Chapter 549: This is the only one

"Master Huan, these guys are all wicked and have bad intentions!"

After attending the dinner and returning to the hotel, Peter Kenyon, Ron Gourlay, Sun Yue and others followed Yang Huan to the presidential suite with an unparalleled sea view.

As soon as they sat down in the living room, everyone started talking about what happened at the dinner party.

"Oh?" Yang Huan was a little amused. He knew this would happen. "Tell me about it."

Peter Kenyon and others also looked amused.

"David Gill spoke to me about Matic and said Manchester United wanted him to strengthen the midfield."

Yang Huan couldn't laugh anymore.

The position of defensive midfielder is indeed very critical, especially in the modern tactical system, the defensive midfielder plays a pivotal role.

Although Matic is tall and strong, he has good footwork, steady passing and strong defense. He can be regarded as a powerful barrier in front of Southampton's defense.

Toni Kroos has a different style. Although his defense has improved a lot, it is still not good enough. However, his footwork, organizational skills and passing ability are quite good, and he can occasionally get in from behind and take a long shot.

At Southampton, the presence of Toni Kroos and Matic allows Bielsa to adopt different midfield configurations according to different opponents and deal with different situations.

If Matic is sold, it will indeed be possible to make a lot of money, at least 20 million pounds.

But the question is, where can we find someone to fill the vacancy left by Matic?

Nowadays, there are very few players in the defensive midfielder position who can provide solid defense, have stable passing ability, and even have some organizational ability.

Schneiderlin, who was sold to Tottenham Hotspur by Southampton, has made great progress, but there is still a gap compared to Matic.

Besides, Manchester United is now Southampton's rival. How can they weaken themselves and strengthen their opponents?

"It seems that we have to renew the contract with Matic and sign a new contract!"

Peter Kenyon and Ron Gourlay looked at each other, smiled and nodded.

Southampton's current finances are still pretty good. The Saints Fans Club alone earns 100 million pounds in membership fees each year. Add in the income from sponsorship, and Southampton's commercial income has reached more than 200 million pounds.

If they can get a generous share of the broadcasting fees from the Premier League this season, plus the match day income from the stadium, the total should be around 350 million pounds.

This is quite eye-catching in the entire European football world.

Looking across Europe, there are only a handful of teams with annual revenues exceeding 300 million pounds!

Of course, Southampton's expenses are also huge, such as player salaries and team bonuses.

In European professional football, there are mainly two different ways of playing.

One is the way Barcelona and Real Madrid play, they only pursue results and don’t care about the team’s finances at all.

Another way is the way Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Juventus play. They pay attention to financial health and try to spend every penny wisely in terms of transfer fees, living frugally.

It is difficult to say which of these two different ways of playing is better or worse. We can only say that each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The former approach, which involves piling up stars, produces quick results, but it also places enormous financial pressure. Once the boss behind the scenes tightens the purse strings, the team will immediately run into problems and results will be greatly affected.

Moreover, in recent years, as Platini has implemented a healthy financial policy in Europe, this type of team has also been restricted.

The second approach is slow to produce results, relying on years of accumulation, and occasionally burning money, but once a major transfer fails, the team will have to take a breather for a year or two before it can recover.

But usually teams that play this way will have a complete set of long-term plans, and set each goal very clearly and pragmatically. For example, Arsenal does not recruit new players, does not win championships, and strives to be in the top four every year.

You can accuse Arsenal of not being aggressive, but you cannot deny that Arsenal is quite healthy and outstanding in terms of performance stability, investment, and the club's financial situation.

Southampton belongs to the first type of play.

In Yang Huan's opinion, the so-called self-financing and loss-making is nonsense.

There are only two or three teams in Europe that can be confident of making losses, not including Real Madrid and Barcelona.

For Southampton, with so many stars and so many achievements, it is simply impossible to be self-sufficient. Even if they accumulate for a few more years, they will not be able to make it in the Premier League.

The reason is simple. You have to be responsible for your own profits and losses. Once your players perform well, they will be poached immediately.

In the end, a self-sufficient team can only become a star processing factory for the wealthy teams.

Of course, it’s okay to have a burst of enthusiasm occasionally.

Since it is impossible to be self-sufficient, what should we do?

If you look at Southampton from the perspective of running a company, there is no need to worry about debt. Having debt is a good thing, which proves that the bank thinks you are reliable and is willing to lend you money.

So, the real problem is not how to eliminate debt or how much money you owe the bank, but how to control the risk of debt within a reasonable range.

The way Real Madrid plays is to introduce superstars, do my best to expand my influence and brand value, enhance the bank's trust in me and the commercial value of the Real Madrid brand, and then go to the bank to borrow money to introduce superstars.

In this set of gameplay, the team’s performance is not important, who is the head coach is not important, who is the star player is not important.

What is important is how much this golden sign of Real Madrid is worth and the team’s financial income.

In other words, Real Madrid's ability to repay its debts.

This is why Florentino can spend big money to introduce stars time and time again.

The money in the bank can never be borrowed or spent!

Yang Huan is not as outrageous as Florentino. He has his own long-term plan, which is to build Southampton into one of the best super clubs in Europe and even the world in the shortest time!

To do this, you need to build a strong lineup of stars.

Relying on his identity as a time traveler and Southampton's powerful scouting system, it can be said that the Saints have come very quickly and very successfully to where they are today!

But next, Yang Huan will have to stabilize everything Southampton has achieved so far.

The transfer strategy is also very pragmatic. If I can keep the players, that would be the best, and a salary increase is also reasonable. If I can't keep them, then I will do everything I can to maximize my interests and do my best to squeeze out the potential value of the players.

But in Yang Huan's opinion, Matic can be kept!

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Ferguson is about to retire, and no one knows what will happen to Manchester United in the future.

So, let’s not talk about whether Manchester United intends to poach Matic. Even if they really put in a lot of effort, Matic may not be interested.

Southampton is now second in the Premier League standings and will definitely participate in the Champions League next season.

Instead of taking the risk of going to Manchester United, it is better to stay in Southampton. At least there are more opportunities!

"Just now, Rosell talked to me about Neymar. It can be seen that Barcelona is determined to get him!"

When Yang Huan talked about this, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but rise.

This guy Russell is really...

How to say it?

Not courageous enough!

If the price he offered just now had been more attractive, perhaps Yang Huan would have been tempted.

Since I can't keep it anyway, I might as well let the highest bidder win.

"Sanchez just took the initiative to talk to me about Neymar." Ron Gourlay said with a smile.

"Oh?" Yang Huan immediately became interested. "What is Real Madrid's attitude?"

Ron Gourlay glanced at his colleagues and said with a smile, "Real Madrid is also very interested in Neymar. They have offered a high price of 80 million euros, and judging from Sanchez's tone, it seems that they can still negotiate."

"Eighty million?"

When everyone heard this number, their eyes lit up.

Three years ago, when Southampton was trying to sign Neymar, they only offered more than 20 million euros, but now it has risen to 80 million. Isn't it exciting?

"Hey, hey, hey, you guys, can you not be so petty?" Yang Huan waved his hand, interrupting their imagination and YY, and scolded with a smile.

"Isn't it just 80 million? Is it worth making such a fuss?"

Everyone suddenly laughed awkwardly.

Master Huan, you are very wealthy, so 80 million is just a piece of cake for you.

But we are different. We are poor workers. If 80 million were given to us, we would be living a life of luxury.

"Actually, Master Huan is right!"

Peter Kenyon then interjected.

"Just now, Nike's senior vice president for Europe also talked to me about Neymar. Although he didn't say anything, I could see that Nike is the sponsor of the Brazilian national team and also the sponsor of Neymar, but our sponsor is Adidas, and Barcelona's sponsor is also Nike!"

Peter Kenyon came from Nike and Umbro. He knows very well how sports equipment brands sponsor stars and teams, and even influence the transfer of stars.

After he said this, everyone present suddenly felt that things here must not be that simple.

"Also, I checked. The sponsorship contract between Nike and Barcelona expires this year. Under the original contract, Barcelona could only get about 30 million euros per year. This was considered high when the contract was signed five years ago, but now it is relatively low among the top clubs."

Everyone thought it made sense.

Thirty million euros for jersey sponsorship is indeed too low for Barcelona.

"This involves another issue, that is Messi!"

Peter Kenyon has clearly grasped the key issue.

"As Barcelona's star player, Messi wears Adidas boots. Nike has always hoped to win back Messi's personal sponsorship. Rosell has also been working hard on this matter, but to no avail."

"With Guardiola's resignation, Rosell's relationship with Messi is not ideal. Not long ago, Messi's agent proposed to renew the contract and increase his salary. Bartomeu said that the team could not renew the contract with the player frequently. Renewing the contract once every six months is really outrageous."

"From this point of view, the differences between Messi and Barcelona's top management are already quite obvious!"

After Peter Kenyon's analysis, everyone suddenly felt enlightened.

"For teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid, internal conflicts are quite intense. So as soon as Rosell came to power, he pursued his predecessor Laporta's faction relentlessly, selling Ibrahimovic at a low price, offending Cruyff, and dismissing Guardiola. He was desperately trying to erase Laporta's traces in the team, leave his own mark on this giant team, and win the support of Barcelona fans."

"Rosell has succeeded in doing all these things, but the pressure is also very great. If Rosell wants to take action against Messi, the most outstanding superstar during Laporta's period, there is only one way, that is to introduce a player who can replace Messi both in terms of competition and business."

After Peter Kenyon's analysis, the answer is obvious.

"It can only be Neymar!"

When Yang Huan heard this, he couldn't help but laugh happily.

This is truly the only one of its kind in the world!