Chapter 56

"Your exclusive interview really made me wait a long time." As soon as he saw Lin Sen, Rod complained half-jokingly.

Long before Lin Sen signed with Malaga, Rod had reserved this interview. He originally thought he wouldn't have to wait long because he was certain that Malaga would sign Lin Sen soon. However, he didn't expect that due to the needs of the transfer, the signing was delayed until a few days ago, which was nearly two weeks later than Rod had anticipated. As Rod put it, he waited until the flowers withered.

"Don't worry, it's still within the warranty period," Lin Sen joked back. Now, as the head coach of Malaga, Lin Sen had to follow some club rules when giving interviews, but Malaga had given the green light for this interview, clearly hoping that their head coach would build a good relationship with the media. Although Malaga wasn't a big club, its image mattered regardless of its size.

An exclusive interview, for a journalist, was good because there were almost no restrictions on the questions, even some sensitive issues could be asked, of course, whether the interviewee would answer was another matter. Thanks to their previous meeting, the conversation between Lin Sen and Rod went very smoothly.

From when Lin Sen came to Spain, why he became a team doctor, to why he suddenly became the head coach of Atletico Madrid... Rod didn't hold back, his questions were varied, even asking if Lin Sen had a girlfriend. Lin Sen had nothing to hide and answered all the questions truthfully. Soon, the questions turned to Malaga.

"There's always been a rumor that the transfer rights at Malaga are in your hands. Is this true?" Rod asked casually, as if this question was as ordinary as the previous gossip-like questions.

"Not entirely," Lin Sen glanced at Rod and smiled, "But I can confirm that all the players Malaga has signed so far are players I need."

Hearing Lin Sen's answer, Rod's heart stirred, "So, can I understand that you at least participated in Malaga's transfers?"

"Yes, you can understand it that way," Lin Sen nodded.

He knew what Rod meant. In La Liga, head coaches were only responsible for the team's performance, not for the transfers. Even if they participated in the transfers, it was already an exception in La Liga.

"Is this part of the contract?"

"No, it's not necessary," Lin Sen shook his head and then said self-deprecatingly, "You see, Malaga isn't wealthy."

Not wealthy? Rod couldn't help but smile. Poor is poor, right?

"From what I know, Malaga has already signed nine players. Apart from Wellington, who played for Malaga last season, the rest are new faces. Among these new faces, apart from Gabi, the other seven players are all under 20 years old, with the youngest, Isco, being under 17. Is this transfer strategy decided by the club or by you?"

"All the transfer plans are a joint decision between me and the club, of course, I won't deny that most of them are my decisions."

"Then, will these young players all immediately join the first team, or will they be selectively promoted?"

"All the transfers are part of the first team plan," Lin Sen's answer was definite.

"Some people think that your use of young players is too risky?" Rod raised his head and said.

"Some people?" Lin Sen looked at Rod with a half-smile.

"Um, well, I think so too," Rod was a bit embarrassed but still honestly expressed his thoughts.

Actually, it wasn't just some people; almost everyone thought that Malaga's current transfer strategy was too idealistic. After all, they weren't playing in the second division anymore but in the first division. If the second division was a training ground, then the first division was a battlefield. At this point, using young players to compete was undoubtedly too naive.

"Before I answer your question, let me ask you one. What do you think of Koke's performance last season?" Lin Sen smiled and asked.

Koke?

Rod was taken aback for a moment, but quickly, his professional reaction brought up the rating of the young player who broke Atletico Madrid's record for the youngest player to appear in a match: 6.2. In the few matches Lin Sen coached Atletico Madrid, he promoted three young players, including Koke. The youngest, Koke, had the lowest rating, 6.2, while the highest was Camacho, with an average of 7.1, and even De Gea had a 6.5.

However, the reason Koke's rating was so low was largely due to the own goal he scored in the match against Deportivo. In that match, Koke was rated the worst player, receiving only 4 points. If not for that match, Koke's average rating in other matches would have been close to 7.

Although the number of matches was small, this was definitely not a bad score.

Seeing Rod's expression, Lin Sen knew that Rod understood his point.

"I don't know what they mean by 'risky.' If they are worried that the young players are too young and their bodies can't adapt to the game, I won't deny that it's risky. However, La Liga has never been a league that emphasizes physical play, and we must admit that today's young players are stronger than before. If they are worried that young players will affect the team's performance, I want to say that I am willing to take this risk because I believe in their abilities, and Malaga needs to take this risk because it has just returned to La Liga. People should focus more on what they can do, not what they can't. Age is just a number, and as long as they are used properly, it shouldn't be a shackle."

Rod nodded. Among the major European leagues, La Liga is one of the leagues with the least emphasis on physical play. This atmosphere has fostered a large number of organizing midfielders. To put it bluntly, La Liga is a breeding ground for young talents, especially offensive talents. Lin Sen's statement might be somewhat subjective, but it wasn't baseless. At least, it was an answer.

"Alright, you've convinced me. But, this won't convince those outside." Rod said with a bitter smile.

"Of course. Convincing them must be done on the pitch."

"So, will the new Malaga be a team of young guards? I'm curious about Malaga's goals for the new season?"

"European competition." Lin Sen's voice was calm, but it made Rod's eyes widen instantly.

"European competition?"

Just with this group of second-division regulars mixed with a bunch of young players?

Lin Sen had convinced him, but if he thought that this group of young players could achieve something miraculous in their first season, Rod wouldn't believe it. La Liga is a breeding ground for young talents, but it requires that they are indeed talents. Who could guarantee that Malaga's young players were all talents?

"Do you agree with this goal?" Rod subconsciously thought this was a goal set by Malaga for Lin Sen.

"I proposed it."

Why?!!

Upon hearing Lin Sen's words, Rod couldn't help but look at the young coach in front of him with a different perspective. He was very optimistic about Lin Sen, but even he didn't understand why Lin Sen dared to set such a high goal.

---

Not only did Rod want to know why, but Tapia also wanted to know why Lin Sen had the confidence.

After Muniz left Malaga, Tapia thought his position as head coach was secure. However, he didn't expect a so-called former Atletico Madrid head coach to appear. This wasn't a problem; he had experienced ups and downs. Since he could accept being demoted from the first team to the youth team, he could also accept someone else taking a position he never truly held. Therefore, he accepted the club's decision to make him an assistant coach.

However, not being opposed didn't mean complete agreement.

Although Malaga had just officially announced the signing of Lin Sen, Tapia knew that Lin Sen had actually reached an agreement with Malaga in early May. Malaga's transfer work likely began around that time, which means that in less than half a month, Malaga had signed nine players, almost completing the lineup for the next season. Given that the coaching staff was on vacation, such efficient transfer work without the head coach's involvement was hard to believe. Tapia didn't believe it.

Tapia acknowledged Malaga's efficiency. Fans always love the last-minute "Mr. X" in the transfer window, but for any coach, this isn't a good thing. Completing the lineup as early as possible means the team can prepare for the next season sooner, which is valuable for a newly promoted team. However, Tapia couldn't help but question the quality of Malaga's transfers.

It's not surprising that Malaga's focus was on the second division, but what surprised Tapia was that Malaga's vision, though not high, was far-reaching. Among the nine new signings, only half were Spanish, which is rare for a newly promoted Spanish team, let alone the fact that three were free transfers.

Tapia didn't think this was the work of the scouts. Not to belittle Malaga's scouts, but the players were simply out of their scope. Every time Malaga announced a signing, Tapia would immediately search for related information. Apart from the Spanish signings, the information on Reus and Lewandowski was very basic, limited to some general season statistics.

Tapia originally thought that many of these players might be assigned to the reserve team, but Aguilar told him: all the signings were for the first team, and some were even signed as starters.

Thus, Tapia decided to end his vacation early.