Chapter 80

As Audrey walked out of Old Trafford to hail a taxi to the train station, his phone rang.

He habitually took out his phone and turned off the silent mode, only to find a few text messages and two missed calls. Just as he pulled out his phone, another call came in.

Caller: Melanie.

"Hi."

"Audrey, where are you? You were absolutely insane today!"

"I'm about to head back to London."

"Huh? You're still in Manchester?"

"Yes, I just had a chat with the Manchester United manager in his office."

"What did you talk about? You two aren't even from the same era. Why don't you come over for dinner? My mom wants to meet you. She said she wants to see my boyfriend."

"Sure, give me the address, and I'll take a taxi over."

After hanging up, Audrey temporarily suppressed the gloom in his heart.

He hadn't agreed to Ferguson's offer, nor had he refused it.

There was no problem with the transfer fee. In this era, Manchester United's offer was reasonable, even though in three to five years, Larsson and Trezeguet's value might soar to over £15 million.

However, a transfer involves three parties: Manchester United, Millwall, and the players themselves.

If Manchester United hadn't made an offer, Audrey could have ignored it, but now that they had, the situation was different.

Audrey wouldn't rashly agree because the importance of these two players to Millwall was self-evident.

But he couldn't outright refuse either. What if the players wanted to leave? Manchester United hadn't made an insulting offer or failed to meet their salary demands.

If the players and the club's intentions were at odds, keeping them might not be beneficial. Moreover, Audrey needed to maintain his image. If he forced the players to stay and rumors of discord spread, it would negatively impact his ability to sign new players in the future. Millwall had no appeal on its own, and if the head coach couldn't attract players, the club would have no future.

Audrey wasn't against selling players. He had borrowed £30 million from his brother Barnett; how would he pay it back?

Just relying on the club's meager income? That would take decades.

He paid his main players wages almost on par with top English stars to retain them. If he had to sell in the future, he wanted to get a good price.

If the deals for Larsson and Trezeguet went through, Audrey could make nearly £10 million from the two players in a year!

In the next two years, he would inevitably have to sell players to balance the budget. After this season, the club's finances would be drained. If the club's income didn't significantly increase this season, Audrey might be broke by 1997.

It wasn't sustainable to only spend and not earn, but he couldn't sell players this season. The first season in the Premier League was crucial for Millwall, not just for survival but for achieving its full potential.

While waiting for a taxi, Audrey called Andrew. When Trezeguet was signed last year, his agent was changed to Andrew. This summer, when Larsson renewed his contract, he also became one of Andrew's clients.

He briefly informed Andrew about Manchester United's interest in the two players. What to do next wasn't Audrey's concern. In fact, he and Andrew, as brothers, were on opposite sides of the conflict.

If Larsson and Trezeguet hadn't just signed new contracts with significant salary increases, especially Larsson, whose weekly wage jumped from £8,000 to £15,000, Andrew, as their agent, could have either helped them transfer to Manchester United or negotiate a better contract with Millwall.

The unspoken understanding between brothers gave Audrey some relief. At least the most troublesome part of the transfer, the agent, was his brother, and he was confident Andrew wouldn't stab him in the back.

The taxi arrived, and Audrey got in, instructing the driver to head to Liverpool.

The journey from Manchester to Liverpool took less than an hour. The two cities were close, but their cultures, religions, politics, economies, and football were vastly different.

Putting aside his worries, Audrey gazed out the window at the changing scenery. The landscapes reflected the distinct cultural atmospheres of the two cities, and the historical changes that shaped their different destinies.

Manchester was conservative and traditional. The "world's factory" that emerged over two centuries ago had declined, and the city's industry had waned after World War II. In the past three decades, manufacturing had steadily declined, leading to massive layoffs and a painful transition from manufacturing to services. The people of Manchester mourned and reminisced about the city's lost glory.

Liverpool, as a famous port city in the UK, was more open, free, and diverse. It gave birth to the talented Beatles and rapidly revived in the 1990s. In recent years, its economic growth rate had surpassed London, making it a leader in the UK's economic growth. Liverpool was a city of art, nurturing many artists.

As the scenery changed, Audrey suddenly thought of Melanie, a native of Liverpool. Perhaps her musical talent and inspiration came from this magical port city.

Audrey admired talented and diligent people. Perhaps it was these qualities in Melanie that had captured his heart.

He was indifferent to women who were only beautiful on the surface. Otherwise, with his wealth and youth, he could have spent countless nights with tabloid models.

When he got out of the taxi in front of Melanie's house, Audrey looked down at his appearance and immediately regretted it.

The suit was of excellent quality and not wrinkled, but there were obvious stains on the pant legs below the knees, left from his knee-slide celebration on the pitch. There were also some spots on the suit from the players hugging him.

Taking off his suit and draping it over his arm, he stood at the door, suddenly realizing he had come empty-handed.

Always mindful of etiquette, he felt embarrassed.

If he had known, he should have brought a bottle of good wine from Ferguson.

After standing at the door for a while, he suddenly saw the door open. Melanie looked at him strangely and whispered, "Why are you standing at the door without ringing the bell? Do you not want to come in?"

Audrey smiled bitterly. "I came in a hurry and didn't bring any gifts."

Melanie rolled her eyes, pulled him inside, and kissed him on the cheek. "I know you just finished a match. It's just a casual dinner, not a fancy dinner party like in your world. Don't be so tense, be relaxed. My family is very hospitable."

Audrey thought to himself: Upper class?

If anyone else had said that, Audrey would have taken it as a joke.

In the UK, true upper-class individuals weren't like the Hall family. Genuine aristocrats often had tea with ministers in Downing Street and went horseback riding and playing polo with royal family members... The Hall family was just nouveau riche.

Liverpool was known for its warmth and hospitality. Audrey's first impression of Melanie's parents was very good.

Melanie had a younger brother who, like her, was a Liverpool fan.

He had watched Liverpool's match that afternoon, witnessing their narrow victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Anfield. He came home in high spirits and was even more delighted to hear that Manchester United had struggled to draw with the newly promoted team at home.

What surprised him even more was seeing his sister's boyfriend, the magical newly promoted team's manager, Audrey, who was only a few years older than him, at dinner.

The dinner went very smoothly. Although Audrey wasn't as knowledgeable as an academic, he was well-traveled and well-informed, and his conversation was elegant and refined.

What troubled him was that Melanie's brother, after watching the post-match highlights, started talking about football, discussing which Millwall players would have greater success at Liverpool and imagining Liverpool winning the league title this season.

Liverpool, a traditional powerhouse, hadn't won the league title since 1990.

Audrey didn't want to discourage him. Even without Millwall's rise, it was uncertain when Liverpool would win their next top-tier league title. In the history Audrey had experienced, it took nearly 24 years! It was unclear whether Liverpool would break Manchester United's 26-year drought in the Premier League under Ferguson. There were no signs that Liverpool would win the league title in 20 years, as the Premier League landscape had changed.

After dinner, Audrey chatted with Melanie's family for nearly two hours. Seeing it was getting late, he got up to leave. Melanie's mother said, "It's so late, why don't you stay overnight? We have a guest room."

Melanie, who knew Audrey well, took his suit, put it on him, and smiled at her family. "You don't know, he's a workaholic. He'll definitely go to the club early tomorrow. Don't make it hard for him."

Melanie's parents smiled, feeling pleased and relieved. They thought hardworking young men like Audrey were rare in this superficial society.

Melanie saw Audrey out. Outside, they embraced and kissed. When she was blushing and out of breath, she said, "I'll be in London to watch the match this weekend. You have to do your best! I believe in you, but the media underestimates you, which is frustrating. Audrey, you'll give them a good response, right?"

She had only a few more weeks before the Spice Girls would be busy with their first album.

Millwall wasn't expected to do well at the start of the season, which was reasonable. No newly promoted team was particularly favored, especially one like Millwall, which lacked a strong foundation and hadn't signed any famous players.

Audrey pinched her soft cheek and smiled. "I don't care what others say."

Seeing her glare, seemingly unsatisfied with his response, Audrey sighed. "There's no time. Who has hours to read newspapers and see what people are saying? Then spend more time thinking about how to respond? Isn't that tiring? Anyway, I should go. I'll be back in two weeks. By then, your family might not welcome me anymore."

Melanie kissed him lightly on the lips and laughed. "If Millwall beats Liverpool at Anfield, you'd better not show up here, or you might not make it back to London! Ha ha ha, Audrey, be careful on the road. Call me when you get home."

Audrey shook his head. "It will be very late. I'll be fine."

"No way!"

"Send a text message then."

"No! Call me, or I'll call you every ten minutes."

"You win. I'll call you when I get home. Goodnight."

Audrey turned and walked to the community entrance, got into the taxi, and left.

Melanie watched the taxi disappear, then skipped back home with her hands behind her back.

In the taxi, Audrey closed his eyes, feeling exhausted.

Manchester United's transfer interest couldn't have come at a worse time. Millwall was about to enter a tough schedule, with a home match against Arsenal next week and another away match in Liverpool the week after.

PS: Thanks to "90s Gentleman" for the tip!

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