Chapter 55

Now, Benítez's body had not yet become as seriously overweight as it would later, and he wore a pair of elegant glasses, making him look even more like a professor than Wenger. In fact, in terms of tactics, he indeed had a sharp mind akin to a professor. The Liverpool he built created the 4-2-3-1 formation that later swept the globe, and he was known as a tactical master.

Benítez was the second manager after Mourinho to win the UEFA Cup and then the Champions League within two seasons. Especially since he achieved this with Valencia and Liverpool, the difficulty was even greater than Mourinho's. Unfortunately, his judgment in the transfer market was far from commendable, which was the fundamental reason for the gap in status between him and Mourinho.

However, since Benítez was Jowanxian's first master-level friend in the industry, the great Mr. Jowanxian would never let this friend down!

Jowanxian looked like a monk preaching, squinting his eyes and deliberately making things mysterious, "Rafael, the biggest problem with Liverpool's midfield is the lack of a true defensive holding midfielder, in other words, a silent backbone!"

"Oh?" Benítez raised an eyebrow.

Jowanxian counted on his fingers, "Look at the current European giants. Manchester United has Keane, Barcelona has Márquez, PSV Eindhoven has Van Bommel, Arsenal has Vieira, Real Madrid has Essien, and even my Chelsea has Makelele! Now look at your Liverpool. Alonso is an organizing midfielder; can he meet the world-class standard in tackling and intercepting? As for Gerrard, he is even more of an attacking player."

Benítez couldn't help but smile bitterly, "Wanxian, I consider you a friend, so I won't hide anything from you. I am only familiar with Spanish players. Once I introduce players from other countries, I really can't determine if they can adapt to Liverpool's rhythm. When I took over Liverpool this summer, I noticed the gap in the holding midfield position. I checked all Spanish players, and Alonso was the best in that position!"

Jowanxian suddenly understood why Benítez's transfers were criticized and why his Spanish transfers were so impressive—Reina, Luis García, Torres, Alonso, and even later, Callejón and Albiol. It was because of this reason!

However, to understand Spanish players to such a thorough extent was truly astonishing. Jowanxian secretly admired him and said mysteriously, "Since you consider me a friend, Rafael, I, Jowanxian, will definitely help you!"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Benítez's eyes lit up, vaguely guessing something but finding it hard to believe.

Jowanxian crossed his legs, folded his arms, and said proudly, "Rafael, what do you think of my transfers?"

"Each one is shocking and elegant!" Benítez didn't hide his admiration for Jowanxian in this aspect. Indeed, look at the performance of Chelsea's new signings this summer—Rуни, Owen, Kakа, Cannavaro, Ramos, and Cech! Except for the young Ramos, who performed consistently, the others were absolutely among the top three in their positions!

If these players were put back on the transfer market, even if their prices doubled, they would still be snatched up by the major clubs.

Jowanxian laughed, "Since you trust me, it's fine. If you want to make transfers in the future, just let me know in advance, and I'll give you some advice. How about that?"

"Rеаlly... really?" Benítez was so excited that his lips trembled and his face turned red, unable to speak. At this moment, he suddenly felt that Jowanxian was his lucky star and a lifelong mentor and friend! Even though he was a newcomer to the football world and only 21 years old.

Jowanxian smiled lightly, raised his coffee cup, and clinked it with Benítez's, taking a small sip and frowning, "But..."

Benítez's spirit was immediately lifted, and he said without hesitation, "Wanxian, just tell me what you need! Even if you ask for half of my salary, I'll agree!"

Jowanxian waved his hand and cautiously probed, "Well... to be honest, I am very interested in Gerrard..."

"No! That's not possible!" Benítez's eyes widened to their maximum, and he shook his head repeatedly, "Gerrard is the foundation of Liverpool's team. He is the captain and absolutely cannot leave Liverpool! Besides, his soul belongs to Liverpool, and he will never leave!"

Jowanxian knew the difficulty of signing Gerrard. The famous coach Mourinho and the prestigious Real Madrid had tried to sign him several times but were rejected by both the club and Gerrard himself. However, Jowanxian didn't give up and tried to persuade, "Well... Rafael, I know Gerrard is outstanding and important to Liverpool. But a team is made up of 11 players, and relying on one person alone can never solve all problems..."

Benítez still shook his head repeatedly. Although his coaching experience was not long, Gerrard was the most professional athlete he had ever seen. As a coach who valued talent, he found it hard to let go of such an outstanding player.

Jowanxian lowered his voice, "I, Jowanxian, will never let my friends down! For Liverpool's lineup, I can offer two strong defensive players from Chelsea in exchange! And I know that Cissé is often injured, and Liverpool's attack needs reinforcement. I can recommend a top-class, cost-effective striker to you!"

"Two defensive players?" Benítez squinted his eyes, realizing that Jowanxian was determined to get Gerrard.

Jowanxian said calmly, "Yes, two Frenchmen. One is William Gallas, Chelsea's main center-back in the last two seasons; the other is the world's best holding midfielder, the exact type of player Liverpool needs—Claude Makelele!"

Benítez immediately drew a sharp breath!

In terms of value, Gerrard's current value was at most on par with Rooney, around 25-30 million pounds, which was roughly the combined value of Gallas and Makelele. However, the impact of these two players on Liverpool was absolutely incomparable to that of Gerrard alone!

Liverpool's center-back Carragher was often injured, and Hyypiä was already over 30. Gallas's arrival could fully compensate for the weakness in the defense! Makelele was even more impressive, forming a steel defense with Vieira at the European Championship in Portugal, shocking the world! His performance at Chelsea was also particularly outstanding.

It must be said that Jowanxian's proposal made Benítez心动 (heart move, meaning he was tempted)!

Seeing that Benítez was no longer shaking his head frequently and was hesitating, Jowanxian smiled, "Alright, I'm just letting you know in advance. After all, Makelele and Gerrard are both absolute starters in their respective teams and have already played in the Champions League. Even if a transfer is to be made, it will have to be postponed until next summer."

Benítez nodded lightly, frowning and hesitating, "Wanxian, in Chelsea's lineup, there is only one pure defensive holding midfielder like Makelele. If you sell him to me, what about Chelsea's defense?"

Jowanxian laughed, "Mr. Benítez, didn't you notice in the previous match? My team can win without defense!"

Benítez scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward, and then thought of something, "But Gerrard has no place in Chelsea's lineup. The midfield has Kakа, Lampard, and Joe Cole, all top stars. Could it be... you plan to use him to replace Makelele's position?"

Jowanxian extended a thumb, looked around, and lowered his voice, "Do you know why I have been criticizing Eriksson?"

"Why?" Seeing Jowanxian's mysterious look, Benítez suddenly understood and exclaimed in surprise, "You... you want to replace him as the England national team coach?"

"Smart!" Jowanxian clapped his hands and said mysteriously, "Do you know why I brought the two leading strikers of England to Chelsea? Do you know why I must take Gerrard? Because I want the FA to see that I, Jowanxian, can maximize the potential of Owen and Rooney's forward pairing and fully integrate the 'double D' combination of Gerrard and Lampard into one team!"

Benítez felt his pupils constrict, as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight. At this moment, he re-evaluated the young man in front of him, suddenly feeling that every action and every word he said was a carefully laid foundation for the future...

This young coach was unfathomable!

Benítez took another deep breath. Up to now, he had not decided whether to accept the transfer request for Gerrard. However, with Liverpool's second striker Cissé injured, they indeed needed a top-class striker as a backup. If the person recommended by Jowanxian was truly top-class, then this transfer would be inevitable! After all, he planned to stay at Liverpool for a long time, like Ferguson and Wenger.

Benítez sighed and asked softly, "Wanxian, you said you would recommend a top-class, cost-effective striker to me. Who is it?"

Jowanxian was confident. As long as Benítez asked this question, the transfer of Gerrard would be inevitable.

He smiled faintly, "This is a Spanish striker who was transferred from Sporting Gijón to Zaragoza last season for 1.5 million euros. If you make a winter transfer, the price... would be around 6 million pounds. He is only 23 years old and has great potential and room for improvement. If you buy him, within a year, Liverpool's main striker will no longer be Barrosh!"

"Oh? What's his name?" Benítez was very surprised. The last time he heard Jowanxian praise a player so highly was during the Owen transfer! Could it be... this 23-year-old has the same ability as Owen?

Jowanxian smiled slightly and said softly, "His name is... David Villa!"

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