Chapter 124
Jürgen Klopp was rummaging through Signal Iduna Park, searching for his wedding ring.
At the same time, Alex Ferguson officially demanded the recruitment of Son Jinho from Manchester United’s higher-ups.
While everything about Son Jinho wasn’t entirely satisfactory, he was still the best option available.
He was engaged to his girlfriend and didn’t cause any trouble while partying at the club until late at night.
Despite being a globally recognized talent, he was humble and frugal.
“Is it a trait of the East, like Ji as well?”
Moreover, his tendency to prioritize the team over personal gain was impressive.
Even though Son Jinho could have received a salary by signing a professional contract with Manchester United as a free agent, he chose to sign with Dortmund, valuing loyalty to his home team.
From Manchester United’s perspective, it was a bit underwhelming, but still, he demonstrated loyalty to the club by sacrificing personal gain.
“The celebration is a bit strange, but well.”
That level was understandable.
In Alex Ferguson’s view, Son Jinho wasn’t perfect but could score above 80 points.
“Motivation for success is a bit lacking.”
However, the concern was about his motivation for success.
While impoverished players were desperate to escape poverty through football, Son Jinho, whose coins were nestled comfortably in his hard drive, had less motivation in that regard.
“Um… Upon reflection, considering he’s already reached a certain level, am I asking for too much?”
With the determination to treat him not as a promising player but as a professional.
Alex Ferguson’s request to recruit Son Jinho was conveyed to Joel Glazer, the agent for Chairman David Gill and club owner Malcolm Glazer.
“The transfer fee is at least £54 million? Why is he so expensive? Can’t we get him on a trade?”
And it was passed on to Ed Woodward, the treasurer of JPMorgan and the Glazer family, declaring the era of the Dungy dynasty.
Ed Woodward.
Later, he would receive immense praise from EPL fans, excluding Manchester United fans, as the banner decorator.
In 2007, he took full control of the team’s marketing and public relations, and within just over five years, he proved his capabilities by doubling the club’s commercial revenue from about £50 million in 2005.
Then, in August 2012, he proved his abilities once more by signing a lucrative sponsorship deal with GM.
GM, falling victim to Woodward’s crafty skills, agreed to pay a total of $559 million (about 630 billion won) for seven years, conditional on placing the Chevrolet brand logo on Manchester United jerseys starting from the 2014-15 season.
Considering Manchester United’s poor performance following Ferguson’s retirement, GM was essentially scammed.
Despite being an exceptional talent in sales and commercial abilities, Ed Woodward had a fatal flaw.
“Signing Son is just not efficient!”
He was a person who knew how to market and generate money but lacked knowledge about football.
In fact, Woodward wasted time on signings due to a lack of understanding of Spain’s buyout system in his first year as Manchester United’s CEO, ruining the season preparations, and even blamed the legal advisors who gave normal advice as scammers.
Thus, this seriously oblivious Ed Woodward, based on his public success in commercial endeavors, was appointed as the successor to David Gill, who announced he would leave the CEO position that summer on February 20, 2013.
Thus, as the successor to David Gill, Ed Woodward participated in the recruitment meetings.
“To be honest, I’m doubtful if we should sign him.”
In this meeting, he decided to show his capabilities to Joel Glazer and Avram Glazer, who were pro-front football, unlike his father, Malcolm Glazer.
“First of all, signing Son is excessively inefficient!”
The master of crafty speech, Ed Woodward began to persuade Alex Ferguson with concrete data.
He opposed signing Son Jinho, citing that Shinji Kagawa had flopped upon entering the Premier League and Park Jisung, though active at Manchester United, was not a starter, indicating that East Asians hadn’t proven anything as starters in the Premier League.
“We need to spend money more efficiently! Instead of Son Jinho, who has a high chance of failing, we should recruit players who are already in the Premier League!”
As Avram Glazer listened intently to Ed Woodward’s words.
“What about bringing in Japanese or Chinese players for Asian marketing instead of Koreans? Cheaper players would yield better results…”
“Hold on.”
Ferguson’s sharp gaze, cutting off Woodward’s words, turned towards him.
“…Who are we there? You?”
The club owner’s icy stare began to take shape as Ferguson, the ultimate powerhouse, seemed ready to unleash fury.
“…It’s just my opinion.”
Momentarily startled by Ferguson’s gaze, Ed Woodward confidently recalled Avram Glazer nodding at his argument.
As soon as Woodward finished speaking, the atmosphere in the meeting room turned icy.
“Um… I’ll be right back; I need to use the restroom.”
Joel Glazer, participating as the representative of Malcolm Glazer, who had always supported Ferguson, felt the intensity of Ferguson’s aura and cautiously slipped away.
As soon as Joel Glazer exited the meeting room.
“Hey, you bastard. Am I the manager, or are you?”
Ferguson’s words were like a hairdryer unleashed. For two hours, he roasted Ed Woodward relentlessly.
He treated Ed Woodward, who had lost all composure under the heat of the hairdryer, like King Sejong went personally to cover a shroud over Shin Suk-Joo.
After a furious exit from the meeting room, Ferguson kindly handed over the manager’s nameplate with an angry expression.
[Angry Sir Alex Ferguson, conflict with greedy pig Glazer arises?]
[Shock! Sir Alex Ferguson to step down as manager of Manchester United?]
The incident soon found its way into the press under the name of an anonymous Manchester United insider.
[Angry Manchester United fans take to the streets shouting Glazer OUT.]
Malcolm Glazer, who heard the news while recovering, immediately sent Abram Glazer and Joel Glazer to forcefully recognize Ferguson’s absolute authority over the club’s management, desperately trying to rectify the situation.
As Jürgen Klopp continued safely commuting to and from the training ground, preparing for the away game against Mönchengladbach.
[Shock! Sir Alex Ferguson to step down as manager of Manchester United?]
News of Ferguson’s retirement traveled from the island country across the sea.
“What the hell is this nonsense?”
Panic struck me at the sudden news of Ferguson’s retirement. How hard had I worked to prevent his retirement?
It was I who ensured that Lady Cathy wouldn’t feel lonely and made Han Gyeouri keep in touch frequently.
– Mino! If manager Ferguson resigns, make sure to activate the release clause for him.
I was the one who had Mino Raiola prepare to tie down Ferguson with a contract.
“…Ah, thinking about it, I haven’t done much?”
Anyway, facing the crisis where my past efforts might vanish into thin air, I began to desperately review my plans.
My Plan A, which could achieve the goal in the shortest time, was broken, and I naturally recalled Plan B.
“Plan B would only be to take over the club when the Glazers declare they want to sell it. But that would take time… Should I go to another club first before heading over to Manchester United?”
Without Ferguson, Manchester United was a guaranteed path to defeat.
I couldn’t walk the path of predictable decline.
While I continued to ponder, time flew by rapidly.
The time for the match against Borussia Mönchengladbach was approaching.
[Just before the game ends, Son Jinho scores the winning goal!]
The day after Son Jinho won 2-1 against Mönchengladbach with a mid-range shot fueled by frustration due to a failed plan.
At that time, Dortmund prepared for the DFB-Pokal quarter-final match against Bayern Munich, set for February 27.
[‘Retirement is not an option’ Ferguson, at least 10 more years to go.]
Along with news that Ferguson had reversed his retirement decision, pleasant news arrived about the diminishing power of the fallen king, Meng-Gu-Ward.
