Upon hearing Li Shiguang's offer of 15 million euros for a new three-year contract, Joyce resisted the urge to leave the private room immediately. Without thinking, he replied, "That's impossible! Mr. Li, I still think the previous price of 6 million euros for three years was a very reasonable one!"
“NO, NO, NO, Mr. Joyce, if it’s still this price, I can only say that I don’t see any sincerity from Kappa!” Li Shiguang shook his head and firmly rejected Joyce’s offer. “You can take a look at the Premier League standings now. Leeds United’s performance is not bad.”
“I don’t need you to remind me of that. Of course I know Leeds United are doing well right now. But this season has only just begun. Who can guarantee that Leeds United will have a smooth run from here on out? Besides! We’re not just signing a one-year contract! I don’t mean any offense, but what if, I mean what if, Leeds United repeats the same mistakes? How am I supposed to explain that to the board?” Joyce said irritably.
"Haha, no need to get so excited, Mr. Joyce, I understand your concerns."
"But, in business, you ask for the sky and then bargain down to the spot. Besides, I have full confidence in Leeds United."
Hearing Li Shiguang's frivolous remarks, Joyce was furious and retorted, "Mr. Li, your confidence is useless. You need to make me and the board of directors behind me have confidence in Leeds United!"
Seeing that Joyce's emotions were getting increasingly agitated, Li Shiguang quickly handed him a cigar, trying to calm this benevolent young man who was currently closest to Leeds United. After Joyce lit the cigar, he continued, "Mr. Joyce, I have a suggestion. If you think it's alright, you can go back and discuss it with the board of directors first."
"I think Leeds United might be able to sign a performance-based agreement with Kappa!"
"A performance-based agreement?" A hint of doubt flashed in Joyce's eyes. As a businessman, Joyce was naturally very clear about performance-based agreements, but they were usually used in capital operations. They were just talking about a sponsorship contract, so how did it get to the point of performance-based agreements?
With these doubts in mind, Joyce countered, "Do you mean you want to sell your shares in Leeds United? But we don't have any plans to invest in a football club at the moment."
Upon hearing Joyce's question, Li Shiguang knew that he must have misunderstood him, so he quickly explained, "You misunderstood. I'm not saying I want to sell my shares in Leeds United, but rather that we can also make a bet on the sponsorship agreement."
“Let’s take a gamble using Leeds United’s performance. Here’s my idea: if Leeds United qualify for the Europa League this season, the sponsorship deal will be €9 million for three years; if they qualify for the Champions League, the price will rise to €12 million for three years; and if Leeds United win the league title, the price will increase to €15 million for three years. Conversely, if Leeds United fails to meet any of these conditions, the sponsorship deal will be reduced to €3 million for three years. What do you think of this proposal?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Joyce, who had been looking somewhat wary, suddenly straightened his back, leaned forward, and stared at Li Shiguang, saying, "Mr. Li, you have indeed provided a good idea. Hmm... let me think about it, just a moment!"
After saying that, he stood up and paced back and forth in the private room.
Li Shiguang picked up the coffee on the table and leisurely sipped it.
He knew very well that Joyce couldn't possibly refuse the offer, because from his perspective, Kappa wouldn't suffer any losses from this betting agreement.
If Leeds United performs well, they will not only receive more advertising revenue, but they will also be able to sell more jerseys each quarter. Even if Leeds United's final results are not satisfactory, Kappa can still save 3 million euros in sponsorship fees.
Of course, in Li Shiguang's mind, Leeds United will definitely qualify for the Champions League next season, and a sponsorship fee of at least £12 million over three years is a certainty.
Therefore, this is definitely a win-win proposal!
Five minutes later, Joyce's furrowed brows relaxed, and he sat back down in his chair. He was tempted!
He pondered the idea for a long time, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the suggestion was indeed feasible.
“Mr. Li, I must answer you honestly. This is indeed a very constructive suggestion, and I personally think it is feasible. However, as you know, I cannot make the final decision on my own. Please wait for me for two days, no! One day, at the latest the day after tomorrow, and I will give you an answer!”
Setting down his coffee, Li Shiguang extended his right hand to shake Joyce's hand and smiled, "No problem, Mr. Joyce. Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation!"
That very night, Joyce convened an emergency board meeting to discuss Li Shiguang's proposal. Faced with a proposal that was almost guaranteed to be profitable, the board unanimously approved it.
The next day, after spending the night in Turin, Li Shiguang was on his way to the airport to return to Leeds when he received a call from Joyce.
Kappa's management unanimously approved Li Shiguang's proposal, and they will send someone to Leeds in a few days to sign the new contract.
Li Shiguang was naturally delighted to have secured the new contract. Kappa's support meant that Leeds United had regained market recognition. He believed that as long as one company took the lead, more and more companies would proactively contact Leeds United to seek sponsorship contracts.
····
Tuesday was the day all the players returned to the team. As Li Shiguang had predicted, only Berbatov and Deisler played the full match during the international break. Among the other players called up to the team, Milner and Modric only came on at the end of the match to experience the atmosphere of a national team game.
At 8:30 a.m., Li Shiguang arrived at the Thorpe Arch training base on time, but as soon as he arrived, he heard some news that made him unhappy.
Berbatov is injured!
In Sunday's match, Bulgaria faced Sweden. The game was not intense, with neither side scoring, but Berbatov pulled his right leg in the final moments of the match.
The team doctor's report indicated that Berbatov would need to rest for approximately four weeks.
Li Shiguang then checked the system and found that the name Berbatov had been marked with "[Temporary Event]", and the system's assessment was that he needed to rest for 3 weeks.
Fortunately, the opponents in the later rounds are not too strong, and Li Shiguang has enough players to rotate.
However, this incident also served as a wake-up call for him.
Leeds United still has too few players; it will be difficult to manage if there are widespread injuries later on.
kindness!
It looks like we'll need to buy more players when the winter transfer window opens!
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