Chapter 3

After initially sorting out the club's restructuring, another week passed, and various tasks within Fiorentina were proceeding in an orderly manner.

In terms of business development, due to Fiorentina's recent relegation from Serie A, Kenyon, who was in charge of commercial development, did not make any major moves. He only managed to secure some decent commercial sponsorships for Fiorentina, but the contracts were set for just one year, as he believed in what Zhuang Mingge had told him: Fiorentina would return to Serie A at the end of the next season.

Antonioni quickly compiled a list of recommended players and a list of potential players identified by scouts, and handed it over to Zhuang Mingge.

Zhuang Mingge carefully reviewed the list, circling all the players who would become famous in the future. After some consideration, he finally made a decision...

Three days later, in the chairman's office at Fiorentina's headquarters, Zhuang Mingge called a small meeting with Antonioni and Polo, focusing on the team's transfer plans for the next season.

"Jiancarlo, how are the players' morale?" Zhuang Mingge opened the discussion.

"Not good. After the team's relegation this year, many of the key players have approached me, hoping to transfer to other clubs. However, Gabriel (Batistuta) and Stefan (Effenberg) told me they decided to stay and share the hardships with the team. Some of the substitutes also expressed the same sentiment. But I hope the club can retain some of the key players; they are our biggest hope for returning to Serie A next season."

"Ha ha, if they don't want to stay, let them go," Zhuang Mingge was not concerned about the players wanting to leave Fiorentina. Their choice was understandable, after all, who likes to play in a lower league?

Antonioni looked at Zhuang Mingge in disbelief.

"Did I hear you right, boss?" Antonioni, the most senior member present, swallowed hard. "You mean to sell everyone except those who have publicly stated they will stay?"

"Exactly. Gabriel (Batistuta) and Stefan (Effenberg) have both expressed their willingness to play in Serie B. As for the other players, if they can't guarantee their loyalty to Fiorentina, it's better to sell them now and part ways amicably," Zhuang Mingge said firmly.

"But, the players for next season's team..."

Zhuang Mingge waved to interrupt Antonioni and handed a list to Polo, the new head of the transfer department, who was sitting next to Antonioni: "As for the players, I have already selected them from the list Jiancarlo (Antonioni) submitted earlier. Their names are on this paper. I hope to see their names on the team roster when the team starts training."

Polo took the list and carefully read the names, while Antonioni leaned over to satisfy his curiosity:

Francesco Toldo, born December 2, 1971, goalkeeper, Ravenna;

Matteo Guardalben, born June 5, 1974, goalkeeper, Verona;

Gianluca Pessotto, born August 11, 1970, full-back, Bologna;

Marco Giuliano, born August 12, 1973, center-back, Bologna;

Aldo Filippone, born March 21, 1967, center-back, Cagliari;

Alessandro Birindelli, born November 12, 1974, full-back, Empoli;

Luigi Di Biagio, born June 3, 1971, midfielder, Foggia;

Giuliano Gennari, born September 21, 1974, midfielder, Solano;

Federico Giunti, born August 30, 1971, midfielder, Perugia;

Damiano Tommasi, born May 17, 1974, midfielder, Verona;

Eugenio Corini, born July 30, 1970, midfielder, Sampdoria;

Filippo Inzaghi, born August 9, 1973, forward, AlbinoLeffe;

Christian Vieri, born July 12, 1973, forward, Pisa;

Vincenzo Montella, born June 18, 1974, forward, Empoli;

After reviewing the list, Antonioni raised his concerns: "Boss, the majority of the players on your list are young. This shows your determination to rebuild the team, but I have a question: why do you believe they have the ability to lead the team to promotion?"

Zhuang Mingge inwardly sighed: Could I tell you that I'm from the future and that these players are at least good enough to be starters for most Serie A teams?

But Zhuang Mingge still needed to find a plausible reason.

"These players have already proven themselves in professional leagues, or they are just starting their careers. I admit that promoting young players is a bit risky, but if just one or two of them succeed in Serie B next season, it will be a huge benefit for Fiorentina. As for the team's performance, I don't think the remaining substitutes will struggle in Serie B."

Antonioni thought about it and agreed with Zhuang Mingge's reasoning. Polo also assured that he would complete all the transfer work within the specified time and try his best to ensure Zhuang Mingge did not suffer any financial losses.

This highlighted the difference between Polo and Antonioni: Polo, a member of the Corleone family, was responsible only to Zhuang Mingge and followed his instructions, handling the specific operations. Antonioni, on the other hand, prioritized Fiorentina's interests.

"Also, since the previous head coach Agropoli resigned, we need to determine the new head coach. Otherwise, the team's preparation for the season will be problematic."

Zhuang Mingge carefully recalled that in his previous life, when Fiorentina was relegated, "The Tinkerman" Claudio Ranieri took over the hot potato and became famous at Fiorentina. However, he did not remember where Ranieri was currently coaching, so he asked Antonioni, who was well-versed in Italian football.

"Ranieri? He is currently coaching Napoli. I heard that due to their poor performance last season, the Napoli board plans to terminate his contract," Antonioni quickly answered, also sensing the implication in Zhuang Mingge's words. "Boss, do you plan to hire Ranieri to coach Fiorentina?"

"Exactly. Ranieri has extensive coaching experience, although his tactical approach is somewhat conservative, he is our best choice at the moment." As Zhuang Mingge said this, he inwardly sighed. Although he had an international A-level coaching certificate, he had not fully digested the knowledge and was currently a paper tiger when it came to coaching. "Also, Jiancarlo, please call me Antonio in non-public settings, not boss."

"Sure, Antonio."

Although Zhuang Mingge was very clear about the strength of the players he was bringing in, this did not mean that Ranieri would see it the same way. From Ranieri's coaching history in the future, it was evident that "The Tinkerman" was excellent at stabilizing and reviving struggling teams, but he lacked the charisma to lead a team to glory.

"I need to focus on learning all the knowledge required for coaching this year," Zhuang Mingge resolved to himself.