Chapter 6

Among the three sons of the Hall family, the eldest, Barnett, is naturally considered the most successful in the eyes of outsiders, having built a fortune worth hundreds of millions. The second son, Andrew, a lawyer by profession, has also brought honor to the family. However, the brokerage company Andrew founded three years ago has only seen investment and no returns, seemingly just a facade.

As for the youngest son, Audrey, he has been away for a long time, and few people have even had the chance to meet him. There have been no reports of his academic achievements, so not many people pay attention to him.

In the study, Audrey and Andrew were discussing the future of Millwall. Andrew had founded the brokerage company three years ago with £100,000, and the business had been almost non-existent over the years. However, Andrew was very patient, firmly believing that his genius younger brother would not let him down.

Sometimes Europeans are very superstitious. They will continue to trust lucky colors, clothing, and actions.

When Audrey was ten years old, he helped the three brothers earn over £10,000. Since then, Audrey has not only been a mascot for the Hall family but also a psychological guarantee of success and victory.

It is only 1994 now, and the Bosman ruling has not yet been finalized; it will only be decided by the end of next year. Before that, players are at a disadvantage, with very low income and many restrictions. Even players whose contracts have expired cannot transfer freely. It's easy to imagine that in such an environment, even the biggest stars would need agents.

Unless another superstar like George Best, who transcends the realm of football, emerges. Of course, after the 21st century, such superstars who transcend the football field are not uncommon, but this is largely due to the Bosman ruling.

After the Bosman ruling takes effect, it will be a period of explosive growth in player transfers, with players seeking higher pay. After that, the influence of agents will become increasingly important. This does not hinder Audrey from urging Andrew to prepare in advance, to build relationships with players and clubs, and to leverage his older brother Barnett's business network in Europe and America to establish connections. These are all key factors for an agent to attract players in the future.

So, at the age of 21, although Andrew's company has no clients, his employees have already spread out around the world, establishing a vast information network.

In the past few years, Audrey has been studying in various parts of Europe, while Andrew has been collecting information and maintaining contact with Audrey.

Audrey used the most straightforward method to help Andrew select players. He reviewed the profiles of young players from various clubs around the world, including photos. For those whom Audrey specifically wanted to follow, Andrew would personally visit to establish a relationship. If a young player was struggling financially, Andrew would even provide support free of charge, as per Audrey's instructions. This was considered a preliminary investment, as even one or two successful transfers would bring thousands of times the return.

Audrey plans to overhaul the first team of Millwall, so the next step is naturally to find young and obedient players.

So Andrew said first, "Do you remember that young man from northern Brazil? He is currently hesitating about whether to sign with Corinthians. He says other teams have contacted him, and he consulted me last month. I didn't give any advice. If you want him, you can contact him."

Audrey's mind was not yet focused on the players, but after hearing Andrew's words, he shook his head and said, "Forget it, he doesn't have a work permit. Besides, he hasn't signed with you yet. However, after he signs, you can talk to him about this, promise to help him land in Europe, and earn more money. I'm going to the Netherlands tomorrow."

The young man from Brazil that Andrew mentioned is not an ordinary person; he is the future World Cup champion, FIFA World Player of the Year, and Ballon d'Or winner, Rivaldo.

A few years ago, Rivaldo's life was very difficult. After his father's death, his mother supported the family alone. It was then that Andrew began to support the young Rivaldo, providing £20 a month, which, given the purchasing power of the pound and the living standards in Brazil, was enough to allow Rivaldo to focus on his football without worrying about his family.

Andrew nodded and said, "Okay, then we'll wait until he can get a work permit before bringing him to Millwall."

Audrey shook his head helplessly and said, "No, don't even think about it. If he can go to a top club, let him go. This is an important time for you to build your reputation. If you sign a good player and then send him to your brother's club, who would want to sign with you?"

Andrew scratched his head, intending to end the topic, and asked, "Why are you going to the Netherlands?"

Audrey spread his hands and said, "To form a coaching staff."

...

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Audrey, dressed casually, arrived near the famous stadium, the Arena, in this city.

Here, there is the Ajax youth training base, which, before the rise of La Masia after the Bosman ruling, was the most famous youth training base in Europe and the world. In Dutch, it is called De Toekomst, which means "the future."

In the summer of 1994, no one realized that Ajax's future would soon be destroyed by the Bosman ruling.

The training base has numerous training fields, where players of various age groups display their impressive talents under the guidance of coaches. In the crowd watching, there are both parents and scouts from different clubs.

The last time Audrey came here was during Ajax's tryout day. The scene was crowded with many parents bringing their children to participate, but very few met Ajax's TIPS selection criteria. Audrey felt very sympathetic towards those children who were not selected and left in tears.

From a distance, Audrey stood at the edge of the training field and called out to a young man directing the players, "Jason!"

Jason Bernard, dressed in a relaxed coaching outfit, heard someone calling him, turned around, and saw Audrey in the distance. He laughed and walked out of the training field, smiling at Audrey, "It's hot, and I'm all sweaty, so no hugs. Are you here to study in the Netherlands again?"

Audrey had lived in the area for a while and had shared an apartment with Jason Bernard, thus forming a good relationship.

"Still coaching? No promotion?"

Audrey looked at the training field with a smile, admiring the hardworking children and the respect he had for Dutch football, the 4-3-3 formation, and the eternal attacking style.

Jason shrugged and said, "There are too many talented people here; no one is going to promote me."

Audrey nudged him with his elbow and said with a mischievous smile, "Ha, the Jason who once had grand ambitions to become Ajax's head coach, now talking like a sissy."

Jason Bernard is a combination of luck and misfortune.

He was identified by Ajax at a young age but seemed to have exhausted his talent after six years of training. However, he was not expelled by Ajax, which is a tradition of the club. So, Jason transitioned from a player to a coach. At the age of 23, he is already a veteran coach in Ajax's youth training camp, having been there for four years!

Jason rubbed his ribs and said with a bitter smile, "I'm just fed up. I didn't realize it before, but every day I face children while I grow older. It's a kind of torture."

Audrey turned to look at him and said softly, "Come and help me. I'll promote you to assistant coach."

Jason pursed his lips and said, "Not interested in joking around."

"I'm serious. Oh, let me introduce myself again. My name is Audrey Hall. My family is in London, and I own a football club called Millwall. Next season, Millwall will be playing in the English First Division."

Audrey looked at Jason with sincere eyes and said earnestly.

He understood Jason. They had many late-night conversations during their time as roommates, discussing football tactics, analyzing match videos, and sharing their views on the future of football.

Since becoming a coach, Jason has been dissatisfied with working in the youth training camp. He has learned a lot, including how to be an assistant coach and even a head coach, though it was all theoretical with no practical experience.

Audrey also has no experience. He could hire an experienced assistant coach, but such a coach would likely be more conservative and could undermine his authority in the dressing room, leaving the players unsure who to listen to.

Audrey plans to overhaul Millwall's current coaching staff, excluding the regular coaches responsible for daily training, most of whom are fitness coaches. The core of the coaching staff, which is crucial for the team's tactics, is something Audrey understands very well.

Players can make mistakes, and one player's mistake can be covered by another, but if the coaching staff's tactics are wrong, there is no room for correction.

Therefore, he needs to build his own coaching staff, with the core being the key to the team's tactical success.

Coaches like Jason usually have contracts that expire at the end of June, so Audrey's first step is to come to the Netherlands to recruit, to avoid the increased difficulty of recruiting in July.

Seeing that Audrey was not joking, Jason asked tentatively, "Assistant coach?"

Audrey nodded.

"Salary?"

"£1,000 per month, with an annual contract renewal."

"Housing?"

"Provided by the club."

"I'll do it!"

Jason licked his lips and nodded firmly.

As a youth coach at Ajax, he is one of many, and a salary of £300 per month is considered high. The offer from Audrey was too good to refuse.

After the excitement, Jason asked, "Do you need anyone else?"

"However many you can recruit, I'll take them. Of course, the maximum age is 25. I don't want a communication gap within the coaching staff, and I don't want anyone to rely on their seniority."

"Okay, there are a few you know from back then. I'll go and talk to them. What about the salary?"

The salary for an assistant coach should be higher than for other coaches.

"£600 per month, with housing and meals provided by the club."

"Wait for my good news."

Watching Jason jog away, Audrey looked up at the sky. With the new season just two months away, he felt more confident.