend. Let's be realistic. With Torres' performance and stats, even if he weren't at Leeds United, his price wouldn't be low... What Liverpool needs right now are cheap and effective strikers!"
"For example?"
“For example…” Just as he was about to speak, Li Shiguang suddenly realized something was wrong. “Hey! No! I’m not Liverpool’s football director, why should I be talking to you about this?”
Seeing that Li Shiguang reacted so quickly, Morse chuckled awkwardly, "Li, all of Europe knows you're exceptional at discovering young talents. We're friends, don't be so stingy... Just let me know one or two, help your old friend out, that shouldn't be a problem, right..."
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