Midfielder

When Ferguson was still cursing Mendes in his office for refusing to trade Lin Yi to Manchester United during the winter transfer period, the Portuguese who he had talked about hundreds of times in private had already arrived from the United States on a train. The flight arrived at London's Heathrow Airport.

However, no one would notice Mendes' arrival at this time. After all, his popularity in the English football circle has not reached that high level yet, and his simple and light appearance will not make those who squat at the airport gate every day. Reporters who were spying on the whereabouts of various celebrities found out.

Compared with high-profile figures like Beckham, Mendes's reputation in England is not as loud as that of the girl on page three of The Sun.

But this also provides a lot of convenience to Mendes. If he were in Portugal, he might be fired by the newspapers if he walked around casually. After all, the players he signed are still considered powerful in Portugal. But in England he was still a nobody.

In fact, Mendes didn't want to hide anything. Anyway, this visit was for an appointment, and he didn't take the initiative to contact anyone. Even if Ferguson knew about it, I'm afraid he couldn't accuse him of betrayal. Mendes is a businessman, so he wouldn't. Tie your agency to one choice.

With general training and focused selection, Mendes is not afraid of trouble. Especially when Lin Yi becomes a rare commodity, he is not afraid of expanding his choices.

To leave an opportunity for himself and potential clubs to choose from, what Mendes needs to do is to promote Lin Yi to more people.

But Mendes's trip this time was not to visit Ferguson's old rival Wenger, but someone else issued a sincere invitation to him in London.

However, the inviter this time still put a little pressure on Mendes. After all, he was not a simple person. Until Mendes was sitting in the Stamford Bridge office and looked at Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon opposite him. , he regained his usual calmness.

Looking at the brand-new Stamford Bridge stadium, Mendes was once again impressed by the power of money. A year ago, Stamford Bridge was still heavily in debt.

But the arrival of one person instantly wiped out more than 80 million in debt burdened by them, and a large-scale player acquisition of more than 100 million euros lifted Chelsea from the middle of the league to a point where they can compete with Manchester United. There is a point where Arsenal can compete for the league title.

Why was Ferguson so anxious to buy Lin Yi? The old man felt the pressure from Chelsea. Even if Lin Yi could not participate in the Champions League for Manchester United, he would buy him quickly. At least it would be a great boost to Manchester United's league results.

Moreover, Ferguson was also afraid that Chelsea, who was slinging euros around like waste paper, would cause unnecessary trouble for him in player acquisitions.

You can imagine what a big impact Chelsea has had on the Premier League in the past six months. Many people once ridiculed the Russian, thinking that he was just a speculator who got rich quickly by relying on Russian state-owned assets. Everything you do at Chelsea will be a failure.

Especially those old antiques who insist on clinging to tradition describe Chelsea's predatory behavior in the transfer market as like a robber.

But more than half a season has passed, and Chelsea's Blue Storm has bitten Manchester United and Arsenal's rankings in the standings. Even established teams like Liverpool have been left behind by these powerful Blues. Now between them The point difference has even reached as much as nine points.

Mendes knows very well that this is the mistake made by those who underestimate the operation of capital. They too ignore the power that a lot of money can exert.

When players like Crespo, Makelele, Duff, Lampard, and Gremi are all transferred to Chelsea's account, it already has the foundation to achieve good results in the league, and it can use it unscrupulously. Rotate your lineup to wear down your competitors.

Chelsea dares to rotate most of their main lineup, but Manchester United and Arsenal cannot do it. This is the effect of spending a lot of euros to buy people.

Now that Arsenal and Manchester United are ahead of Chelsea, they only rely on their rich experience and adaptability in the Premier League. Ferguson and Wenger have clearly felt the pressure from Stamford Bridge. Otherwise, they would not be in the transfer market. Will actively seek changes in the market.

Mendes was sitting on a comfortable sofa and thinking about the possible gains in this line of work. He knew clearly what Chelsea's invitation to him meant this time. The Russian rich man who spent a lot of money with checks after joining Chelsea must have seen it. Got an agent in his own hands.

Lin Yi is undoubtedly the most likely candidate to be targeted by opponents this time. Although the opponent did not specify it, Mendes does not think that a club like Chelsea, which is eager to achieve results, will let go of a rising star who is quickly becoming popular, especially Lin Yi. How hot this guy is right now.

A super rich man like Abramovich will not miss this opportunity to replenish Chelsea's ammunition, especially when he wants to rely on professional football as a stepping stone to integrate into British society, he needs this kind of news breaking even more Points can attract public attention.

Too many people think that this Russian guy is a spendthrift idiot who only knows how to endlessly poach people from others and rob them by force, but Mendes knows very well that if Abramovich is a retard, then It is absolutely impossible for him to amass tens of billions of assets.

A person who can preserve himself under Putin's iron fist must be a very smart guy, a speculator? That also requires a flexible mind.

It's just that in the eyes of the English, this Russian's behavior is too unruly, just like a KGB, it's just unreasonable robbery. Maybe these Anglos who have been accustomed to a life of robbery before - What the Saxons would not tolerate.

But Mendes has no objection to Abramovich's approach. If he wants to build a wealthy team in the shortest time, this is the most effective way.

Reason with the English? Then you can only get the players they least want in the transfer market, so this kind of robbery is correct.

However, when Mendes looked at Peter Kenyon in front of him, he was still a little uncomfortable. You know, just a few months ago, the two of them had sat down together at Old Trafford over the matter of Cristiano Ronaldo joining Manchester United. The luxury boxes at Rufford Stadium talk about the glory and greatness of Manchester United.

But in a few months, they will be sitting at Stamford Bridge talking about possible cooperation between Chelsea and their agents. It is a funny world.

I don’t know if it’s God who likes to see such turmoil in the world. Anyway, Mendes felt that he felt a little awkward when he saw Peter Kenyon, but he didn’t know this executive who once took charge of everything at Manchester United. President, how do you feel?

Mendes still underestimated people's psychological endurance, because Peter Kenyon doesn't feel this way at all now. He seems to have forgotten everything about his defection from Manchester United to Chelsea. His current identity is Chelsea chief executive officer.

So even when facing an old acquaintance like Mendes, he can maintain a completely calm attitude and there is no awkward feeling at all.

Perhaps it is because the British media has bombarded him so much in the past few months that he has become accustomed to the reactions of various groups of people when they see him.

"Jorge, my old friend, it seems that we have another opportunity to work together. I hope this time it can go as smoothly as before." Peter Kenyon's opening remarks after meeting went straight to the point. It's so simple, direct, and even stubborn.

Perhaps the lavish spending in recent months has made Peter Kenyon accustomed to this kind of conversation. At least under his money offensive, there are still few strong fortresses that cannot be broken open. The large number of euros has made this guy accustomed to it. Look at the problem from a superior position.

Although Mendes didn't like the conversation, he didn't show it, but that was simply due to his politeness and good manners.

I don’t know if the Russian boss also likes this kind of conversation. At least Mendes has seen the power of money from Peter Kenyon. A few months ago, they could have a long talk, but now, everything has changed. , the other party seemed to be in a higher position.

"Peter, the last time we collaborated with Chris, our cooperation went very smoothly, and I hope it will be the same this time. But no one can guarantee anything, and many things need to be discussed slowly," Mendes answered. It was decent, but he was in no hurry to get to the point.

Now Chelsea is asking him to buy players, rather than coming to them to promote players. So Mendes knows very well that he must be tight now. The more reserved he is, the less likely his opponents will be able to figure out his limits. In this way, you can take the initiative in the game.

And a hot-tempered guy like Peter Kenyon will definitely speak first. What he has to do now is to wait quietly for the other party to speak first.

Just as Mendes estimated, after seeing that the other party did not answer his words, Peter Kenyon's next sentence directly stated his intention to invite Mendes to Stamford Bridge, and what he wanted to say , and it did not go beyond Mendes’ prior considerations.

"Old friend, on behalf of Chelsea Club, I am now formally asking you to purchase this young man Lin Yi. As for the price of this transfer, we can study it openly and honestly. As long as this transfer can be completed, it will be good for the players and for you. , and it’s a good thing for Chelsea.”

Mendes was not surprised by Peter Kenyon's words. In more than a month, he has lost count of how many clubs have inquired about this possibility. Lin Yi's name is at least the same as Qiba's. The future of two wealthy clubs is involved.

Now Mendes is a good girl and has no worries about getting married. He is not afraid that Lin Yi will be unsaleable in his hands, so he can withstand the temptation of anyone.

"Sorry, my friend, my agent and I said before the start of the season that Lin Yi will never leave Porto before the end of this season. This is the promise Lin Yi and I made to Mr. Da Costa, And we don’t intend to change it, it’s about a person’s credibility.”

At this time, Mendes not only has to understand the opponent's psychology, he also has to say this in advance. At least before the end of this season, Lin Yi's transfer is definitely impossible. After playing so well in the Champions League, the club's performance is also not good. It's perfect, there's no need to ask for a transfer in the winter.

The most important thing is that Lin Yi will not leave Mourinho's guidance at this time. Even if Mendes wants to, Lin Yi will never agree.

And when Lin Yi's popularity is rising rapidly, playing such a defection scene will definitely not help his popularity, and may even destroy Lin Yi.

So Mendes denied the possibility of a winter transfer to Peter Kenyon without hesitation, but he did not block the possibility of future cooperation.

After all, Lin Yi's next step will definitely be in the top five leagues. As for where he will choose to settle, Mendes hopes to have more places to choose.

Manchester United? Chelsea? Arsenal? Bayern? Or Madrid or Barcelona? Even Mendes himself does not have a very clear goal now.

"No, my old friend, I think you misunderstood me. The transfer I mentioned refers to the summer. Now Lin Yi has participated in the European Champions League. For Chelsea, even if he is bought now, he will not provide us with any help in the European arena."

"We hope to sign Lin Yi as soon as the summer transfer market opens. Now I am just proposing this possibility to you."

Peter Kenyon's words are very straightforward. I will definitely not pay for someone who is useless now, but I must make an appointment with you in advance.

"I know that Manchester United and Arsenal are now in contact with Porto Club and have discussed this issue with you privately. Therefore, I am here to discuss this matter with you on behalf of Chelsea because I do not want to encounter any other troubles when the summer transfer market opens."

"Chelsea will definitely be determined to get this kind of talented player. We want to build a club that can be passed down for a hundred years."

Peter Kenyon's words did not seem to leave any room for the conversation between the two sides. He was clearly telling Mendes, Lin Yi, we have decided to buy him. You name the price. As long as you speak now, we will make this deal a success. At that time, we will hand over the money and the person.

Mendes felt a little disgusted with the arrogant feeling of the upstart guy in front of him, but he would not ruin Lin Yi's future because of this, so he was thinking about the possibility of this cooperation in his mind and weighing the various pros and cons that might arise from this cooperation.

At the same time, Mendes also admired Peter Kenyon's ruthlessness in cutting off the source of the trouble. You know, when this guy was still the CEO of Manchester United, Lin Yi had already entered Ferguson's sight. Now he is obviously destroying his old club.

It is said that when love is gone, women's revenge is terrible. Now it seems that after breaking up, men's counterattack is just as fierce.

But Mendes did not rush to respond to Peter Kenyon's request. Instead, he seemed a little silent, and the office seemed quiet.

"My old friend, believe me, this will definitely be a win-win cooperation. Chelsea will definitely not treat him worse than Manchester United did to Ronaldo. We can even raise his value to an enviable price, and he is just the first step in our acquisition."

"I believe you can also see how generous Chelsea's current owner is when it comes to football. He is willing to spend money to buy any player."

After seeing that Mendes did not respond, Peter Kenyon did not stop his lobbying. He still tried to use a strong financial offensive to impress the silent Portuguese in front of him. You know, signing Lin Yi was a death order given to him by Abramovich.

Mendes still did not give Peter Kenyon a clear response, but the next sentence he said made his attitude obviously change.

"Lin Yi is the first step in our player acquisition plan, and next, I want to talk to you about the possibility of Mourinho coaching."

When Mendes heard this, he realized how big the Russian's appetite was. The other party was obviously not targeting Lin Yi alone. He wanted the soul of the entire Porto team. Chelsea obviously didn't want to let go of this inseparable master and apprentice.

Lin Yi and Deco are undoubtedly Porto's biggest weapons in attack now, but many people know who really changed Porto.

The rise of Porto started from the madness of the last ten rounds of last season, which was exactly when Mourinho took over Porto.

Sweeping the Portuguese Super League, winning consecutive victories in European wars, and bringing Portugal back the first UEFA Cup, this is Mourinho's value in Porto.

As long as he stands on the sidelines, the guys on the Porto team are as fierce as if they were injected with chicken blood. On the contrary, they will look very depressed.

Moreover, Lin Yi was able to create a small world in the European football circle, thanks to Mourinho. Without his teaching, there would be no Lin Yi.

Lin Yi is a sharp knife, but the one who sharpened the knife is Mourinho. Now the Russians want to take them down at the same time.

Now Mendes knows why Peter Kenyon invited him at this time. It is obvious that the rumors that Abramovich is not satisfied with Ranieri are true. Even if the season has not ended, the future of the Italian "tinker" is doomed.

When Abramovich spent more than 100 million euros and still did not see the team firmly ranked first in the league, the first thing he thought of was to change the coach.

A good man who has never touched the League Championship trophy in his career really cannot satisfy Abramovich's ambition for the championship.

The wild temperament that Mourinho showed on and off the court and the recent performance of Porto have indeed reminded Abramovich that sometimes a steady old coach is not necessarily good, and an equally ambitious young coach may not be the best choice for Chelsea.

An ambitious guy, this is Mendes' evaluation of the Russian. As for whether to agree, Mendes still needs to consider it.

Perhaps, it will be an acquisition plan that will impact the Premier League giants. . . It's crazy, isn't it. . .

(Alas, Yao Ming is now at the cusp of the storm. When he didn't perform well, many American media used him to attack him by forcing him to go to the Olympics with an injury. Now may be his most difficult time in the NBA. I hope he can get through it. Blessings...)