Chapter 46

Levermore never considered himself a second-generation anything; that was more like young Sanches. However, he did not deny that the Aguilar surname played a role in his appointment to Malaga. As a graduate of Complutense University with a Ph.D. in economics, if he had wanted to, he had the wings to fly anywhere. So, his entry into this industry was merely a coincidence due to his shared interests with his father, and his joining Malaga was simply because he did not oppose it. That was all there was to it.

Before coming to Malaga, Levermore's job was not stable, moving between several Segunda Division teams. Perhaps due to the lower level, his work was neither particularly impressive nor disastrous. This season, coming to Malaga was a step up in his career. As for the change from sports director to transfer advisor, Levermore remained surprisingly calm, a trait inherited from his father, who had little ambition and valued his hobbies above all.

Without the conflict of power, one could say that Levermore's impression of Lin Sen was not bad, especially after learning that Lin Sen had not considered personal gain during contract negotiations, which gave him a very good impression. He knew that even his father's favored Tapia could not have made such a significant sacrifice for this job.

Levermore's first frown at Lin Sen came when Lin Sen changed Malaga's established transfer strategy. Lin Sen's so-called gold-digging model, whether it was a gamble on insight or luck, was still a gamble. Although Levermore was not a renowned transfer agent, he knew that it was not easy to be a talent scout. Gold-digging could lead to overnight wealth, but more often, it led to total loss. Introducing a bunch of unknown players, hoping a few would shine, if this scattergun approach worked, what would be the point of having professional managers? Was Lin Sen seeking transfer rights just for this?

Levermore's thoughts changed quickly after Lin Sen gave him four names. At first, he did not know much about these players, but after some investigation, he realized that Lin Sen was not shooting in the dark. Whether it was Koke or Alba, they were all promising talents, though no one knew if they would shine brightly, at least they had potential, and they were all Spanish, fitting Malaga's team-building philosophy.

But now, this so-called second-phase list?

Lewandowski? Rondon? Who the hell are these guys? Forwards? Lin Sen actually wanted to replace Baha and Barrera with these two?

And Reus? Gundogan? Germans? Where did Lin Sen hear about these two?

Ranocchia? Bonucci? Alright, now it's Italians? Italian defenders known for being a pain in La Liga?

...

In a blink, Lin Sen's targets had already expanded beyond Spain, reaching Europe. This time, the list of six names was completely unfamiliar to Levermore. More frustratingly, Lin Sen had clearly anticipated this, noting the nationality and current club of each player.

Lewandowski, Polish, playing for Polish Second Division Znicz...

Znicz?

What the hell is this club? Where is it located?

Of course, what Levermore really wanted to ask Lin Sen was: Why? Why do you think he has the qualifications to play in La Liga? Why do you know about such a player? Why do you think I don't know?

Levermore frowned for a long time, almost developing wrinkles. Previously, it was Madrid and Valencia, now, according to this new list, Germany, Italy, Poland... Levermore almost wanted to shout: Blue sky, white clouds, I'm coming.

However, these were minor issues. So far, including the current list, Lin Sen's transfer requests were not excessive. The players he wanted were either free transfers or minor deals, unconventional but not difficult to execute, and very suitable for the current Malaga. Levermore did not need to question Lin Sen on this. But selling the current Malaga's forward pillars, and both at once? Wasn't that too risky? This did not align with the "stability" Lin Sen had emphasized during their initial meeting.

Although Levermore was just a transfer advisor, seemingly Lin Sen's subordinate, both of them knew that he was essentially a restraining factor in Lin Sen's transfer work, ensuring that everything was "reasonable." Judging this reasonableness was Levermore's job.

In the end, Levermore did not call Lin Sen, as he clearly understood why Lin Sen wanted to sell Baha and Barrera. It all came down to money. The club had no money to offer, so Lin Sen had to sell players. If there was no money and he couldn't sell players, what was the point of having transfer rights? More importantly, Levermore suddenly remembered Lin Sen's question about privileged players during the signing, to which Aguilar had firmly replied: No!

Thinking about this, Levermore sighed and began preparing according to Lin Sen's list, as they had agreed. Priorities were important, and the targets had a hierarchy. Just like the previous four, Koke was the top priority. For this new list, Reus was first, followed by Lewandowski, Gundogan, Rondon...

---

Lin Sen, already on the plane, did not know how much his list was troubling Levermore. Even if he did, he probably wouldn't care much.

Willing to come, willing to join.

Malaga's current situation forced Lin Sen to set such filters for his list. For the current Lin Sen, the operability of transfer targets was more important than anything else. Levermore's "disdain" for these unknown players was precisely why these targets were operable. Otherwise, once these players became known, a million euros? You'd owe them millions just for a toe.

Speaking of the six targets in the second phase, the one Lin Sen knew best was probably Reus, who would later become a star at Dortmund. If everything went as planned, Reus, who was born in Dortmund, should have been released from the Dortmund reserve team and would soon join Red-White Aalen in the German Second Division. After just one season, Reus would be spotted by Borussia Mönchengladbach, and then... then, it would be too late for Malaga.

Mentioning Reus, one must also mention another talent in the Dortmund youth team, Mario Götze. However, for this talent, Lin Sen could only watch helplessly. Unlike Reus, Götze was already a treasure in the Dortmund youth team, and even the first-team coach, Jürgen Klopp, had noticed him. At this point, even if Malaga had money, Götze would not consider leaving. He and the released Reus were completely different cases.

As for the other targets, although Lin Sen was not very clear about their trajectories, according to the current information, none of them had transferred to their famous clubs yet. This was one of the main reasons why Lin Sen was in such a hurry. Who knew if a moment of hesitation would result in a target being signed elsewhere? If it was just a day late, the target announcing a transfer would be a very embarrassing situation. Therefore, it was wise to secure the targets before others became interested or made offers.

Fortunately, the season had just ended, and the European Cup was causing delays in the summer transfer market. If nothing unexpected happened, the acquisitions should not be a problem. However, the budget might be an issue. Even if the prices were low, the cumulative cost of multiple targets could be significant. A target costing a few hundred thousand euros was not something the current Malaga could afford. More frustratingly, some common solutions, such as installment payments or loans, were not available to Malaga, as Levermore had warned: Malaga was still under financial supervision...

So, the only hope was for Baha and Barrera to find new clubs quickly to help with the budget.

Lin Sen shook his head, knowing that starting anything was difficult, but this life was truly tough. Suddenly, he couldn't help but think about Atletico Madrid's 80 million euros last season. 80 million... just thinking about this number made his mouth water. How many Lewandowskis could that buy?

"Regretting it, are you?" Dina, sitting next to him, looked gleefully at Lin Sen.

"Do I look like someone who would regret it?" Lin Sen rolled his eyes, not in a good mood.

"It doesn't matter whether you do or not. Who made you take on such a mess?" Dina still had a mischievous smile. Seeing that Lin Sen was ignoring her, she quickly changed the topic. "Hey, that flight attendant has been looking at you. Do you think she's interested? Aren't you going to try to hook up with her?"

Hook up with you, my sister. Lin Sen was torn between laughter and tears. Just as he was trying to suppress his urge to comment, Dina spoke again.

"That's not right. With a beauty like me sitting next to you, how could she have the confidence to hit on you? Unless... look, she's looking at you again, over there..."

Lin Sen's gaze finally moved in the direction Dina indicated.

Sure enough, the tall flight attendant who had greeted him earlier was looking his way. If that was all, Lin Sen might not have been sure if she was looking at him, but when their eyes met, she quickly looked away, seeming a bit guilty.

This... she really was looking at me?

Lin Sen didn't expect Dina to be telling the truth, though he couldn't understand why she was looking at him. It was too early to call it a stroke of luck, but he couldn't help feeling a bit pleased. A few years ago, flight attendants, who flew around the world, were often seen as goddesses. Now, with the industry becoming more accessible, the profession was less idealized, but in most people's eyes, flight attendants were still synonymous with beauty.

"Looking at you like that, you seem to have the heart but not the courage. Want me to help you get her number?" Seeing Lin Sen's expression, Dina knew what he was thinking and felt a bit disdainful.

"Save your self-righteousness." Lin Sen was a bit helpless.

"Don't worry, I guarantee you'll succeed with that look. Besides, you're not exactly young, why don't you have a girlfriend? Could it be that..."

"No, it couldn't be!" Lin Sen quickly stopped Dina from continuing. At that moment, the plane's intercom announced an urgent message.

"Passengers, there has been an emergency on the plane. If there are any doctors or medical personnel, please contact the crew immediately..."