Chapter 5

Zhuang Mingge handed over the task of arranging specific tactical details to Ranieri, and entrusted all internal club affairs to the three general managers. At the same time, he instructed Bolo to inquire about the prices of Cuis and Crippa from Turin and Naples. Zhuang Mingge only needed to listen to a daily report, while the team's restructuring was proceeding in an orderly manner.

Having traveled back to this time, Zhuang Mingge finally had a rare period of rest. At this moment, he was listening to Bolo's report on the team's restructuring.

"The team's restructuring is going very smoothly. Many Serie A teams are eager to sign our players. So far, we have earned a total of $10 million from player sales, with the largest amount being the transfer of Brian Laudrup to Milan for $4 million."

"Very good, you're doing a great job," Zhuang Mingge nodded in approval, satisfied with the transfer fees.

The transfer fees in this era were not as exorbitant as they would become later. In 1992, Maradona's transfer to Sevilla was only $7.5 million. Currently, only Roberto Baggio, Gianluca Vialli, and Roberto Mancini had broken the $10 million transfer fee barrier. In this era, the transfer fees for top players were only a few million dollars.

"Also, Naples has set a price of $2.5 million for Crippa, while Turin has directly rejected our inquiry."

"Then we'll give up on Cuis and sign Crippa," Zhuang Mingge thought for a moment, feeling that having a player with championship experience might be better for the team (Crippa won the 1988-89 UEFA Cup and the 1989-90 Serie A title with Naples). Moreover, at 28, Crippa was in the prime of his career, with a very aggressive playing style, excellent tackling and running abilities, which would be perfect for mentoring the young players in the team.

"Alright, next is the status of our target players," Bolo flipped to the next page of his documents and continued his report. "Toldo, Guardalben, Pessotto, Jurkovic, Birindelli, Tomas, Junti, Giannichedda, Inzaghi, Vieri, and Montella have all agreed to join us. Filicano will discuss contract terms with us tomorrow. As for Di Biagio and Crippa, we are currently negotiating transfer fees with their respective clubs."

"Progress is good, Bolo, you're doing a great job. Try to finalize all transfers before the team's training camp starts on July 20. The team has many new players this year and needs enough time to gel."

"Understood, I'll complete all the transfers as soon as possible." After the report, Bolo immediately said goodbye to Zhuang Mingge and left the office to continue handling the remaining transfers. Zhuang Mingge continued to enjoy his leisure time, sitting in his boss's chair. As the owner, he only needed to set the club's overall direction and approve player signings, leaving other matters to his subordinates.

The Fiorentina fans had long been aware from media reports that the club had sold many of last season's key players. They understood the situation, as no player with the ability to stay in Serie A would want to return to a lower division. What delighted the fans was that the two foreign players, Gabriel (Battistuta) and Stefan (Effenberg), had decided to stay with Fiorentina during this "toughest time."

"With Gabriel and Stefan, we will definitely return to Serie A next year!" This was what a passionate fan told a reporter from the *Corriere dello Sport* during an interview in Florence, representing the sentiments of most fans.

At the same time, the fans were watching to see what changes the new owner could bring to the struggling Fiorentina.

July 1 was the opening day of the European transfer market. During the time Zhuang Mingge was waiting for the transfer window to open, a major event occurred in Italian football, centered around Naples.

Naples, after signing Maradona for a then-world record $4 million in 1985, spent heavily for years to build a team around the "King": Giordano, Carnavale, Aleman, Careca... These players led Naples to its most glorious period, winning multiple titles, including the 1988-89 UEFA Cup, two Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, and one Supercoppa Italiana.

However, with Maradona's departure to Sevilla last summer and the decline in Naples' performance, the club's financial crisis began to show. By June of this year, Naples was unable to pay its employees' salaries.

Naples' plight alarmed the Italian Football Federation, which warned the club that if it remained in debt before the start of the next season, it would lose its Serie A license.

Thus, Naples had to sell its star players. Names like Massimo Crippa, Gianfranco Zola, and Careca were all in transfer rumors, and the club's foundation was being hollowed out.

Similarly, Fiorentina, which also saw a mass exodus of players, did not receive as much attention, mainly because it had already been relegated. The fans were prepared for the sale of players, so the attention was much less.

Therefore, when the summer transfer window opened, the most attention from fans was not on the big-name signings of Milan or Juventus, but on the mass exodus of players from Naples:

Gianfranco Zola, Maradona's "disciple" at Naples, who scored 24 league goals in the past two years, was signed by Parma;

Careca, the 1990 World Cup silver boot winner and the last of the "South American trio" at Naples, announced his transfer to the newly formed J.League, joining the Urawa Red Diamonds;

What surprised many fans was that Massimo Crippa, a key player during Naples' golden era, was bought by the relegated Fiorentina for $3.8 million. A senior official at Naples, who wished to remain anonymous, told reporters that the $3.8 million, which was significantly higher than other offers, was the decisive factor, as no one else was willing to pay such a high transfer fee for Crippa.

In interviews with *Corriere dello Sport*, Fiorentina fans expressed satisfaction: "Massimo is a champion-level player, and his arrival will greatly improve the team's defense. We are pleased with the club's ambition."

The next day, on July 2, Fiorentina officially announced several transfer news:

Francesco Toldo, the starting goalkeeper of Ravenna last season, was signed for $100,000 and will be the team's starting goalkeeper in the Serie B next season;

Matteo Guardalben, a young goalkeeper from Verona, was signed for $50,000 and will be Toldo's backup;

Aldo Filicano, the starting center-back of Cagliari, was signed for $2 million; Luigi Di Biagio, the starting midfielder of Foggia, was signed for $1.5 million; and Eugenio Crippa, who couldn't get playing time at Sampdoria, was signed for $600,000;

Fiorentina also signed young defenders Marco Jurkovic and Gianluca Pessotto from Bologna for a total of $900,000; and two young players, Alessandro Birindelli and Vincenzo Montella, from Empoli for $300,000;

As for midfielders Giuliano Giannichedda from Sora, Federico Junti from Perugia, Damiano Tommasi from Verona, and forwards Filippo Inzaghi from AlbinoLeffe and Christian Vieri from Pisa, due to their youth and lack of standout performances, the total transfer fee for these players was $700,000.

Surveys showed that Fiorentina fans were happy with the signing of Crippa, Di Biagio, Filicano, and Crippa, seeing it as a sign of the club's ambition to return to Serie A quickly. At the same time, fans were cautiously optimistic about the young players signed from lower leagues.

At this time, Zhuang Mingge was in the chairman's office reviewing the club's budget for the next season.

After reviewing the financial statements, Zhuang Mingge found that the club had only maintained a break-even in these transfers: $10 million from player sales and $9.95 million spent on new signings. The club's expenses saw a significant decrease in the team's salary cap for the next season, while the club's income, due to the team's relegation, saw a substantial reduction in broadcasting fees and ticket sales.

"Hmm, if the family hadn't invested, we would probably have a loss of $4 million this season... It seems the impact of the team's relegation on the club's income is more severe than I thought. If it weren't for the many sponsorships Kenyon secured, the losses would have been even greater," Zhuang Mingge thought, feeling a headache.