It really is a rising star contract! A rising star contract that stands shoulder to shoulder with Luke Shaw and Chamberlain!

Gu Ran himself was shocked!

As an amateur high school player, as an amateur player who has never received formal professional training, his first professional contract in life can be ranked alongside Luke Shaw and Chamberlain!

Southampton Club is indeed full of sincerity! Gu Ran wanted to agree directly! But...

Hold on a little longer! There's a big Chelsea out there! You should at least respect Chelsea, right? Gu Ran tried hard to suppress his inner impulse and quickly calmed himself down.

After revealing his cards, Old Rice has been observing Gu Ran's expression.

He saw a glimmer of light in Gu Ran's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

...This kid is so stable? Is he really only 17 years old?

How can you be so skilled like a veteran who has experienced many ups and downs?

Or was he not satisfied with the offer I had carefully prepared for him? Old Rice was in a state of confusion!

"Gu, our Southampton Star of Hope contract identifies you as the hope of the club's future. As long as you sign, we will devote all the club's resources to train you. We will apply for a work permit for you so that you can have the opportunity to play at the beginning of the new season. The weekly salary is negotiable, and we can even pay you a signing fee. We will also arrange a special nutritionist, physiotherapist, and exclusive fitness coach for you. These can be written directly into the contract."

Oh shit!

Exclusive training resources! This is really tempting! This treatment is absolutely sincere! Although Southampton is not a big club, I still understand the principle of being the head of a chicken rather than the tail of a phoenix!

Why would you rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix? Because the head of a chicken can enjoy far more resources than the tail of a phoenix.

Of course, it is very prestigious to join a big club at the beginning, but if you have no resources, no backing, no brothers, and can't even wait for a chance to play, what's the point? Especially in the process of growth, the team's resource allocation is too important.

Gu Ran looked confused on the surface, but he was actually very excited inside!

In fact, China has many players who can go to small European countries to study abroad and gain experience, but they are all guys with high expectations but poor skills. They don't have the ability but are too concerned about their reputation. They insist on going to well-known clubs and top leagues. They just want to gild themselves in well-known clubs so that they can ask for a high price when they come back. They don't even want to play for the sake of gilding themselves.

Gu Ran would never make such a mistake! It doesn't matter if it's a big club or a small club, as long as it can provide me with resources, it's a good club!

Even if this club is only in the lower leagues now, as long as you give me enough resources, I can push it to the top leagues!

——Gu Ran was full of pride! Then he heard Old Rice say: "Gu, personally, I certainly want to give you a regular first-team player contract, but... the reality is that this is impossible in any professional club. You have no professional youth training process, and no professional game records. You are just an amateur high school player. Your performance is very good, but your opponent is just an amateur after all. The gap between amateur and professional is very big. From a realistic point of view, no one can guarantee that you can still have such an amazing performance today after entering the professional level. So... the Star of Hope contract is really the best treatment I can give you."

Old Rice said confidently: "I bet that no other club can give so much except our Southampton club."

"Besides, the Star of Hope contract is not the end, but the beginning."

"As long as you are willing to join us Saints, as long as you perform well in the professional arena, I guarantee that the club's general manager will soon offer you a new, more advanced contract!"

"Let me tell you more about the weekly salary of the Star of Hope contract. I can give you the maximum amount - 2,600 pounds!"

"Although this weekly salary is not as high as Chamberlain's for the time being, it is already higher than Luke Shaw's, and it is also higher than the average weekly salary of the general first-team players."

"In addition, as long as you sign the contract, I can give you a signing fee of 10,000 pounds directly."

"You get the same bonuses as regular first-team players for goals, assists, man of the match, league position and promotion to the top flight."

"In front of the future head coach Mr. Adkins, I can even promise you as a decision-maker on the board that your chances of playing in the first team will definitely exceed 50% - this is the minimum appearance rate standard that can be written into the contract! If you perform well, Coach Adkins will continue to increase your appearance rate."

Adkins, who was sitting on the other side, adjusted his glasses and nodded steadily.

Appearance rate! This is the core issue that Gu Ran is most concerned about! A 50% appearance rate is absolutely an incredible treatment for a professional novice!

Moreover, this is just the minimum standard written into the contract! As long as you perform well, you will have more and more opportunities to play!

With the opportunity to appear, you will have the opportunity to gain more skills and talent points!

This is the true path to stardom!

——Gu Ran tried hard to control his excited heartbeat.

Old Rice added: "Of course, these are just our first round of offers. We can continue to negotiate on this basis. As long as the conditions are reasonable, we can accept them."

Old Rice was afraid of being rejected by Gu Ran!

Gu Ran was so happy! As an amateur high school student, he could directly get a professional club's star contract!

Moreover, the decision-makers are so humble and sincere!

This feeling of being treated as a special thing is really fucking great!

Hold on! Hold on! There is a Chelsea boss out there! Although I feel that Chelsea may not be able to provide so many resources, it is always right to listen to Emenalo's offer.

Gu Ran quickly suppressed his excitement and joy, and smiled in a daze, "Thank you very much, Mr. Rice, thank you for your patient explanation. Professional clubs are really different! Thank you to the top management of Southampton Club for your preference for me, and thank you for offering a rising star contract to an amateur high school student like me. But..."

The word "but" made the three people present feel nervous! Gu Ran smiled, "However, joining a professional club is such a big deal. I haven't recovered from the surprise yet. Mr. Rice, you just said so much to me that I almost went crazy. Besides, I just finished the game and I am exhausted physically and mentally. I can't think. I think I need to rest for two days and then reply to you after I return to training. Is that okay?"

These words are well-reasoned and no one can find fault with them!

Old Rice breathed a sigh of relief. "Of course, of course! This kind of thing can't be settled in a day or two. Gu, you're right. How about this, we exchange phone numbers so we can keep in touch at any time."

"Yes, Mr. Rice."

Gu Ran and Old Rice exchanged phone numbers, and Coach Adkins also took the opportunity to exchange phone numbers with Gu Ran.

Old Rice added, "I still have to remind you that the labor certification hearing is a very long process. Even for me, it will probably take me a month to complete it. The sooner you decide to sign the contract, the sooner I can take action. And the sooner we act, the higher the success rate."

Gu Ran smiled and said, "Okay, Mr. Rice. Don't worry, I'm a student of Southampton High School. I also have a natural liking for Southampton Football Club. I just need some time to think about life. I'll call you when I'm done thinking."

...Just draw a pie in the sky, who can't do that?

Old Rice's eyes lit up. "Okay! Gu! I'll wait for you! As long as you've made up your mind, you can call me anytime! Even if I'm having an affair in the middle of the night, as long as you call me, I'll pull out the phone immediately and bring the contract to find you!"

Holy shit…

How come everything was fine before, but suddenly you stepped on the accelerator...

Besides, why are you so anxious? Gu Ran said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "...Okay, I'll leave first. Goodbye Mr. Rice, goodbye Coach Carter, goodbye Coach Adkins."

Lao Lais and the others also stood up and sent Gu Ran to the door: "Goodbye, Gu! Call me as soon as you have made up your mind after you go back."

"Gu, you've worked hard today. Have a good rest when you get home. Remember to check your email tomorrow morning. We still have the semi-finals to play."

"Gu...Bye."

After Gu Ran walked out of the door of the reception room, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

So exciting! The starting point of professionalization is basically confirmed! With the signing intention of Southampton Club, Gu Ran felt confident and could listen to Chelsea's intentions.

...Why do I feel like a scumbag? There is no way around it. These games of chess should be handled by the agent.

Even though I look like a scumbag, I have no choice.

As soon as Gu Ran walked down the stairs, Emenalo, who had been waiting for a long time, came up to greet him with a smile.

Gu Ran thought to himself: I wonder what kind of contract Chelsea will offer? Speaking of which, Emenalo shouldn't be able to make the decision, right? Especially when it comes to applying for a labor permit using the genius clause, Sister NO has to make the decision.

"Hey, Gu, I finally saw you." Emenalo asked immediately, "You didn't sign with Southampton, did you?"

Gu Ran shook his head. "I know you are waiting for me. Of course I won't be in such a hurry to sign with Southampton."

I'm really not a scumbag!!!

It's all just a show!!!

Emenalo smiled happily and said, "Great, Gu! You made the right decision! This is not the place to talk. Why don't we go somewhere else to chat? Is it convenient to go to your house?"

Oh shit!

You want to come to my house just after we met?

Am I overthinking or am I overthinking? Gu Ran immediately said, "It's not convenient - let's go to the visiting team's locker room to talk."

Emenalo said, “That’s fine.”

The two walked into the messy visiting team's locker room one after the other.

The Angel Wings team had just left and there seemed to be an atmosphere of frustration lingering in the visiting team's locker room.

Emenalo said solemnly: "Gu, Lampard recommended me to watch your game. I must admit that I didn't care at all at the beginning, because according to our Chelsea recruitment policy, we will not focus on an amateur high school player. But, God, when I saw your performance on the court with my own eyes, I was completely conquered by you."

"Gu, you are amazing. I can't believe that a player as talented as you has never received any professional youth training. You are very strong in physical confrontation, very fast, very fierce in sprinting, and your shooting is also very sharp! More importantly, you have a God-like vision and a basketball IQ that is ahead of this era!"

"You may think that I am exaggerating just to sign you, but I am not! I believe in my judgment, and I believe that I will never be wrong!"

"You will definitely become a top star in the future, you will!"

"Of course, if you can train in a top club like our Chelsea, you can even become a world-class star in the future!"

Holy shit…

Another master of making pancakes! And he's the type that blows the pancakes! I can't eat so many of your pancakes without making them crumbly!

Gu Ran calmed himself down, cleared his throat, and said, "Mr. Emenalo, thank you for your compliment. I think we don't need to waste time talking nonsense, let's talk about something practical."

With the Southampton Club's "Star of Hope" contract as a backup, Gu Ran has obviously become much more confident.

Emenalo nodded quickly, "Of course! We at Chelsea can offer you a three-year contract with a weekly salary of around £4,000."

Oh shit!

So direct!

3 years, weekly salary 4,000 pounds!

A weekly salary of 4,000 pounds is higher than the salary of Davis, the captain of Southampton's first team! Gu Ran quickly calculated in his mind: a weekly salary of 4,000 pounds is equivalent to a monthly salary of 160,000 in China!

There are 52 months in a year - the salary of the Premier League is calculated as a full 52 weeks, even if vacation, recuperation, force majeure and other situations are included. Even if the players are collectively sick and cannot play, the club still has to pay them as usual - so in one year, the annual salary alone is 208,000 pounds! The equivalent of an annual income of 2 million in China!

17 years old, earning 2 million yuan a year...

Hiss! This really feels like a leap to heaven!

So why do children in South American slums play football barefoot? As long as they can kick it, their fate will be changed!

208,000 pounds multiplied by 3 years, the value of Chelsea's contract is 624,000 pounds.

If you add in the share of commercial endorsements, image rights, bonuses and so on, the contract will probably be around 700,000 pounds.

The total value of the contract is the player's worth.

——A player’s worth is not his weekly salary or annual salary, but the total value of his current contract.

For example, some world-class stars have a high weekly salary but a low net worth. That's because the contracts they sign are not long, maybe only one or two years, or there are special issues such as image rights, bonuses, floating profits, etc.

Therefore, signing a long-term contract not only means that the club is very optimistic about the player and is willing to bet on him, but also means that the player can get a higher price.

Chelsea offered a contract worth 700,000 pounds right from the start. This may not be a big deal for Chelsea, but for an amateur high school player who changed careers halfway through, it was really... too much.

Chelsea under Abramovich's rule is simple and crude, just using money to hit the face.

Gu Ran had long known that this was Chelsea's characteristic style, but he never expected that he would experience the feeling of being hit in the face with money at such a young age.

Although it tastes good, but...

Gu Ran is not short of money.

It is now the World Cup period, and Gu Ran can gamble every now and then - all in all, he can still get 500,000 pounds.

Moreover, more than half of "Batman 3: The Dark Knight Rises" has been hand-drawn. By then, there will be no need to pay for the screenwriter, and as long as there is a share of the box office, it will definitely make a lot of money - maybe one day in the future, Gu Ran will just flip his hand and acquire Chelsea.

Now, what is important is what level of contract Chelsea can offer and how much appearance rate can be guaranteed.

All the other fancy stuff is meaningless!

Gu Ran then asked: "Mr. Emenalo, you know I am Chinese, so can Chelsea help me get a work permit? What level of contract do you give me? Do you have the authority to finalize this kind of contract?"

…

(End of this chapter)