Chapter 80

Regarding transfers, some coaches are not enthusiastic because they are worried about the club selling key players; some coaches are concerned because they have repeatedly made poor judgments, buying players who turn out to be duds; some coaches have a more indifferent attitude, leaving the transfer operations entirely to the club, believing it has nothing to do with them.

As for Qiaowanxian...

He has a talent for predicting a player's ability! Of course, this is thanks to his 30 years of foresight. Although he cannot accurately judge a player's specific abilities, the top stars of the future are deeply etched in the memory of any football fan! Therefore, he is almost fanatically passionate about the transfer market!

Qiaowanxian generally selects players in two stages: the early part of their career and the late part of their career.

Based on the transfer profit-sharing agreement with Abramovich, Qiaowanxian will not buy players who are currently in the spotlight. Instead, he will only buy young, inexpensive players with unlimited potential and rising values. The reason he chose older players like Roy Keane is out of his love for football. He couldn't bear to see Keane end his career in Scotland, and as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League for nearly 20 years, Keane deserves a perfect farewell!

When Kenyon discussed the transfer of Eidur Gudjohnsen with Qiaowanxian, Qiaowanxian was very firm, but Kenyon was very worried. The winter transfer market has limited options, and where would the club find an outstanding player to fill the significant gap left by the departure of a forward?

Qiaowanxian's response was simple: Spain!

"Spain?" Kenyon was taken aback, then his eyes lit up. It turned out that Qiaowanxian, who usually seemed carefree, had secretly made a significant contribution to the club! His last trip to the Camp Nou was actually a secret investigation in Spain, where he discovered an outstanding player!

Chelsea's success in the summer transfer market had made Kenyon very trusting of Qiaowanxian's judgment. He was pleasantly surprised and asked, "Wanxian, have you... have you set your sights on another player? Is it Real Madrid, or Barcelona?"

Qiaowanxian smiled enigmatically, "The player is indeed in Madrid."

"Real Madrid!" Kenyon exclaimed, then a hint of doubt crossed his face. He frowned and hesitated, "Wanxian, a club like Real Madrid would never sell a star player in the winter! Could it be a young talent from Castilla?"

Real Madrid's youth academy indeed produced many stars in the coming years, such as Negredo, Soldado, Mata, Callejon, Xavi Garcia, Arbeloa, and Granero. However, these players were at most first-tier, far from meeting Qiaowanxian's requirement for a top star.

Qiaowanxian shook his head lightly, "He is in Madrid, but not at Real Madrid."

"Hmm?" Kenyon was puzzled.

Qiaowanxian smiled, "His name is Fernando Torres, and he currently plays for Atletico Madrid."

Kenyon was immediately impressed. Atletico Madrid!

He had never heard of Qiaowanxian going to Madrid, and his only trip to Spain was to Barcelona. It seemed that... for the team and the club, he had secretly visited Atletico Madrid's training ground multiple times! He even kept it a secret from the club to avoid media exposure, which could affect the success of the transfer. Such self-restraint was truly touching!

Such a coach is absolutely a model of coaching and a conscience of the industry!

As the CEO of a football club, Kenyon, though primarily skilled in management, also had some knowledge of world football. Although Torres was not yet a household name, he was not unknown. He had been selected for the Spanish national team in this year's European Championship and was already the captain of Atletico Madrid at the age of 21!

The absolute core of Atletico Madrid, could he be transferred in the winter? A big question mark appeared in Kenyon's mind.

Qiaowanxian waved his hand decisively, "I hope this transfer can be finalized by December, and on January 1st, I want to introduce him at Stamford Bridge! As long as the price is reasonable and all conditions of Atletico Madrid are met, if I need to persuade Torres, it will not be a problem."

Kenyon was already used to Qiaowanxian's decisive manner and squinted, hesitating, "Necessary?"

"Necessary!"

"Alright!" Kenyon was not indecisive and immediately patted his chest, "Wanxian, rest assured, I will go back and discuss this with the transfer director, Jolissno, and finalize the transfer as soon as possible!"

Watching Kenyon leave confidently, a hint of worry appeared on Qiaowanxian's face. He was unsure about the transfer fee for Torres.

In 2007, Torres was a darling of world football in terms of fame, skill, and appearance. His transfer from Atletico Madrid to Liverpool was valued at £26.5 million. At the time, his buyout clause with Atletico Madrid was €40 million. Before that, Abramovich had repeatedly stated his willingness to pay the €40 million buyout clause to bring him to Stamford Bridge, but Torres loved Liverpool and preferred the Spaniard Benitez over Mourinho, ultimately taking a pay cut to join Liverpool!

It was unclear whether the young and yet-to-be-famous Torres would come to Chelsea in the winter of 2004.

Thinking about it, Qiaowanxian's lips curled into a smug smile, "With my strong personal charm, how could Torres not come?"

...

In two matches, Chelsea and Arsenal both won without any doubt. Finally, under the anticipation of the masses, the London derby was about to begin!

The English media was flooded with football news, all doing their best to promote and draw attention to what could be the most anticipated league match in English history! Similar to the Spanish Clásico, sports journalists and commentators from over 30 countries and regions around the world flocked to London, eager to bring the most top-tier, thrilling, and heart-pounding live coverage to their home fans.

Some media even began to hype this match as the world's top battle, declaring the rise of the Premier League and its potential to replace Serie A as the world's top league in the coming years, especially with classic derbies like Chelsea vs. Arsenal in the league.

Media hype was nothing new to Qiaowanxian, but this time he noticed that the English media generally maintained a neutral stance, objectively describing the match without subjective evaluations. Only The Times firmly believed that Qiaowanxian's Chelsea would win, while The Sun thought that Wenger would give Qiaowanxian a lesson.

"Too many face-slaps, these media reporters know better than to make rash comments before the match..." Qiaowanxian shook his head and sighed. It seemed that only The Sun and The Guardian were still willing to question his abilities.

On the evening of December 11, Qiaowanxian met an old acquaintance from the East—Duan Xuan. Qiaowanxian had been interviewed by "The World of Football," and they had become familiar with each other. That night, he treated Duan Xuan and his team to a British-Chinese meal, spending over £80 and making everyone very happy.

At 10 PM on December 12, Chelsea's team bus slowly pulled out, heading to Arsenal's home ground, Highbury, to prepare for the crucial match that would kick off at midnight the next day.

The match was still over two hours away, but fans at Highbury had already filled the entire Highbury Square, with some unable to get tickets standing in the cold, hoping to watch the match on the big screen. They were not afraid of the cold, only of not getting a good spot! In fact, you could see many passionate fans with bare torsos, tattooed with Arsenal's emblem!

Highbury, nearly a century old, is one of the oldest football grounds in England. It can only hold 38,500 people, but historically, its highest attendance was 73,295 in 1935! Such a record will never be broken, as FIFA has banned standing areas in stadiums, meaning that no matter how many fans there are, Highbury can only accommodate 38,500 people.

This most anticipated match in Premier League history, which has captured the attention of fans and media worldwide, could only be attended by 38,500 people, clearly not meeting the demands of the fans. Of course, the legendary 73,295 attendance record remains unbroken, which is a regret.

Before the match, Arsenal had applied to the FA to move the game to Wembley Stadium, using it as their home ground, as they had done before. However, the FA rejected the proposal, as a regular league match, even with global attention, did not have the impact to affect the championship.

However, a media report noted that while the attendance at Highbury was only 38,500, the number of fans gathered around the stadium reached 400,000!

Many London residents who were not fans, seeing such a spectacular scene, thought it was another citizen protest and joined in, shouting, "Demand economic recovery, Blair must step down!"

This undoubtedly became a funny little interlude in the highly anticipated match.

Forty minutes before the match, a blue team bus slowly approached, escorted by police and special forces. The Chinese fans outside Highbury were a bit stunned: "This scene looks so familiar..."

Under a barrage of flashbulbs and excited gazes, the bus finally stopped. The door slowly opened, and a young man in black clothes, black pants, black shoes, and black sunglasses stepped out first. Without a doubt, this was Qiaowanxian, who was determined to steal the show!

He was a bit shameless, looking like a Hollywood action hero, waving to the crowd and causing a stir...

He was wearing black gloves again today!

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