Chapter 11

Arriving at Ferguson's home in Cheshire, Audrich met the legendary old Scottish man for the first time face to face.

The first impression was neither the imposing figure of a man who commands the winds and the waves, nor the mountainous aura that could stir up a storm. This old Scottish man was dozing in a garden lounge chair, and under the gentle sunset, he seemed more like a man who had laid down his armor and was reminiscing about the past with a smile.

Ferguson, dressed in a casual T-shirt on a hot summer day, was gently awakened by his wife, Cathy. Prior to this, Ferguson had already mentioned that there would be guests at home, but during the waiting time in the garden, he had fallen into a sweet afternoon nap.

After waking up, Ferguson rubbed his eyes and then squinted at the visitors not far away. Seemingly unable to see clearly, he put on the glasses placed on the nearby table and then perked up. Cathy brought the tea for the guests and placed it on the table before leaving.

Ferguson avoided talking about anything related to football at home. If it weren't for the guest brought by his most beloved son, Ferguson probably wouldn't have agreed to meet Audrich at home.

Audrich considered himself a very simple person. He didn't have the various standards of interaction influenced by the British people's inherent sense of region, race, culture, and religion. He could and was willing to be friends with everyone, which made him very open and natural in front of anyone, with no pretense in his manners and behavior.

"Mr. Ferguson, hello," Audrich greeted with a smile. Ferguson looked up at him, gazing for a long time, then waved to Jason, indicating that he didn't want anyone else present for the upcoming conversation.

When Ferguson, as the Manager of Manchester United, spoke with Audrich, the owner and head coach of a club, there were many things that couldn't be heard by outsiders. Even though Jason was Ferguson's son, in a strict sense, he was still outside the football circle.

This was closely related to Britain's traditionally conservative nature. Football was a very small circle, and whether it was common knowledge or a mysterious puzzle, every detail should remain within this circle, sealed in history.

Audrich gave Andrew a look, signaling him to follow Jason out. Andrew greeted Ferguson politely, who nodded with a smile and then watched the two young men walk into the house.

Ferguson gestured for Audrich to sit down, and he did so calmly, sitting across from Ferguson with a table between them, on which steaming tea was placed.

The British love tea, which has almost become a tradition. Over a hundred years ago, it was the British aristocracy's craze for tea that caused a trade deficit for Britain in international trade, indirectly leading to the Opium War. The British shamelessly stole tea-making techniques and seeds from China and established large plantations in East India.

After taking a sip of tea, Audrich and Ferguson began to chat. Ferguson mainly asked about Audrich's recent activities, particularly the actions he had taken since taking over the club. Ferguson seemed to want to understand this stranger he was meeting for the first time through a series of bold moves.

From the bottom of his heart, Ferguson disliked Audrich, and his first impression was not good. No head coach would want to suddenly learn at a press conference that the club had a new owner, especially one who caught everyone off guard.

Forcing the first-team coaching staff to resign was a blatant disregard for the rules.

Ferguson was very curious about Audrich. If it were only the collapse of Millwall's first team, Ferguson might have just mocked Audrich to those around him. Even if his own son had introduced them, Ferguson would have refused.

However, Millwall's actions in the transfer market over the past month were too surprising, even a storm in English football. Although Ferguson had no interest in following Millwall, he occasionally read the news and found something that piqued his curiosity.

Millwall's summer signings, although primarily young players, with an average age of possibly less than 20, made Ferguson, with his keen insight, realize that Audrich was indeed building a new team! Regardless of the players' abilities and fame, just looking at their positions, it did indeed resemble a team.

Although Ferguson couldn't fully grasp the details, as many players' positions were uncertain, and many were unknown in English football, almost like they had emerged from nowhere. After all, the information available at the time was not as advanced as it would be in ten or twenty years.

During the conversation with Ferguson, Audrich neither pretended to be profound nor was overly cautious. He spoke openly and honestly, without any concealment. He even admitted that his unexpected appearance at the press conference was to make the team's coaches uncomfortable and force them to resign voluntarily.

This was not a show of force or a warning, but simply a necessity for Audrich to take control of the team and rebuild it into one he could manage.

As they talked, Ferguson at least put aside his preconceived notions about Audrich. As a club owner who also served as the head coach, it would indeed be difficult to manage without taking decisive action.

It wasn't until the evening approached that Ferguson remembered to ask about the purpose of the visit. After chatting with the old man for over an hour, Audrich finally smiled wryly and revealed his intentions.

"My squad is still a bit thin, so I want to borrow some players from Manchester United."

Ferguson stared at Audrich with a strange expression and asked, "Why borrow instead of buy?"

The subtext was clear.

You've already spent over ten million pounds. Why aren't you spending more on the players you like?

Audrich scratched his head and smiled wryly. "To be honest, I like many players, really, but I can't afford them, and they definitely won't come. Many of the players in my team are unknown, and the famous ones are not stars from the major leagues."

Ferguson nodded, thinking that this young man was still rational and not a nouveau riche who thought money would make everyone bow down.

"Who have you set your sights on? Maybe I can sell them to you."

Hearing this, Audrich was taken aback, then turned to look at the harmless-looking old Scottish man with a wry smile: "Are you playing with me?"

"Alright, the Neville brothers, Scholes, Giggs, Beckham, and Nicky Butt. Just these few. You name your price, and I'll take them for five million pounds or less."

What was originally just a joke made Ferguson's expression turn serious.

The British transfer record was only 3.75 million pounds, and Audrich was willing to pay 5 million pounds for these young men?

"You mean 5 million for all of them?"

"They're not cabbages. Five million pounds per player. If you're willing to let them go, I'll do whatever it takes to get them. Even if you can't sell them all to me, one or two would be fine. It would be a new transfer record."

Audrich's face broke into a smile as he stared at Ferguson's expression, not blinking: "A countermove!"

Ferguson smacked his lips and suddenly sighed, "Who do you want to borrow?"

Audrich didn't expect the old man to be so cunning, directly changing the subject.

"Beckham."

Ferguson thought for a moment and asked, "Playing time?"

"At least 20 matches."

"Loan fee?"

"Millwall will cover the salary during the loan period, nothing else."

Ferguson pondered for a while and then said, "I'll give you another player and also give him 20 matches. How about that?"

Audrich frowned. This old man was not only cunning but also a bit opportunistic.

He was using his players to level up, and the old man was treating him like a professional free trainer.

"Who?"

"Phil Neville."

This younger brother of Gary Neville, like Beckham, had just been promoted to Manchester United's first team this summer. If not loaned out, he would definitely be sitting on the bench this season.

Phil Neville was a defensive player, capable of playing as a full-back or a defensive midfielder. In Audrich's team, he had Makelele, Vieira, and the 17-year-old Gattuso, all of whom were raw talents needing a lot of matches to develop, even at the risk of losing games. Audrich was willing to give them the chance to grow.

Audrich said honestly, "Mr. Ferguson, for Phil Neville, I can only say that if Manchester United loans him to my team, he will only play as a full-back next year."

Audrich didn't know Ferguson's specific plans for Phil Neville, so he stated his position, leaving the decision to Ferguson.

"Alright, that's fine. It's getting late, stay for dinner."

Ferguson got up, stretched, and then invited Audrich and Andrew to stay for a simple dinner.

The next day, Millwall officially announced the end of the summer transfer window, with the team set to begin preparations for the next season on July 21.

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**End of Chapter**