Chapter 804: The Rich's Game

Cruyff once said that if a player wants to keep his passion for playing football, he cannot stay in a club for more than four years, because if he stays longer than this period, he will lose his original passion and fighting spirit.

This theory is a bit like the relationship between a boyfriend and a girlfriend. At the beginning, everyone feels fresh to each other, but after a long time, the spark of love is extinguished, and it is replaced by a dull and mechanical day after day and year after year, so there is such a saying that marriage is the grave of love.

Of course, there will be some players who are different from others. They will never lack fighting spirit and can go all out in every game on the court, but after all, there are too few such players, and it is impossible to require all players.

Therefore, when a club assesses a professional player, in addition to strength and influence, a very important point is the player's attitude, the attitude on the court, and the attitude towards the club off the court.

For Tottenham Hotspur, maintaining long-term glory has a serious consequence, that is, it will cause many players to lose the motivation to struggle and work hard because they have won too many championships and their personal honors have reached the extreme.

It should be said that winning the championship ahead of time is just an opportunity, an opportunity to expose many problems within the team.

Ye Qiu actually has a very clear understanding of this. Not only him, but the coaching staff also sees this situation very clearly. Therefore, in Tottenham Hotspur, they have always adopted a combination of current players and talented young players to match the lineup in order to keep the team fresh.

But after losing to Southampton at home and being tied by Bayern Munich at home, Ye Qiu clearly realized that he must make a decisive decision and must curb this trend of the team in time. Therefore, in the locker room after playing Bayern Munich, he was very, very rare to be furious and angrily denounced the poor performance of all players.

Although Ye Qiu still did not criticize the players by name, everyone knew who performed well and who did not perform well.

Three days later, in the home game against Sunderland, Ye Qiu made the decision to hide several main players without hesitation, including Ribery, Messi, Matic, Thiago Silva, Kompany, Marcelo and other core players, and Ribery and Matic performed well in the game against Bayern Munich.

In the game against Sunderland, Ye Qiu replaced nine players in the main lineup, but Tottenham Hotspur won Sunderland 5:1 at home, playing a refreshing offensive football that was rare in the past period of time, and regained the affirmation and recognition of all fans at Stratford Stadium.

Hazard, Neymar, Pogba, Stroman, Varane, Azpilicueta, Nastasic and Luke Shaw and other young players and substitutes all performed very well. Although they did not have the big names and influence of the main stars, they played very diligently and with high morale.

After the game, Roland Shepas took the players back to Theobald on the bus, but Ye Qiu and Mauro Tassotti stayed at Stratford Stadium to attend a meeting in the administrative department.

This was a meeting of the core management team, with only six people, Ye Qiu, Mauro Tassotti, Peter De Visser, Peter Kenyon, Ron Gourley and Robert Milson, exactly three competitive fields and three administrative fields.

The meeting was held in a small conference room on the second floor of Stratford Stadium. Except for the beginning, when the staff brought a cup of coffee and boiled water to each person, the conference room was locked from the inside and the meeting was held behind closed doors.

"This price is too high!" Peter Kenyon found it difficult to accept after listening to Mauro Tassotti's speech, because the Italian's idea was to sell several big-name stars in the team.

The first to bear the brunt is Messi, because he almost performed very poorly in the two games against Southampton and Bayern Munich, and more importantly, his attitude was not positive. However, according to the analysis of the research center, Messi's physical condition is very good and is far from being tired.

Of course, you can also say that he is saving his strength for the World Cup in Brazil in the summer, but this is an insult to Messi's professional ethics, because he is now receiving a salary from Tottenham Hotspur. If he does not try his best to win the game for Tottenham Hotspur, he has no professional ethics, which is the biggest accusation against a professional player.

It should be said that Mauro Tassotti's view of Messi has always been more negative. Of course, he does not deny Messi's role in the team, but he believes that Messi's presence will cause the team to be unbalanced, which is very obvious after the team won the championship in advance.

Ye Qiu held a management meeting of the coaching staff in Theobald, including Bobby Harms, Peter Devisser, Peter Brandt and other experts and consultants. Everyone discussed the team's formation for the next season, and most of them believed that drastic changes should be made.

To put it bluntly, Ye Qiu is leaving. A new emperor chooses new ministers. Can the team he left behind still obey Mauro Tassotti? You know, if Ye Qiu was just the head coach of the team, he would leave and it would be fine, but he is the owner of the team, which is a problem.

I have someone above me, who is afraid of whom?

Therefore, it is very likely that in the invisible state, Ye Qiu's presence will create troubles and obstacles for Mauro Tassotti to implement his plan. Even if Ye Qiu himself does not want it, he has no way to control other people, especially Ye Qiu's proud disciples.

This situation was very obvious in the past few days after the team won the championship ahead of schedule. Even Ye Qiu himself could not stand it, so he was furious in the locker room after the match against Bayern Munich, and threatened to replace most of the main players on the spot.

In fact, when playing against Sunderland, Ye Qiu replaced nine of the eleven starting players. Among them, Ribery and Matic were the fish in the pond because they played well, but there were also several players who were targeted by Ye Qiu, and they knew it in their hearts.

Ron Gourlay was relatively calm. In fact, the external media had already spread a lot about Tottenham Hotspur's internal problems, especially after Ye Qiu replaced almost the entire starting lineup so ruthlessly this time, the outside world had begun to speculate, so they were also mentally prepared.

"If we sell several superstars in the team, the sponsors will definitely have some opinions, especially Messi and Ribery, they have a lot of contracts signed by us, if we don't handle it well, we will suffer heavy losses!" Ron Gourlay also thinks that a cautious attitude should be adopted.

Mauro Tassotti shook his head, "But now, they have become a stumbling block for the team!"

"Just like Messi, he has won all the championships, and both personal and collective honors. In fact, from the past year, he has lost his passion. His performance this season is not as good as Ribery, or even as good as Cristiano Ronaldo, but with the support of the team as a whole, he can still get impressive data."

Mauro Tassotti has a very clear judgment on this, "If we continue to let things develop like this, then we will have to use the other ten players in the team to support Messi next season, and Ribery will soon be 31 years old and is also starting to decline. If the two of them play at the same time, we will be in great trouble!"

Peter Kenyon and Ron Gourlay looked at each other, and they all felt that what Mauro Tassotti said made sense. From a purely competitive perspective, winning Messi and others is indeed good for Tottenham Hotspur, at least from a long-term development plan, it is definitely beneficial.

Football is a sport for eleven people. From the current situation, a Messi who has lost his fighting spirit and passion for the game may not be as effective as Hazard and Neymar for Tottenham Hotspur. Moreover, Tottenham Hotspur also has an eye-catching Lucas Moura in Southampton, and the overall strength of the team will not be bad at that time.

However, from the business perspective of the team, it is not the case. Although selling Messi can recover most of the benefits in the short term, it is almost impossible to create another Messi, because Messi has been the number one in football for four consecutive years. This brand cannot be replaced by anyone, at least in the short term.

Ye Qiu silently listened to the discussion between the two sides, and it can even be said to be an argument.

Peter Kenyon and Ron Gourlay look at the problem from the perspective of team management and business. They have their reasons. Mauro Tassotti thinks about the problem from the perspective of team competition. They also have their reasons. No one is wrong, and everyone is considering the development of this club.

In this case, there is no absolute right or wrong, only trade-offs!

"Peter!" Ye Qiu broke the silence and asked, "Are you still in touch with the previous three teams' offers?"

Peter Kenyon nodded and said, "If necessary, I can contact them again."

In the past few years, Messi's transfer has been reported almost every summer, but interestingly, there was no such thing last summer. What many people don't know is that Tottenham Hotspur actually received offers from three teams last summer, and they were real fax offers, but they were all suppressed by Tottenham Hotspur.

The three teams are Manchester City, Barcelona and Newcastle, two of which are Premier League teams.

"I think if we really decide to sell Messi, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich will definitely participate in the competition!" Peter Kenyon said very confidently.

Ye Qiu was slightly stunned, but immediately realized the crux of the matter, understood it, nodded, and affirmed it, but Mauro Tassotti and Peter De Visser didn't understand, and asked, "Why?"

Ron Gourlay laughed, "Manchester City, Newcastle and Barcelona, ​​their sponsors are all Nike!"

After saying this, those who didn't understand immediately figured it out.

The transfer of superstars, at first glance, seems to be a game between giant teams, but in fact it is also a game between major sponsors, especially Nike and Adidas. The two ace sponsors are trying every means to poach the stars under each other's command. For example, Tottenham Hotspur's top stars Messi and Ribery both belong to Adidas, so Nike tried every means to poach Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid and signed his football boots to compete with Messi and Ribery.

Similarly, in the Premier League, teams such as Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Fulham, Hull City, Southampton, Stoke City and Sunderland belong to Adidas, but teams such as Manchester United, Manchester City, Newcastle and Arsenal belong to Adidas. It belongs to Nike, both sides are neck and neck, and no one wants to give in to the other.

The two giants of the Spanish Super League, Real Madrid is Adidas, Barcelona is Nike, Milan is the two heroes, AC Milan is Adidas, and Inter Milan is Nike. This kind of direct competition between the tit-for-tat and Maimang is precisely the struggle between the major sponsors.

In the past few seasons, Tottenham Hotspur has become the number one killer under Adidas, and its influence has surpassed Real Madrid. Especially the Champions League finals in the past two seasons were civil wars for Adidas, and this season Tottenham Naham Hotspur are as good as ever, Real Madrid's performance has also improved a lot, Bayern Munich has also shown an amazing style of play, and the Adidas camp is still strong.

Therefore, last summer, Nike encouraged its major players, especially the most competitive Manchester City and Barcelona, ​​to launch an attack on Messi. It is said that they even offered a support fee of 120 million euros and promised , any team that wins Messi’s sponsorship fees will soar by 40% during the Argentine superstar’s tenure.

But the problem is not that there are no buyers, but that Tottenham Hotspur won’t sell, because after Ye Qiuxia sent Cavani away, he temporarily suppressed Messi, so anyone who wants to take Messi away can do it, 300 million A termination fee of Euros, but after buying out the contract, they still had to pay taxes, with a total value of more than 500 million, because no one dared to move.

In fact, Cavani's transfer is worth 150 million euros, and there are sponsors behind it.

From Adidas's standpoint, they certainly don't want their superstars to switch to rival Nike, so they will also encourage their wealthy teams to snipe. That's why Peter Kenyon said that if Tottenham If Tottenham wants to sell Messi, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will definitely take action.

After all, the transfer of superstars is a game that only wealthy families and local tycoons are qualified to play.

Superstars, especially those in the Tottenham Hotspur team, except for Franck Ribery, who is over 30 years old, are basically priceless. As long as Tottenham Hotspur relents, there will be a large number of them outside. The rich man pounced on me like a wolf.

But should we sell it or not?

The other five people in the conference room all focused on Ye Qiu.

"There is no doubt that Messi is the number one player in today's football and the number one star who will be difficult to replace in the next two or three years. But if he continues to stay at Tottenham Hotspur, with his current situation, he will not be able to do so in the future. Optimistic, because he has lost the minimum freshness and fighting spirit, it is better to let go as soon as possible!”

Ye Qiu calmly analyzed the current situation, and he wanted to seek the most beneficial situation for Tottenham Hotspur.

"We have Hazard, Neymar, Lucas Moura, and a group of young talents from the youth team. We have no shortage of players. If we let Messi go, we can quickly find a replacement. Maybe they may not have Messi’s strength and influence, but at least their contribution to the team will be greater.”

"Before, Messi didn't have much fame or influence, but all of us helped him step by step to get where he is today. It was Tottenham Hotspur who created Messi, and it was also the operation of your business department that created Messi. If we can create a golden brand like Messi, then we can also create other brands.”

Having said this, Ye Qiu stood up from his seat. To be honest, he was not willing to sell Messi. After all, Messi was the most outstanding and proud disciple he had cultivated. Emotionally, he felt that Messi should live forever. At Tottenham Hotspur.

But this can only exist in ideals, and the cruel reality tells you that if Messi is forced to stay, it may not be a good thing for Tottenham Hotspur or Messi himself.

"I once said that a very important reason why Tottenham Hotspur can maintain its glory for a long time is that we have enough courage and determination to do what others dare not do at critical moments. Decision, even if we knew that taking out a knife to cut our own flesh and bleed ourselves would be beneficial to our future development, we would do it!”

"We at Tottenham Hotspur are able to get to where we are today, not because we continue to continue our initial glory, but because we have the courage and courage to break the status quo, to constantly create new brilliance, and to constantly break our own Confinement, to challenge unknown risks and peaks. Which of our peaks has not been achieved through boldness and forge ahead? "

"So, in the past we could sell Robin van Persie, Mascherano, Yaya Toure, Cesc Fabregas and David Silva, and Cavani, so why don't we dare to now? Selling Messi?”

Ye Qiu's words just now and his last rhetorical question made everyone present feel his determination.

No one can ignore the mentoring relationship between Ye Qiu and Messi, but making this decision is a good thing for both Tottenham Hotspur and Messi himself, and it can also be extended to the maximum extent. Messi is at the peak of his career, rather than letting him cling to his past glory at Tottenham Hotspur and sit on his own.

"You should contact the buyer during the summer transfer, preferably after the World Cup. If the transfer fee and other aspects are suitable, sell it!" Ye Qiu finally made a request to Peter Kenyon.

Peter Kenyon and Ron Gourlay both nodded. Selling after the World Cup will be good for Tottenham Hotspur, because if the players don't perform well in the World Cup, it won't affect their value. More people will just think they are too tired. But if they perform well in the World Cup, they will be sold at that time, and their value will soar.

According to the current market conditions, the three major teams offered Messi a transfer fee of 200 million euros last summer, but Tottenham Hotspur refused without hesitation. If Tottenham Hotspur spreads the news now, I believe that more than 250 million should not be a problem.

At least, Messi's annual commercial income, even if it is split in half with Tottenham Hotspur, is more than 30 million euros.