Let's go back to the day after Li Shiguang and Morse communicated.
After finishing a day of training, Deisler received a call from his agent, Neubauer, after packing his things. Neubauer told him the location of a restaurant and asked him to come over as soon as possible so he could talk to him about something.
Although he was a little puzzled by Newbauer's mysterious tone on the phone, Deisler, who had only recently arrived at Leeds United, didn't think about the transfer at all on the way there. He had just started to get in good shape recently and thought that Newbauer had found him a new commercial endorsement and that they needed to meet to discuss it.
But as soon as they arrived at the restaurant and sat down, Newbauer excitedly said, "Sebastian, a club wants to buy you, and the salary is three times what it is now!"
Neubauer's words startled Deisler. He was quite satisfied with his life in Lids; the media had described his recent performance as a "rebirth," a sentiment he himself acknowledged! However, his only slight dissatisfaction and regret after regaining his form was that his salary was a bit low. Previously, when discussing his personal terms, due to his poor form, he was content with simply having a place to play, so Deisler hadn't specifically fought for it. Now that he was back in form, he occasionally thought about his salary and felt it didn't quite match his on-field performance.
His breathing became visibly rapid, and he said with a hint of disbelief, "This is impossible, Newbauer! I've only been at Leeds United for a little over two months! Who would want me? And be willing to pay me such a high salary!?"
“Nothing is impossible, Sebastian, you’re a genius! You were hampered by injuries before, but now you’re fully recovered, and you’ve been putting up near-perfect numbers on the pitch! You know what? This afternoon, I got a call from Liverpool owner Morse. He expressed his determination to bring you in, personally promised you a starting position, and even tripled your salary. I think you should seriously consider this; it’s a great opportunity to return to a top club and the national team. Think about next year’s World Cup and the Champions League you can participate in right away!” Newbauer was very excited. If he could facilitate this transfer, he would receive his second commission from Deisler in just six months.
After Neubauer finished speaking, Deisler gradually calmed down. His knife unconsciously traced lines on the steak in front of him, and he muttered softly, "Let me think, let me think..."
Ultimately, Neubauer did not receive a clear answer. Deisler said he needed time to consider, and since there was still a long time before the transfer window opened, there was no rush.
In his heart, Li Shiguang had treated him well, and he shouldn't switch allegiances so quickly. However, the high salary and the prospect of returning to the Champions League and the national team were also deeply attractive. This clash of thoughts left Deisler sleepless and unable to eat for days, feeling as if the depression he had felt for over two months had returned. This poor mental state was directly reflected in his training, and the perceptive Li Shiguang noticed it!
To verify his suspicions, Li Shiguang immediately called Allen after becoming suspicious, asking him to thoroughly investigate Deisler's agent, Newbauer. Since Morse and Deisler had no prior dealings, if his suspicions were correct, the problem must lie with Newbauer!
Sure enough, two days later Allen replied that his underlings had indeed seen Newbauer in Liverpool recently, but there was no clear evidence that Newbauer had been in contact with Liverpool staff.
However, considering Liverpool's swift contact with Chiellini, Li Shiguang was convinced that Deisler's recent absent-mindedness must be related to Liverpool's offer!
This week's match against Portsmouth is on Sunday. Li Shiguang had already prepared to put Deisler on the substitute list, but starting from Friday's training, Deisler became serious again and his performance in training returned to normal. This made Li Shiguang temporarily put aside his thoughts. After all, there are many strong opponents in this month's matches, including a direct confrontation with Liverpool. Considering how to win is Li Shiguang's top priority at present.
So in Sunday's game, Li Shiguang still started Deisler. Except for Bale, all the key players had recovered from their injuries and returned to the team. With a basically complete lineup, Leeds United won 2-0 away against Portsmouth without much effort. With all 3 points, Leeds United surpassed Manchester City, who lost, in the standings and rose to 9th place.
However, Leeds United's victory did not cause much of a stir, as the focus of this round of the Premier League was Manchester United hosting Chelsea at Old Trafford.
Besides the match itself, the pre-match trash talk between the two head coaches was also a highlight, with the media outlets of both clubs keeping a high level of activity.
First, it was revealed that Ferguson expressed his disdain for Mourinho's "park the bus" tactic during training. Then, it was claimed that Chelsea lacked a solid foundation and relied solely on the Russians' money to achieve their results.
Mourinho then retorted that Ferguson was old and outdated in terms of tactics, with the fact that he was 10 points behind him in the standings being the biggest proof of that.
Ultimately, under the watchful eyes of the world, Manchester United defeated Chelsea 1-0 at home thanks to a goal from Fletcher. After the match, Mourinho was livid and left the stadium hastily without even shaking hands with Ferguson. He even sent his assistant coach to the post-match press conference, for which he was fined tens of thousands of euros by the FA.
While the media was focused on this match, Li Shiguang was already considering tactics for the home game against Arsenal next week.
Arsenal is definitely an outlier in the Premier League.
While the open and high-octane style of play prevailed in the Premier League, Arsenal went against the grain, dominating the competition with their refined technique and excellent teamwork. In the 2003-2004 season, they not only won their 13th league title but also broke Nottingham Forest's record, achieving a phenomenal 49-game unbeaten run in the Premier League. Although Chelsea's rise last season meant Arsenal only finished as runners-up in the Premier League, they remain highly competitive as they are not yet burdened with massive debt.
The man who brought these honors to Arsenal was the Frenchman Arsène Wenger.
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