Chapter 369: Bloodsucking

The person who came was not Mr. Roman himself, but his personal bodyguard Bernie. The Scotsman was waiting for Mourinho at the door of the locker room. When he saw Mourinho preparing to return to the locker room after the interview, Bernie walked over and said, "Mr. Roman is waiting for you in the box on the second floor. Please follow me."

"Wait a mininute"

Mourinho opened the door of the locker room and said to the players in the room: "Today's post-match summary will be put in the training session the day after tomorrow morning. You can pack up and leave directly. You don't need to wait for me."

"woww!"

Mourinho ignored the cheers of the players in the locker room and closed the door, hoping Bernie would nod and lead Mourinho to the second floor.

The second-floor box that Bernie mentioned is the second floor of the stands, not the second floor of the stadium. If you start from the locker room, you need to go through 2 floors.

"Ding, the second floor!"

The elevator door opened, and Bernie took Mourinho directly to the SVIP001 box in the middle. During the trip, they met some VIPs who were preparing to leave by elevator, including Brentford's team director Alhaman.

Alhaman was very excited to see Mourinho and after a brief exchange of words handed him his business card: "If you are interested in coaching Brentford in the future, you can always contact me!"

“I don’t think that day will ever come.”

Mourinho refused decisively. Alhaman raised his eyebrows, didn't say much, and left.

Arriving at the box where the boss Abu was, Bernie knocked on the door twice, making a "bang bang" sound. After about 2 seconds, Abu's assistant opened the door.

"Mr. Roman"

Mourinho nodded in greeting, and then noticed Marina sitting opposite Abramovich: "Ms. Marina!"

Because Abramovich was present, Marina did not greet Mourinho as usual, but simply raised her hand.

"Please take a seat"

Abramovich pointed to a sofa in front of him, and Mourinho walked over and sat down on the sofa without hesitation.

The atmosphere in the room was a little tense, but Mourinho was in a good mood. Regardless of what Abramovich said, Mourinho poured himself a cup of coffee.

Abramovich smiled and told Mourinho that his performance in today's game was really good. Mourinho was polite and said: "The players' performances are very good, which is very important."

"But our league this season seems a bit average..."

Abramovich said with a smile that Chelsea is currently ranked third in the Premier League, which is far from the goal of winning three consecutive championships set by the management at the beginning of this season.

The league has reached the 22nd and 23rd rounds, and Chelsea is still ranked third. If it comes to the final championship battle, Chelsea's situation will definitely become very passive.

When Mourinho heard Abramovich say this, he did not feel pressured but became excited.

Mourinho was originally going to raise this question, but since Abramovich took the initiative to raise it, Mourinho just went on to say: "Sir, I told you before that our team still has a lot of room for improvement. Tactics is one aspect, but I think the main problem still lies with the players."

Today is January 1th in London and the transfer window is about to close. Transfers made now will not be displayed.

But it doesn't matter. Deals between top clubs are not finalized within a few days. Mourinho needs to do a good job of convincing Abramovich during the winter transfer window so that he can start operations when the summer transfer window arrives.

"I know that our transfer budget may not be too much in the summer window, but it doesn't matter. As I said before, selling Paul is a very feasible option. Manchester United, Real Madrid, or AC Milan, we can sell Paul to them, 9000 million euros, or 8000 million euros, these prices are acceptable to us."

Mourinho looked at Marina, the team's transfer director, but did not speak.

Among the three people present, Marina's voice was indeed lower. It looked like she, Mourinho and Abramovich were in a meeting, but in fact, it was just Mourinho and Abramovich, two old friends, chatting privately. Marina's presence was just to make the atmosphere less awkward.

After listening to Mourinho's narration, Abramovich pointed at Marina who was sitting next to him and said: "During the game just now, I talked to Ms. Marina about Paul's transfer. To be honest, Ms. Marina and I don't want Paul to leave the team."

Abu was right in what he said.

He has known Mourinho for more than 10 years, and Mourinho has made great contributions to Chelsea.

But the problem is that from the beginning of this season to now, Pogba's performance has been really amazing.

In the first half of the 2016-17 season, Pogba's offensive aggression was completely unique among all the midfielders in the top five leagues. Perhaps only Mourinho wanted to drive Pogba away.

Mourinho drank one-third of the coffee in the cup in one gulp and shook his head: "Well, Roman, I think it's better for me to decide on this matter..."

Mourinho's shocking words scared Marina so much that she hurried to look at Abramovich's expression.

The Russian boss's facial expression did not change at all, and it seemed that he had become accustomed to Mourinho's unique way of speaking.

"Sir, I won't talk to you about tactics anymore, but you should believe me, putting aside the players' individual strength, from a tactical point of view, we don't need Paul"

After the experience of communicating with Abramovich in the previous two seasons, Mourinho found that he could not discuss the team's tactics with Abramovich.

The football tactics in Abramovich's mind are still stuck in the pure 00 of the 433s, with defenders completely defensive and forwards completely offensive. This tactical concept is in great conflict with the currently popular tactics such as "full-backs retracting".

To put it mildly, football tactics change very quickly.

To put it bluntly, Abramovich's tactical ideas would be defeated if applied to the current Premier League.

"So you mean that Paul must leave?"

Abramovich looked at Mourinho opposite him with a somewhat anxious expression: "Maybe you can reform Paul appropriately, just like you did when you reformed Eden..."

"nonono!"

After listening to Abramovich's thoughts, Mourinho waved his hands repeatedly: "Pogba's defense is not a technical problem, it's his brain that has problems!"

Mourinho pressed the index finger of his right hand on his temple: "I have told him countless times about returning to defense. Even the corgis in Cobham know that the defensive midfielder needs to return to defense, but Paul doesn't know. It's not that he doesn't have the ability, it's that he doesn't have the brain!"

"call--"

"He should see a psychiatrist, but I feel that given the speed at which European psychology is developing, it will take at least 50 years to find a cure for Paul."

Mourinho shook his head: "I can't save him, and the doctors can't save him!"

Abramovich's mouth twitched. If we have to say it, it has to be Mourinho. He scolds people whenever he wants, without any hesitation.

Pogba cannot be reformed. Abramovich was skeptical about this matter. Mourinho did not say much. He drank the remaining coffee in the cup and told Abramovich clearly: "I brought Pogba to Chelsea, but I can tell you clearly that he is not the final answer for Chelsea's midfield. He never was!"

"If Chelsea wants to win the Champions League, Pogba must leave!"

After saying this, Mourinho left directly. Abramovich and Marina in the box looked at each other, both of them looked a little surprised.

"Well...he told me the same thing before."

Abu slumped in the soft chair and said helplessly.

"I'm sorry for Jose's rudeness. He did speak a little too harshly."

Marina was afraid that Abramovich would be angry with Mourinho, but there was no need to worry. Since last season, there has not been a single day when Abramovich was not angry with Mourinho.

Not to mention Abramovich, any boss would go crazy if they had a coach like Mourinho.

"Too radical? But he's not wrong."

Abramovich helplessly spread his hands: "Four Premier League titles, this already explains everything"

"So you really want to sell Paul?"

Marina's eyes widened. She knew that Mourinho had a great influence on Abramovich, but she didn't expect it to be this great.

"Lets see……"

The assistant wanted to pour champagne for Abramovich, but he chose to do it himself.

“I don’t think the two of them are irreconcilable.”

The decision was made in July, and it’s only January now, so there’s almost half a year to think about it, so there’s no need to rush.

"So, if Paul can still perform like this in the second half of the season, will you sell him?"

Abramovich did not directly answer Marina's question, but said: "After I acquired Chelsea, Chelsea has won a total of 4 championships, all of which were won with the help of Jose. I believe he can bring us the fifth championship, and this season."

Marina nodded.

Abu also roughly expressed his meaning.

Pogba is very strong, but that is just an individual; Mourinho can lead the team to win the championship, this is a team. Abramovich is the boss of the team, and compared to some top players, he needs a championship at the team level more.

Chelsea can do without Pogba, but Chelsea cannot do without Mourinho!

……

While Mourinho was called to the second floor of the stands to have a private chat with Abramovich, Sky Sports interviewed the MVP of today's game, Jiang Yuan, who scored twice.

These were some of the most classic processes. Sky Sports first congratulated Jiang Yuan and then got down to business.

"You acquired the Portuguese First Division club Lexon on January 1. It is understood that you spent nearly 22 million euros to get the 70% stake. Can you tell us why you acquired this club?"

"certainly"

Jiang Yuan shook his shoulders: "There is no reason, actually. I like football, I like being a football player, and of course I like managing a team. Portugal is a good place, so I chose Lexon."

"But……"

The reporter paused and said, "You bought 70% of their (Lexon Ish) shares for 1700 million euros, which is a huge sum of money. If you want to earn it back by managing the team, it will be very difficult. And... a Portuguese reporter said that you used the power of a shareholder to forcibly keep a Chinese athlete in Lexon Ish. I also know his name, Wei."

"Buying the team is just a hobby. I never thought about making the money back. As for Wei, I think he has the ability to stay in the team, so I kept him."

Jiang Yuan was quite frank and directly admitted that he had something to do with Wei Shihao's staying in the team.

Because we are not fools. Anyone who has watched a few games will know that the strength shown by Wei Shihao is not enough to be a starter or substitute in Lexon Ish.

In December, he said he would be loaned to the Chinese Super League. However, after Jiang Yuan acquired Lexon Ish, the loan deal was directly cancelled. Even if you use your reproductive organs to think, you can tell that Jiang Yuan had done something wrong.

"But the team management doesn't seem to approve of your approach..."

"Just a reminder"

Jiang Yuan interrupted the Sky Sports reporter: "I am the team's largest shareholder. If I can't even decide on some player transfers, then what's the point of holding 70% of the shares?" "The transfer of players should be decided by the coach. If you keep or buy a player based on your own ideas, it will not be good for the future development of the team."

What the reporter said was right. Because of Wei Shihao's stay in the team, the local diehard fans in Lexon Ish expressed concern about the team's prospects.

As a Chinese boss, you start giving benefits to Chinese players. Isn't it obvious that you want to have complete control over the team's transfer transactions?

Lexon Ischia is now in the upper-middle position in the Portuguese First Division, but if Jiang Yuan continues to control the transfer of players, can Lexon Ischia still maintain its previous strength?

In other words, after Jiang Yuan took over, how long can Lexon Ish last in the Portuguese League?
"Wei's contract with Lexon Ish has not yet ended. I think he can contribute to the team, so I called off the loan. There is nothing wrong with that. Moreover, my approach has the support of the coach."

Jiang Yuan said.

As for whether he has the support of the coach...

If the head coach of Lexon Ish does not support Jiang Yuan in controlling player transfers, he will be fired 200%.

However, Lexonish did not change his coach, which shows that he fully supports Jiang Yuan.

Seeing that he couldn't convince Jiang Yuan, the reporter started looking for other angles: "Well, you chose to become a shareholder of another team at the beginning of your career. Will this affect your performance? Chelsea fans are very worried about this."

Jiang Yuan did not speak, but temporarily left the camera. He came back three seconds later with a small silver trophy in his hand, on which was engraved a line of words.

FA CUP: Chelsea VS Bruntford
MVP
2024.1.28
In competitive sports, food is the original sin.

The logic is clear, as long as you perform well enough in the game, your loyal fans will help you clean up for what you do off the court.

"Jiang, can you please tell me about your plan in Lexon Ish?"

“It’s not convenient to disclose”

……

After the FA Cup match against Brentford, Mourinho added a line of words on the blackboard in the dressing room at Cobham Base.

FA CUP
Mourinho is used to writing the team's goals for this season on this blackboard. There are two lines of words above the FA CUP, namely "Premier League" and "Champion".

There is nothing wrong with Chelsea setting the Premier League championship as the team's goal, but Mourinho is really greedy. He not only wants the Premier League and FA Cup championships, but also the Champions League championship.

It is a low-probability event for Chelsea to win the Champions League this season, but regardless of whether it can be achieved or not, let's write the Champions League on the blackboard first.

"Dong dong!"

Mourinho tapped twice on the blackboard, then looked at the players who were changing clothes in the locker room to prepare for training: "Premier League, FA Cup, and Championship, we want all three trophies. Now is the most critical moment, and I hope you can cheer up..."

Mourinho held a general meeting in the middle, while Hazard and Jiang Yuan held a small meeting below.

"River!"

Hazard nudged Jiang Yuan's ribs with his elbow: "Champions League champions, do you think we can do it?"

"Of course I can!"

Jiang Yuan said confidently, but Hazard rolled his eyes: "Tell the truth."

"Right, I feel like we should be in the top 16 this season"

"..."

Hazard held his forehead and smiled bitterly: "We won't make it to the last 16, we should be stronger than last season, I feel the top four should not be a problem"

“Other teams have also become stronger.”

Jiang Yuan explained that he played as a winger last season and this season, and he is very sensitive to changes in the team's strength.

If William had not been injured, Chelsea this season would indeed be a little stronger than last season.

The problem is that William is out for the season!
As for the center position, Ibrahimovic is far inferior to Costa in all aspects except his ability to seize opportunities. However, Chelsea's offensive focus is not Ibrahimovic.

Ibrahimovic was standing at the front, but he didn't even have a chance, let alone the ability to seize it.

"Too"

Hazard nodded. He was originally quite confident, but Jiang Yuan's words made him lose confidence.

Mourinho was still talking about the next game. Chelsea will play against Liverpool at Anfield the day after tomorrow. If nothing unexpected happens, it will be the most difficult game for Chelsea this year.

It was evening China time. After the popularity of football picked up again, the well-known real estate up group "Lao Ba Talks about Real Estate" officially announced its return to the football circle. Recently, they have opened a live broadcast room every other day to chat with fans about Chinese football.

"Lexon! (Madrid accent)"

"Know the team, top news: Chelsea star Jiang Yuan (Chengdu accent) acquires 70% of the shares of Portuguese First Division team Lexon Ish!"

Hiccup~
"Many people say, 'Hey, Lao Ba, Xiao Jiang has changed his mind. He doesn't like playing football anymore after making money. Is that true?"

"Absolutely not!"

Li Laoba narrowed his eyes and showed his airtight analysis to the viewers in the live broadcast room.

"After acquiring Lexon Ish, Jiang Yuan played in Chelsea's (Manchester accent) match against Bruntford and scored two goals, which shows that his focus is still on the game, but why did he acquire a Portuguese League team?"

"If we want to study the reasons why Jiang Yuan acquired Lexon Ish, we have to find an entry point, and that entry point is Wei Shihao. Wei Shihao was about to leave, but was forced to come back. This is the big game that Jiang Yuan is playing."

[Old Eight is so awesome, he even figured this out for you? ]

[Host, why don’t you analyze real estate anymore? You are not the Li Lao Ba I am familiar with! ]

[What does it have to do with Wei Shihao? I feel like Wei Shihao has a py deal with Jiang Yuan, so he can stay in Lexon. I boldly guess that Wei Shihao may have handed his ass over to Jiang Yuan! ]

[Brother upstairs, please wake up...]

[Wei Shihao: It’s just President Jiang’s request]

[To be honest, Xiao Jiang is really losing money by buying a Portuguese First Division team. If he wants to be a boss, he can just buy a Chinese First Division team. Besides, Chinese First Division teams are cheaper, not 1700 million euros. Xiao Jiang is % losing money by buying Lexon Ish]

[It doesn’t matter. Xiao Jiang earns 2400 million euros a year without any commission from endorsements. What’s 1700 million? ]

[I know what Xiao Jiang is going to do. He will buy a Portuguese First Division team and directly control the Portuguese First Division in 20 years!]

【? ? ? ? ? 】

[Awesome, being the owner of 20 teams and arranging 3 teams to play in the Portuguese Super League every season, right? The Portuguese Football Association will fine you to death]

[Small problem, just make more money to pay the fine]

In the live broadcast room, Feng Xuejuan came over and said to Li Laoba: "The fans in the live broadcast room have analyzed it for you."

“Their analysis is wrong.”

Li Laoba said disdainfully, then looked at Feng Xuejuan: "So do you know why Jiang Yuan wanted to acquire Lexiong Yish?"

Feng Xuejuan widened her eyes: "Why?"

“Oh, I don’t understand this.”

Li Laoba showed a disdainful expression, and then looked at the camera again: "Think about it, didn't Jiang Yuan organize a Qingshan Youth Training last year, recruiting talents from all over the country, and also found a coach from Porto for the base. These two things should be connected."

He turned to look at Feng Xuejuan again: "So do you know why?"

"why?"

"Use it as a springboard!"

Li Laoba looked disappointed: "The final step in training young talents is to send them abroad. If they want to go abroad, there must be a team that wants them. If they can't get into the Portuguese Super League, then they can go to the Portuguese First Division. If it's hard to get into the Portuguese First Division, what should we do? Just buy a Portuguese First Division team."

"We send two Chinese players in every year. It doesn't matter if they can't play well. We have Lexon Ish on our resume. If we sell them to the second-tier leagues in other European countries, there will definitely be people who want them."

"Portuguese football has only become strong in the past 10 years or so, and China can learn from their path. Of course, learning alone is useless. If you want to train 30 international players who are capable of participating in intercontinental competitions, you have to suck blood, suck the blood of the Portuguese league. Qingshan Qing was trained until he was 13 or 4 years old, and then sent to Porto U15 to play in the youth league, and joined Lexon Ish at a low price."

"As I said before, Portuguese football has only become stronger in recent years. Their youth training and competition concepts are the latest and most up-to-date. These are what China needs. After drawing blood from the Portuguese First Division, we will draw blood from the Portuguese Super League."

China has a large population. If we want to develop football nationwide, we must first achieve results and use these results to create a foundation for the atmosphere.

If we want to achieve good results, we have to train 30 or at least 18 capable local players to participate in international competitions such as the Asian Cup, Asian qualifiers, and even the World Cup.

We will start youth training in China and screen out a group of people first. Then we will send 20 people to Portugal every year. 20 people are definitely not too many for the entire fifth-level Portuguese league.

"Let Europeans play football with Chinese people? What if Lexon Ish is relegated?"

Feng Xuejuan expressed what she didn’t understand, which was also what the viewers in the live broadcast room didn’t understand.

If we play with two Chinese players in every game, what if we fail to win and end up being relegated?

"Buy another Portuguese League team. You can't just suck blood from one team."

Li Laoba said this jokingly, and then he analyzed it seriously. Jiang Yuan’s acquisition choice was more sophisticated.

Lexon Ish has been in the upper middle class of the Portuguese First Division in recent seasons and has basically no chance of relegation. If something goes wrong, Chinese players can be used as substitutes in the next few games to pull the team back up in the standings.

This way of sucking blood is actually quite embarrassing. It is either a great success or a complete loss.

"Damn...isn't this too cruel? Won't the people in Portugal have any objections?"

Feng Xuejuan exclaimed, but Li Laoba just shrugged disdainfully: "There is no other way, the foundation is too poor, the only way is to suck the blood of other national leagues, just like what Britain did to India back then, this is the fastest way to see the effect, drain some of the blood of the Portuguese league, and then go to the French and Italian leagues, perfect!"

Li Laoba fantasizes about the day when Chinese football will succeed.

10 years, 20 years at most, 20 years at most should be enough!

……

(End of this chapter)