CHAPTER 519: BEFORE THE ONE TIME HANDSHAKE

Michael Essien’s transfer was settled very easily. He was currently playing for a newly promoted team in the Ghana Telecom Premier League, so his market value was very low. Manchester City only needed to pay £100,000 to take him away from Liberty Professionals F.C. In fact, it would have been possible to sign him without paying a single penny. However, Richard felt bad for the club, especially since they persuaded Essien after he initially only wanted to join Aston Villa.

So Richard still paid the fee. Manchester City offered Essien a contract, but he was ineligible to obtain a work permit in the United Kingdom. Therefore, he considered joining AS Cannes first. Both parties signed the transfer agreement, and starting from the first of January, Essien would be considered a Manchester City player.

As January began, the London Stock Exchange reopened, and news broke in British football: Alan Sugar, the owner of Tottenham Hotspur, had sold around 27% of his shares to ENIC Sports Plc.

When Richard saw the news, he immediately knew that ENIC Sports would eventually take over Tottenham. Still, for the moment, Alan Sugar retained at least 75% of the shares.

What did it mean for someone to possess 75 percent of the shares of an English football club?

It meant that this person held authority above the board of directors, and the entire club effectively belonged to them. They could immediately withdraw the club from the stock market, turning a publicly listed company with a shareholder system into a fully private club. There would be no need to seek board approval for any new policies or long-term development plans — whether that involved stadium reconstruction, expansion, building new facilities, buying and selling players, or appointing new executives.

In other words, they would become the absolute ruler of the club — an emperor — and no one could oppose their decisions.

Even if Sugar were to say, "From next season onward, Spurs’ season-ticket prices will increase by 300 percent, and all food and beverages sold inside the stadium will rise by 100 percent," that decision would be final, regardless of the fans’ protests.

Of course, Richard believed that Sugar would not be foolish enough to go that far.

Back in the Premier League, 1998 draws to a close with the unexpected Aston Villa leading the table, but Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds United, and West Ham United are all still close behind and remain serious contenders.

Entering 1999, last season’s FA Cup runners-up, Newcastle United, win 2–1 at home against Crystal Palace in the fourth round proper. Meanwhile, Manchester United beat Middlesbrough 3–1 at Old Trafford, and Arsenal begin their defence of the FA Cup with a 2–0 victory over Preston North End at Deepdale.

As for Manchester City... things couldn’t get any worse: they were held to a goalless draw by Conference side Rushden & Diamonds.

Rushden & Diamonds!

What kind of club is that?!

When the FA Cup fourth-round proper results came out, Richard knew exactly what he needed to do.

That day, After an entire week of intermittent rains, the sky was finally clear on Monday morning. For England, which was almost entering winter, this kind of weather was extremely worthy of being cherished. This was even more so for Macnhester city City, where the weather was always erratic. One never knew when the sky above his head would become overcast out of nowhere, followed by the sudden splattering of raindrops falling from the sky.

Beads of water hung onto the tree leaves by the side of the road, reflecting the morning sunlight. They were like diamonds that had been left behind in the bushes, and that was all the proof needed that it had rained all through the night.

José Mourinho stood outside the chairman’s office, located within the club’s training ground complex right beside the first team’s pitch. Martin O’Neill’s shouts echoed across the field, mixed with the sharp blasts of whistles that never seemed to stop.

"Are you here to see Mr. Richard?"

"Yes," Mourinho answered with a nod as Marina Granovskaia, the Sports Director, approached.

"I’m really sorry," she said. "He’s currently not in his office."

"Oh... huh?" Mourinho blinked in confusion. "Where did he go? No—what I mean is, he asked me to come, so that’s why I’m here."

Marina shook her head slightly. "He didn’t tell me anything. May I ask if you scheduled an appointment with him beforehand?"

Mourinho shook his head. "No, I just... suddenly remembered that I needed to speak with him. Do you know when he’ll be back?"

Marina shook her head, then suddenly remembered that Richard had entrusted her with the keys to his office. ’Maybe this is why’... she thought.

"No," she corrected herself, then offered, "Would you like to wait in his office until he returns?"

"May I?"

"I guess so," she nodded.

"Alright, I’ll wait for a while then." Mourinho figured that since O’Neill was out on the training ground overseeing the session, there wasn’t much for him to worry about at the moment.

Marina brought Mourinho into Richard’s office and placed a cup of water beside him before taking her leave.

"Then I’ll take my leave. Goodbye, Jose." Marina bid him farewell before turning around and closing the door behind her.

Mourinho watched her go, then shrugged. Now alone in the spacious room, he finally had the chance to take a good look around. A brand-new computer sat on the boss’s desk, giving the once old-fashioned room a sudden sense of modernity. Many other details had changed as well, making the office look completely different from the last time he had been there.

He still remembered that last visit clearly — it had been when he first came to Manchester City to discuss his contract.

CREAK—

Suddenly, the office door swung open. Mourinho stood up instinctively, eyes turning toward the entrance.

Richard stepped inside, "Sorry, Jose," he said, slightly breathless as he removed his coat. "Something urgent came up, so I’m a little late."

Mourinho nodded knowingly. "Ah. That kind of day."

Richard motioned toward the chair. "Sit, Jose. We need to talk about something."

Mourinho quietly pulled out the seat again, his heart beating a little faster—though he wasn’t sure why.

After a few brief exchanges of small talk, the office fell into a comfortable silence. Richard leaned back in his chair, loosening the collar of his coat as though he’d just sprinted across the training grounds instead of from a meeting.

"Jose, what do you think of O’Neill as a manager?" Richard asked, eyes fixed on him with a calmness that felt anything but casual.

Mourinho didn’t hesitate. "Exceptional. Very good at motivating players," he replied smoothly.

"...but motivation alone isn’t enough," Richard interrupted. "At this level, the margins are too thin. You need structure — patterns of play the squad can rely on. When confidence collapses, motivation disappears with it. Only discipline and a clear tactical identity remain."

"..." Mourinho did not answer.

Richard tapped his fingers once against the desk, then picked up the TV remote. He switched on the television and the VCR, where a VHS tape was already loaded.

It was the match against Inter Milan. However, the VHS seemed to focus only on the worst moments—long stretches where City’s players were walking instead of chasing the ball. Mourinho’s brow tightened into a deep frown.

"What do you see?" Richard asked.

Mourinho didn’t answer immediately. He leaned closer to the screen, studying the frozen image: Inter’s midfield advancing in numbers while City’s players trudged behind.

"No discipline. No compactness. They don’t even try to recover the ball."

He pressed play again. The tape rolled forward—another slow jog, another half-hearted press.

"Do you know why?"

"Laziness. A lack of structure--"

Richard shook his head. "They’re burned out," he interrupted.

Four competitions in a typical season is no joke. Last season alone, Manchester City played a packed schedule of around 58 matches. That’s nearly 60 battles across the league, domestic cups, and European tournaments, often with little time to recover between games.

Every fan, every global viewer, and everyone following the sport feels the intensity—but the players experience it firsthand. Even the biggest stars aren’t immune: they face mental fatigue, physical strain, and relentless travel, all while balancing the pressure to perform at the highest level week after week.

Speaking to football managers about mental health can reveal much about the conflicts they face when it comes to looking after players’ psychological wellbeing.

"As a coach, how far do you go with... all of that?" Richard asked. "If you start opening doors into their emotions, do you risk making them weaker instead of stronger?"

He paused, choosing his words. "And what about when your job is on the line? When you know a player isn’t in the right mental state to perform—do you still play him?" Richard leaned back in his chair, voice low. "If you don’t, and a week later you’re sacked... people will say, ’What a kind man he was. He cared about the player’s wellbeing.’"

He continued, pointing at the screen. "Zidane, Cannavaro, Makelele, Buffon... especially Zidane and Cannavaro. Have you noticed how completely different they behave when they don’t have the ball?"

He raised a finger. "Forget Cannavaro for a moment—Zidane is the clearest example."

These past few matches, Zidane’s form has dropped sharply compared to last season. Yes, he still scores goals... but his effectiveness, his creativity—both have declined significantly. Richard notice something about this. After coming back from his injury, he became the first player to stay on the pitch for the full ninety minutes every single match.

"The next six months will place greater physical and mental demands on players than they’ve ever experienced. Do you know why?"

Richard didn’t wait for an answer.

"First, the congested fixture list—cramming a full season’s matches into a shorter period.Then, an international tournament in the summer, robbing players of rest and still expecting them to perform at the highest level. And finally, a quick return to domestic competitions, likely followed by another packed season with almost no recovery time."

Richard let out a dry laugh. "Why? Because they managed it last season, so why not do it again?" He then fixed Mourinho with a sharp look. "Do you understand what I mean?"

Mourinho’s heart skipped a beat. What Richard had just told him sounded simple on the surface — but based on the complexity behind it, why would he share this with him, someone who wasn’t even the manager?

"This, I can’t tell you, José. But I can tell you something else." Richard shook his head.

"Hmm?"

"Prepare yourself," Richard said as he stopped in his tracks and looked at Mourinho.

"Prepare myself for what?" The other man shrugged.

Looking at Mourinho’s innocent expression, Richard smiled. "José, do you really need me to spell everything out for you?"