Chapter 14

The 04-05 Premier League schedule has been released, with the first round of matches set to take place over the weekend of August 14th and 15th. Among the matches, Tottenham Hotspur's home game against Liverpool is particularly noteworthy. Of course, what will truly send shockwaves through the entire English football scene is Chelsea's match against Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on the 15th!

Qiao Dapao (Big Cannon Qiao) against Sir Alex Ferguson? This is bound to be a hilarious outcome, almost everyone in the English media and fans believe. Even Chelsea fans think that if the team loses by less than three goals, it would be a stroke of luck!

However, in the manager's office, Qiao Wanxian was almost bursting with laughter after receiving the schedule from Boas: "Since they call me Big Cannon Qiao, I'll give them a real blast! Sir Alex Ferguson, I'm sorry, but I need a legendary manager to help me rise to the top. This match... I will win!"

After two days of silence, England's golden boy, Michael Owen, finally made a clear statement in an interview that he would not leave English soil! Everyone knew that in the transfer of Owen, the inexperienced Qiao Dapao had actually outmaneuvered the arrogant Mourinho!

However, when the news reached the Special One, he did not react with the anger the media expected. He simply said he hoped Owen would perform well in the Premier League.

In fact, Mourinho had a resistant attitude towards Owen's transfer. It was only due to the chairman Florentino's insistence and the club's long-term strategy that he reluctantly accepted the result. This time, although Qiao Dapao was always talking nonsense, he had inadvertently helped Mourinho.

Mourinho did not want Owen because he had a more favored target—Didier Drogba!

After Owen announced he would stay in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Newcastle United all extended olive branches to him. Ferguson was also interested in Owen, but he knew that given the poor relationship between Manchester United and Liverpool, Liverpool would never allow Owen to join United.

The media made various predictions about Owen's next destination. The Daily Mail's renowned journalist, Anderson, boldly speculated that Owen would definitely join Arsenal this summer! The Gunners' Dennis Bergkamp was getting older, and the club urgently needed a top striker like Owen.

Anderson then stated that Tottenham and Newcastle also had a chance, but the recent intense competition with Real Madrid for Owen left Qiao Wanxian with no chance at all, as he believed that Qiao Dapao's transfer strategy was utter nonsense!

In fact, Qiao Wanxian's situation was indeed dire. Chelsea officially announced that Petr Cech had joined the club for 13 million euros, and they had also signed young defender Sergio Ramos from Sevilla for 10 million euros!

Adding to this, the previously announced swap deal between Veron and Cannavaro, the English media could no longer tolerate Qiao Dapao's reckless actions. Even the usually Chelsea-friendly Times published an article titled "Stupid Club's Stupid Decision, Idiot Manager's Idiot Transfers"!

Indeed, after Qiao Wanxian confidently attended a press conference with the newly signed Cech and Ramos, the media, which had already been skeptical of him, launched a new wave of criticism.

Some extreme journalists even went as far as to mock Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, saying he was a rich but foolish man who had hired an idiot as a manager and approved his idiotic transfer requests. The current Chelsea club was a den of fools and idiots!

Abramovich had to hire Qiao Wanxian as the manager due to a bet, but over the past month, Qiao's various outrageous statements and transfers had put him under immense pressure. This pressure was even more terrifying to him than a global economic crisis.

The extreme media criticism and CEO Kenyon's incessant nagging finally pushed the Russian tycoon to his limit, and he decided to have a serious talk with this "Big Cannon" Qiao!

When Abramovich found Qiao Wanxian, he was at the Cobham training ground watching the players train, especially the three new signings—Cech, Cannavaro, and Ramos.

These three handsome players made Qiao Wanxian increasingly pleased. Thinking about their outstanding growth under his "guidance" in the coming years, a sense of pride welled up within him.

Seeing Abramovich's worried face as he approached the sidelines, Qiao Wanxian was quite surprised. What's going on? Did the state-owned enterprises in Russia take over your oil business?

Abramovich was dressed casually, making it hard to tell that he was a billionaire. He looked stern and said, "Wanxian, recently... the media criticism of you has been increasing."

Qiao Wanxian was taken aback, "You're not thinking of firing me, are you?" His jaw almost dropped as he said seriously, "Boss, we have a contract! I won't agree to terminate it!"

Abramovich waved his hand and shook his head, "No, no, no, Wanxian, you misunderstood. I mean... you have the right to speak freely, and I have no right to interfere. But these transfers... are really terrible!"

Qiao Wanxian sighed with relief and laughed, "Boss, don't worry. The players I've signed are the best in the world! They are absolutely worth more than their price. Don't believe the media's criticism, just trust me."

Abramovich pursed his lips, thinking to himself, "Trust you? What should I trust you with? You were thrashed 3-0 by AC Milan in the first half of a friendly, and only managed to score two goals in the second half when they let up. And you want to sign the worst-performing and most obscure Brazilian, Kaka. Does that make any sense?"

Abramovich shook his head, looking worried.

Qiao Wanxian's eyes twinkled, and suddenly the dream of building a football empire appeared in his mind. He took a deep breath and said nonchalantly, "What? Mr. Abramovich, don't you believe that the players I've signed are world-class? How about we make another bet?"

"Another bet?" Abramovich smiled slightly, but a sudden impulse arose in his mind.

It was like gambling; the more you lost, the more you wanted to continue, hoping for a win next time. Especially for a brilliant businessman like Abramovich, being outsmarted by a young upstart like Qiao Wanxian had ignited his competitive spirit.

"Tell me, what do you want to bet on?"

Qiao Wanxian suppressed his excitement and said confidently, "For any transfer I request, if the player's future selling price is less than the purchase price, I will personally cover the club's loss. How about that?"

"Hmm?"

Abramovich's eyes widened. Even a businessman like him had never seen such a confident and almost arrogant person. Transferring players was like investing; who could guarantee success every time? As a manager, where did he get the confidence to ensure every transfer would be successful?

After all, just one failed transfer could cost you several years' salary.

Abramovich said incredulously, "Wan... Wanxian, are you serious?"

Qiao Wanxian patted his chest and said loudly, "Of course! However, there is a condition. Just like your investments, the greater the risk, the greater the return."

"Oh? How so?" Abramovich re-evaluated the young man and found him to be unusually mature and confident for his age.

Qiao Wanxian stroked his chin and said slowly, "I will take full responsibility for any losses from player transfers. However, if a player is sold at a profit, I will take 50% of the profit. Is that too much to ask?"

"50%? Hmm..." Abramovich fell silent.

For Abramovich, whether it was 50% or 80%, it wasn't a problem. What he cared about most was whether Qiao Wanxian could lead Chelsea to championships!

He didn't care about the losses or the profits; he understood that if this bet took effect, Chelsea would benefit. Qiao Wanxian wouldn't sign useless players, and to profit, the players he signed would need to appreciate in value, which meant the team would need to perform exceptionally well!

To Abramovich, money was just a number; the team's performance was the main focus!

Abramovich glanced at Qiao Wanxian and said, still incredulous, "Wanxian, this bet... puts a lot of pressure on you, and the risk is huge. Are you sure you want to bet?"

Qiao Wanxian said without hesitation, "Mr. Abramovich, I never change my mind once I've made a decision! If you don't believe me, we can sign a contract specifically for this."

Abramovich took a deep breath, looked at Qiao Wanxian with interest, and nodded, "Alright, let's put it in writing, then!"

"However..." Abramovich suddenly changed his tone, hesitating, "This bet is too unfair to you. How about this: you get 50% of the profit from player sales, and you only need to cover 50% of the loss from player sales."

Qiao Wanxian nodded solemnly, his face calm, but he was inwardly elated.

"Damn, they only give me a million pounds a year, humph! If I sell a player for two or three million, I'll get at least a million in profit! Ha, this is the real way to make money. Being a visionary isn't just for fun!"

At this moment, Qiao Wanxian's dream of a football empire finally began to take shape. He wanted to earn enough money to buy a club, be the owner, and work for himself!

Qiao Wanxian didn't understand business policies or stock trading. His only way to make money was through football. A top-tier club would cost at least a few hundred million euros, but for Qiao Wanxian, that was no longer an astronomical figure.

"It seems... I'll have to live like a human trafficker for the next few years... I hear Porto is the top black market in Europe? Ha, in front of me, Qiao Wanxian, you'll never be the top again!"

A gentle breeze blew, and Qiao Wanxian felt refreshed and invigorated.

PS: I'm writing part-time and currently busy with a contract, so the speed is limited. Please bear with me.

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