Chapter 73

Owen went to the United States, and as the head coach, Jowan Xian almost called him every few days to inquire and encourage him with earnest words. Owen was recovering well and remained optimistic.

At the Cobham training ground, Jowan Xian was organizing a 30-minute group match. The offensive team consisted of Wayne Rooney, Kaka, Joe Cole, Eidur Gudjohnsen, and Frank Lampard, while the defensive team included John Terry, Fabio Cannavaro, William Gallas, Rafael Marquez, Ashley Cole, Claude Makélélé, and Glen Johnson.

The offensive team was only responsible for attacking, and the defensive team only for defending. However, just 13 minutes into the match, Rooney broke through Marquez's defense, cut inside, and prepared to shoot. Petr Cech was fully focused, ready to make a save, but French defender Gallas, eager to make a contribution, saw Rooney set up for a shot and refused to back down. He slid in and Rooney flipped to the ground.

They were all teammates, so there was no need for Rooney to roll around on the ground after falling, but his ankle still throbbed with pain, causing him to break out in a cold sweat. He lay on the ground for about ten seconds, and by the time everyone gathered around to ask about his condition, the pain in his ankle had subsided.

As a professional athlete, Rooney clearly knew that his injury, though painful, was not serious. However, this moment suddenly reminded him of the day Owen fell during the match against Everton!

Rooney has never been a good-tempered person! In his previous life at Manchester United, he dared to confront Ferguson, and later even played Moyes like a fool. If Tevez was a bomb that could be ignited at any moment, then Rooney was the uranium source that could unleash nuclear pollution.

Rooney's teeth chattered as he rolled over and stood up, glaring at the concerned Gallas. Without regard for who was present, he kicked Gallas hard in the stomach!

Gallas fell backward!

Players and coaches rushed to hold back the enraged Rooney, whispering words of persuasion. Boas, who was second in command to Jowan Xian, immediately shouted, harshly reprimanding Rooney for his rashness.

Seeing this, Jowan Xian couldn't help but sneer: "This little fatty Rooney is quite ruthless. Fortunately, he didn't kick accurately. If he had, what would we do? The Qing Dynasty has been gone for almost a hundred years; where would Gallas live the rest of his life?"

He saw Gallas rolling on the ground, clutching his stomach, and a hint of sympathy flashed in his eyes: "You should have known better. There are so many exemplary players in the team, like Kaka, Lampard, and even Gudjohnsen. Why did you have to provoke Rooney? This is just asking for trouble..."

Jowan Xian knew that Gallas was trying to perform well to earn more playing time, and he also knew that Rooney's anger was clearly due to the lingering shadow of Owen's serious injury. Both sides had their reasons, so how should Jowan Xian handle it?

Obviously, Rooney was part of the core group!

Jowan Xian, with a furious expression, approached Rooney, frowned, and said in a deep voice, "Brat, do you think this is a boxing match?"

Rooney almost laughed, but seeing Jowan Xian's stern face, he quickly lowered his head and admitted, "Boss, I was wrong..."

"Hmph! You know you were wrong!" Jowan Xian glared at him again, waved his hand to the others, and loudly declared, "No one is to talk about this incident today! Both Gallas and Rooney are at fault, so each will be fined two weeks' salary, to be paid to my office tomorrow!"

"Rooney's weekly salary is 100,000 pounds, and Gallas's is 50,000 pounds. Hmm... it seems fighting has its benefits, earning 300,000 pounds for nothing! Ha, last night Lucy said she liked a diamond ring, and now the funds are secured..." A sly smile flashed across Jowan Xian's face as he waved his hand, "Let's move on, continue training!"

Jowan Xian turned and walked to the sidelines, handing the training field back to Boas. He still needed to handle some follow-up matters, such as calming the two players and restoring their relationship. Rooney's anger came and went quickly, and he soon returned to the team with a smile. However, Gallas remained gloomy and dejected.

The head coach, Jowan Xian, had only scolded Rooney and said nothing to him! Gallas suddenly felt that he had no future in Chelsea.

At the edge of the training field, Jowan Xian took out his phone and dialed Benítez's number: "Mate, Liverpool's recent form has been great, they're already fourth in the league."

Unlike Jowan Xian, Benítez didn't carry his phone during training, but he was in his office discussing tactics with his assistant. He laughed, "Can't compare to your Chelsea."

Jowan Xian smiled smugly, "Comparing my team horizontally, you have no future! Liverpool's arch-rival Manchester United isn't doing well, so you should be content!"

Benítez scratched his head, "Xian, why did you call me this time? Oh, right, the Villarreal player you mentioned, I've done some research, and he's indeed a promising talent! With Cissé injured, I've decided to sign this young forward during the winter transfer window!"

Jowan Xian rolled his eyes, "I'm giving you this great deal. If it were a few years later, when Villa was famous at Valencia, it would cost millions to sign him." He plopped down on the grass, his eyes fixed on the listless Gallas, and said calmly, "Have you thought about the trade we discussed last time?"

"The transfer of Gerrard?" Benítez hesitated and whispered, "The club's management doesn't agree..."

"Come on, don't give me that! This is the Premier League, not La Liga, where the manager's authority is different! Don't use that as an excuse!" Jowan Xian sighed, "Alright, to show my sincerity, I'll send you that French center-back this winter. How about that?"

"Gallas?" Benítez's voice was excited, but he soon sighed in disappointment, "The club can only allocate about 10 million pounds for transfers this winter. Buying Villa will cost at least 6 million pounds, so there won't be enough funds to buy Gallas. What if... we just loan him for half a season?"

"I don't like the loan system!" Jowan Xian firmly rejected, paused for a moment, and then said with determination, "Alright, I'll make another concession! We've already agreed to trade Mark莱莱 and Gallas for Gerrard. This winter, I'll sell Gallas to you for 4 million pounds, and next summer, I'll sell Mark莱莱 to you for 6 million pounds. Similarly, when I buy Gerrard, you'll set the price at 10 million pounds!"

The lower the price for buying Gerrard, the more money Jowan Xian would make according to the secret contract he signed with Abramovich. He had already calculated this in his mind.

The price didn't matter to Benítez; what mattered was whether the team could be strengthened during the winter transfer window. Jowan Xian's proposal didn't require much consideration, and Benítez nodded heavily, saying, "Alright!"

"Is this considered favoritism?" After hanging up, Jowan Xian smiled strangely, imagining the rich expressions on Abramovich or Kenyon's faces when they learned that he had negotiated Gerrard's transfer fee down to 10 million pounds...

At the end of November 2004, a fierce "cannon" craze swept through East Asia! The cause was a Korean media report claiming that Jowan Xian had Korean blood, which sparked intense criticism from Chinese netizens. Following discussions about the lineage of historical figures like Confucius, Qu Yuan, and Sun Wukong, Jowan Xian became the next target!

This matter had nothing to do with Japan, but a comment from the famous Japanese actress Sola Aoi quickly involved Japan: "I have a way to verify whether Jowan Xian is of Chinese or Korean descent. With my years of experience, I can tell in bed!"

Jowan Xian initially planned to hold a press conference to denounce the Koreans' ridiculous and shameless behavior, even going so far as to do a special interview with a reporter from The Times. However, the club's management advised him not to offend Korean fans, as Jowan Xian was very popular there and it was a lucrative market.

Jowan Xian thought about it and realized they were right. Why not take advantage of the situation? So he let them stir up the controversy, which provided free publicity for him. However, he naturally developed a slight aversion to Korea.

The next morning, club staff invited Jowan Xian to attend the latest high-level meeting, saying there was an important matter to discuss. He had no intention of attending and planned to use training as an excuse to delay, but when he learned that the main topic was the sponsorship of Chelsea's jerseys, he became interested and rushed to the meeting.

This season, Chelsea's jersey advertising sponsor was Emirates, and the jersey manufacturer was Umbro. However, Jowan Xian knew that from 2005, Chelsea's jersey advertising sponsor would be Samsung from South Korea.

Clearly, Jowan Xian did not want this to happen!

At the meeting, the club's CEO, Kenyon, said that the team's jersey advertising contract would expire this season, and he had already started negotiations with Siemens and Samsung, aiming to choose one to fill the blank on Chelsea's jersey for the next few years.

Jowan Xian stated directly, "Korean companies must not be involved with Chelsea. This is a matter of principle and team performance!"

Kenyon, who was initially very optimistic about Samsung, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "What? Choosing a sponsor can affect the team's performance?"