CHAPTER 442: SEARCHING FOR TALENT

Manchester City’s announcement of the players’ departures caused an uproar in the venue. Journalists scrambled to have their questions heard, hands raised frantically, eager to get answers.

The attention quickly focused on two key questions: How will Manchester City spend their newfound transfer profits? And, more importantly, who will replace the players now set to leave?

O’Neill, already knowing the answers, remained calm and composed, showing no signs of distress despite losing nearly half his starting squad—as if the sky hadn’t fallen after all.

"We’ve gained a significant transfer income from these players leaving," he explained. "Part of this money will be used for the club’s operational costs, some will go toward repaying the debts for the new stadium, a portion will be set aside for the summer transfer budget, and the remainder will go toward establishing a new youth football academy next to the youth training ground."

Many were already aware that City’s new stadium might not be unveiled for some time. Because of this, Richard adjusted his plans, reallocating part of the funds originally intended for the stadium toward the new youth academy and its associated training facilities.

Previously, the City U-17 team had trained solely at the Maine Road training ground, always giving way to the senior team. Now, Richard aims to create a comprehensive youth football academy that provides a personalized environment for young players from around the world. The academy will help them develop both on and off the pitch and guide their progress based on actual developmental needs.

"As last season’s Champions League winners, Manchester City is set to lose more than two key players next season. Despite the ample funds, should we be worried about the team’s competitiveness next season? Or do you have plans for this transfer window?"

After hearing the reporter’s words, O’Neill fell deep in thought.

On the surface, selling four key players at once seemed like a harsh reality. But considering the amount of money they would receive, City could supposedly fill the gaps quickly.

The problem was... O’Neill’s mouth twitched.

A week earlier~

His mood had been uplifted after winning two prestigious awards. As he supervised the training field from the sidelines, he was already preparing what he would say to request player transfers from Richard.

Speaking of the devil, he then heard the sound of footsteps passing by. Something felt amiss, but he didn’t pay much attention. Richard casually asked, "How’s it going, holiday Martin? Are you ready for the next season?"

The president of Manchester City was dressed very casually. He wore a sky-blue jacket over a green sweater, light-blue jeans, and white sports shoes. He looked very different from the usual Richard—probably because this was still just after the holiday season.

"Richard? Why are you here?" O’Neill was surprised to see him.

"Nothing," Richard replied. "I just came over to congratulate you on the trophies and talk about the next season. Can’t I do that?"

"Of course you can."

Richard only nodded, focusing on the players who had just returned from their holiday and were now undergoing training.

The players were currently practicing Rondo on the field.

This training typically involved four or five players forming a small circle, passing the ball continuously to one another. Each player could touch the ball only once per pass, while another player inside the circle—designated as the snatcher—tried to intercept it. The snatcher could use any means except fouls to touch the ball.

This type of mini-game-like training improved players’ passing proficiency while simultaneously enhancing their teamwork. Conducted in a small area at a fast pace, it closely simulated real match situations.

Due to his exceptional performance last season, O’Neill had assigned Makalele as the ball snatcher as a reward. Any player whose pass was intercepted by him would not join the circle as the next snatcher. Instead, they were required to run one lap around the training field as a penalty.

In just five minutes, he had already made all five players in the outer circle lose once—each of them had to run a lap around the field. Richard seemed thoroughly satisfied.

His speed was astonishing, and his timing was flawless—whether turning, sprinting, or kicking the ball. It was almost as if he anticipated the pass before it was made, catching his teammates completely off guard and allowing him to intercept the ball with ease.

"Very impressive! It seems that winning the World Cup didn’t dampen his motivation—if anything, it made him even hungrier, pushing himself harder than ever."

While they were talking, another player left the circle for his punishment. This was Andrea Pirlo, the team’s best passer. Instead of running his lap, he ran directly to Richard and O’Neill and complained, "Boss, this is too unfair. The circle is too small. Before we even get the ball, it’s intercepted by him."

"Then do you have any better suggestions, Andrea?" O’Neill asked. He didn’t scold Pirlo for acting on his own but instead directed the question back at him.

"Expand the circle, Manager."

"By how much?"

Pirlo glanced at the rest of the players, who were completely focused on Makalele, and replied, "A 15-meter radius circle."

"Oh no, this wouldn’t meet the objectives of training all of you," O’Neill said, shaking his head.

"But... boss," Pirlo hesitated, as if unsure whether to speak.

"Is something else the matter, Andrea?"

"Boss... aside from Claude, the rest of us feel that your objective isn’t to train our passing, but to train his defense."

O’Neill couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing, realizing how clever these kids were. That was indeed his plan—or perhaps Mourinho’s idea—to build an unbreakable wall for the next season.

"Alright, alright, expand the circle to a radius of 15 meters. But you still have to run your lap, Ross," O’Neill said, winking at the disappointed Pirlo.

Pirlo sighed, lowered his head, and proceeded to run his lap.

Although the passing distance increased with the expanded circle, the players’ success rate improved as well. They were happy... until Makalele, the beast, adapted to the larger circle within just a minute or two.

"PHWEEEE~"

Mourinho blew his whistle, and this time it was Trezeguet who cursed as he began his punishment.

O’Neill, standing by the side of the field, shook his head. He then looked toward Richard, who was beside him, and said, "Sorry, Mr. Chairman..." He gestured toward the field.

Richard understood immediately and nodded. "Go get busy. I have to head back as well. Come to my office after this."

"Understood. Then I’ll head there first," O’Neill replied.

Watching O’Neill stride onto the field after blowing the whistle to pause the training, Richard turned and left the training area. Even after he had walked some distance away, he could still hear O’Neill and Mourinho shouting.

"Position! Position! How many times have I told you, Frank Lampard? Don’t just chase after the ball blindly! You need to judge your position and your opponents’ positions before deciding your next move!"

Richard raised his head and looked at the bright, clear sky. At the same time, he listened to the chirping of birds and the energetic shouting of O’Neill and Mourinho, while breathing in the fresh air, scented with the fragrance of the soil.

Let’s get to work on next season’s transfer window!

After training wrapped up, O’Neill immediately made his way to Richard’s office. His mission? To request a player transfer.

When Richard saw the name on O’Neill’s list, he froze, utterly speechless.

"Dean Windass?" he finally managed to say.

Who the heck was Dean Windass?

According to City’s scouting database, the player was from Hull City, with a price tag of just £750,000. Richard blinked, wondering if O’Neill was serious.

Nope.

Richard immediately rejected his request. Regarding this season’s transfers, he already had a plan. Even considering that nearly half of City’s players were leaving, there seemed to be capable replacements ready for every position:

Samuel Eto’o would replace Shevchenko.

Ronaldinho would step in for Neil Lennon.

Ashley Cole would take over for Capdevilla.

Jonathan Woodgate would replace Steve Finnan.

Everything appeared to be covered, leaving no gaps in the squad.

"As for next season, we’ll focus more on City U-17," Richard continued. "I’m planning for you to promote some of the youth players to the senior squad next season."

"..."

Once again, Richard was meddling in transfer matters.

O’Neill slumped back in his chair, defeated. He had long since learned that arguing with Richard about transfers was like trying to stop the tide with a spoon.

Despite his frustration, O’Neill couldn’t help but admire Richard’s foresight. Promoting youth players could strengthen the squad in ways even big-money signings couldn’t. Still, the timing... and the fact that he had been interrupted yet again... left him thoroughly exasperated.

Back to the present—

After wrapping up the Dejan Stankovic matter, Richard headed straight for Spain. With his bodyguard by his side and his car ready, he was on the hunt for the next talent.

Barcelona, Mini Estadi.

He was searching for what he considered, in his mind, a "wonderkid."

And he wasn’t the only one.

They were football scouts for all the major clubs. In Spain, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Valencia had scouting networks well-known throughout the country and even across Europe. Their scouts, often in various disguises, showed up at nearly every local stadium. Why the disguises? Because some clubs were not happy to have their young talent, carefully groomed over the years, poached by opportunistic scouts who didn’t have to spend a single penny.

Well-known football scouts couldn’t appear openly because they were too easily recognized. Richard didn’t have that worry but he still wore sunglasses as a precaution.

Richard glanced at the note a few times; he couldn’t understand a word of Spanish. But he wasn’t surprised that one of his bodyguards could. His name was Dunn, and he was remarkably dedicated—spending all his spare time on studies. So it wasn’t shocking that he had picked up Spanish.

’A weird but good hobby,’ Richard thought.

"What does it say?" he asked casually.

"It’s the same as what you said yesterday." After staying with Richard for a while, Dunn had begun to speak more. Living with someone constantly chattering could make even the quietest person more talkative. "Nothing new."

Richard smiled. "The losers always have all sorts of excuses to justify their mistakes. Is the whole world going to start talking about defense now?"

Marina, who had been playing with her phone, set it aside and glanced at Richard’s smug expression. "I don’t think defense will ever become a mainstream tactic for many teams. But all the managers will start studying how to break this type of defense."

Richard shrugged. "No matter what they think or do, defense is the foundation of all tactics. When we reach Barcelona, there’s a young man there I’m very interested in—a very, very powerful center back."

It wasn’t until they all found a hotel in Barcelona to drop their bags and rushed to the Mini Estadi training camp that Richard’s attention zeroed in on the player he had come to see.

Carles Puyol, Barcelona B’s center back. At this point, he was still relatively unknown, playing in the reserves. But in the hearts of Barcelona fans, he was already being hailed as the future successor to the team captain, Pep Guardiola.

Richard watched quietly, a faint smile playing on his lips. Talent like this didn’t just appear—it had to be hunted.