Midfielder

The feeling of being the leader is complicated. It feels good to see a group of teams behind you chasing you desperately. At least your vanity is satisfied enough, but it is also painful to be chased like this all the time.

Especially when you know very well that the guys behind you are always thinking about how to kill you, you must be very alert to deal with their every challenge.

At least in order to prevent the pursuers behind you from surpassing you, you have to work hard to get points, for fear that the other party will run ahead of you without paying attention. This state of having to play hard in every game is also very tiring.

Chelsea is in such a state now. They are followed by a group of opponents who are eyeing them. Every team wants to defeat them and become the new king of the Premier League. There are definitely many teams with this idea. In addition to those traditional strong teams, there are also many latecomers who think so.

Manchester City and Fulham, which are preparing to accept foreign investment recently, have the ambition to become the second Chelsea.

Moreover, the oil tycoons from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are not much worse than Abramovich in terms of spending money. If they can complete the acquisition, the Premier League will definitely become bloody.

The teams in the middle will definitely be affected, and the entire Premier League pattern will be completely overturned.

Perhaps the arms race in the Premier League will begin in the next transfer period or the next season.

Now it is Chelsea that is spending money. Maybe the next time you see a transfer war, Chelsea's spending behavior will no longer be news. The oil oligarchs are not short of money.

And these guys will definitely save money in order to get the team to achieve results as soon as possible. Abramovich can spend 200 million pounds on Chelsea, so the bosses in the Middle East will write more checks.

Even Kenyon has smelled the smell of oil floating over the Premier League. The tycoons with tens of billions of funds have not yet entered the market. Once they enter the market, the transfer market will be completely unbalanced.

Even Abramovich himself knows that if it comes to spending money, he has no advantage. Maybe compared with the current competitors, Chelsea is still rich, but when the oil oligarchs enter the Premier League, the pounds in his pocket will not be enough to compete.

Don't forget, this is not the time for him to make money in Russia. His income from other industries is not enough for him to spend hundreds of millions of pounds every season. He must be careful with his budget.

Otherwise, Abramovich would not be so active in letting Aurelio Perreira start to build Chelsea's youth team. Maybe this Russian tycoon has already started thinking about future operations.

When more clubs start to spend money on people, Chelsea may have to produce and sell by itself.

Chelsea has been buying players for three consecutive years to prevent the future buying trend. If the players' values ​​soar to a terrifying level by then, they will have a certain reserve.

According to the current age structure of Chelsea, they can maintain a high level for at least five to six years. However, appropriate personnel supplementation is also necessary. It is better to keep a certain freshness of players. Fans do not want to see the same faces in every game.

If everything goes well, maybe five or six years later, the new Chelsea created by Aurelio Pereira will appear in the Premier League. Maybe this Portuguese old man will make Chelsea also have Manchester United's 92 class.

But now Chelsea still needs to buy a lot of people, from young players to famous stars. In the past two months, Kenyon has collected a group of young guys for the youth team. Not only did he get so many new stars, but he also disrupted the rhythm of his competitors. There were several guys who were originally favored by Manchester United and Arsenal, but they were all intercepted by Chelsea.

The trouble caused by Kenyon's behavior has become a regular news on the newspaper pages.

Teams like Manchester United and Liverpool, which have completed equity changes, hope to restore their dominance in the Premier League, and Chelsea is undoubtedly a stumbling block on their way forward.

Chelsea dare not relax now. Although they are not trying to maintain a winning streak, they still need a miracle to help them get down from the top of the standings.

It is still very unlikely that Chelsea will fall down at the critical moment.

According to Mourinho's character, unless he is crazy, the team will never collapse.

It is almost impossible for Chelsea to have such a big decline in performance as Liverpool.

That kind of tough character and ability to control the team ensure that Chelsea will be strong in every nerve when moving forward. Maybe it is possible to lose a game, but it will not keep losing.

Now not only will they not keep losing, but these animals seem a bit stingy to lose a game.

At least those critics and Chelsea's main competitors will not have such extravagant hopes. Everything on the football field depends on strength. With Chelsea's current strength, it is basically unlikely to suffer a losing streak.

Although the outside world unanimously believed that it was not easy for Chelsea to lose, Mourinho remained sober enough. He was not arrogant enough to think that Chelsea was already an invincible and ever-victorious team.

The reason for such a fierce state in the early stage of the league is that Chelsea completed the running-in time much earlier than other teams expected. Including the early warm-up matches, it only took five games.

Their start was obviously much faster than other teams, which was entirely due to Chelsea's tactical arrangement. Lin Yi's role in the team accelerated the integration of those new players.

The second reason is also very simple. Even in the case of multi-line operations, Mourinho still chose to let Chelsea consolidate its advantages in the early stage of the league, and every game was very fierce.

If they hadn't fought so hard, they wouldn't have won so many games with big scores.

However, such a strong attack will also have sequelae, especially if you fight too hard in the early stage, such annoying things as injuries will always find you inadvertently. Chelsea is now facing such troubles.

In addition to the club's overly dense schedule, the disruption of international match days is also the main reason.

Fortunately, Chelsea's bench is strong enough. Even if there are vacancies in the main lineup, there are enough players to fill in, so as not to let the team's overall strength decline. However, such injuries are indeed a headache. Before the winter transfer period, Mourinho made a purchase request.

"The back line needs to be supplemented, otherwise, in February, we will be very passive."

Mourinho and Kenyon always get straight to the point when they discuss transfer issues.

He knows what he needs, and he only needs to tell Kenyon such a request. The rest of the problem depends on this guy to solve it himself, but the specific list of purchases to be implemented is still determined by him.

Kenyon is only responsible for the operation. As for what means he uses, Mourinho never asks. He only needs to wait in his office to see if Kenyon can get those players he likes. Although he doesn't succeed every time, Kenyon rarely fails.

Mourinho doesn't always fancy those high-priced superstars. When he selects defenders, he still focuses on practicality most of the time. After all, there is no need to have so many high-priced defenders.

Moreover, many of those big-name defenders are the pillars of their respective teams. It is not easy to dig them over. Instead of risking offending others and hitting a wall, it is better to find some practical players.

With both Gallas and Parker transferred away, Mourinho now needs enough rotation lineups in the back line. Del Horno's state has been a bit up and down, and he is not completely qualified.

Moreover, in the position of central defender, only Terry and Carvalho are relatively stable. After Gallas left, Chelsea's back line lost a panacea who can rotate to the central defender.

Although Ashley Cole and Ferreira have enough successors in the position of full-backs, Chelsea's reserve list still lacks some weighty substitutes in the defensive hinterland of central defenders. At least when Terry and Carvalho are absent at the same time, Mourinho will be a little stretched.

Moreover, when fighting on multiple fronts, it is always better to prepare a few more defenders than to face a shortage of players. Mourinho's request this time is very direct, and he needs to finalize the candidates during the winter transfer period.

You know, after February, it will be the time of the Champions League. At that time, the competition will be so intense that people will have no time to breathe. If you don't want to be left behind by your opponents at a critical moment, it is better to prepare early.

The candidates that Mourinho is eyeing now are actually not cheap. There are the main players of other teams, and some players he is familiar with, such as Bosingwa who is still playing for Porto.

As a player trained by Mourinho in Porto, Mourinho is still quite confident in Bosingwa's strength. At least this guy's state rarely fluctuates.

Moreover, Bosingwa has the ability to shuttle between the two flanks. His versatile defense line is exactly what Mourinho needs most. The multi-talented defender is also the mainstream in the current football circle. However, whether Porto will let its defensive general go is a trouble that Kenyon has to deal with.

However, after losing the Champions League last season, Porto failed to get through the group stage this season. Benfica finally got the chance to ride on the head of this old rival. In the league, Porto's state has been sluggish all the way. They are now completely without the glory of the treble period and are only ranked third in the league.

Although the chairman of the Porto club, Da Costa, is as tough as before, he believes that the temporary downturn of the team is just a normal metabolism of a team, and they will return to the peak.

However, looking at the current posture of the Porto team, it is estimated that there will not be any major breakthroughs in the short term.

The little assets left by Mourinho at the beginning have basically been sold off now.

In addition to those who transferred to Chelsea, old servants like McCarthy and Dale have been asked to leave the team by Da Costa before the start of the new season, but the sale price is not bad.

Now the team of the treble winners only has a few people such as Bosingwa. After a major change, Porto can still maintain the top three in the league, which is already a good result.

This is entirely due to the fact that the competition in the Portuguese Super League is not that fierce. Apart from the three giants, not many teams can make an impact on them. Otherwise, based on this lineup, there would have been a sharp decline in performance. , the Champions League group stage defeat also cost them a fortune.

Although da Costa keeps saying that he wants to strengthen the team, he is holding on to the large transfer fees obtained by selling off players and cannot really invest in the construction of the team. After all, the Portuguese Super League is not the Premier League, even if it is They can defend the league championship for several consecutive years, but they can't get any high returns.

Instead of spending so much money to buy some famous stars, it is better to use a small part of the funds to dig out young players. Maybe Da Costa is still dreaming of digging out another Lin Yi.

When Mourinho left Porto, it was because of this that he understood how bad the operating conditions of the Portuguese Super League were. Even if he won the Champions League trophy, the Portuguese Super League would not change.

Portugal is not considered an economically developed country in Europe as a whole. It can even be said bluntly that their competitive level in the entire Europa League has always been in the middle and lower reaches.

The entire country is in such a state, how can you expect the club's financial situation to be any better?

In Portugal, there is no support from a big spender like Abramovich. Every club is unable to make ends meet. Apart from selling those already famous players to maintain the team's balance of payments, they really can't think of anything better. It is very helpless to find a way to solve our own economic crisis.

As a Portuguese, Mourinho knows this very well, so he chose to come out.

Now even if Porto does not want to sell, it is estimated that Da Costa will not get the support of the board of directors.

Those businessmen who spend money to support the team only see Porto as an investment project that can appreciate in value. As for whether the team can always remain competitive, they don't care.

Therefore, Kenyon is not particularly worried that Da Costa will continue to maintain a tough attitude. When the winter transfer window opens, Bosingwa will definitely be very close to Stamford Bridge, and Da Costa only cares about the check. It's just a number, selling people is almost an irreversible decision.

Perhaps when the Porto team sells out all the winning team, they will understand that they are no longer the magical team that has been in the Champions League to the end, and have fallen into mediocrity again.

Although it is a bit troublesome, Kenyon is not unable to handle this deal. For players in this second-tier league, you only need to take out the check and meet the requirements of the other club. Nothing is impossible.

At least Kenyon doesn't think there are any problems with the deal between him and Porto, but compared with Bosingwa's transfer, the center back Mourinho wants is very troublesome. After all, the current shortage in the transfer market is It can be said that the whole of Europe is in a shortage of central defenders.

Otherwise, Real Madrid would not have tried to seduce Terry while making an offer for Lin Yi.

The position of central defender not only requires strong physical fitness, but also has to consider experience issues. Most of the qualified central defenders are over 20 years old to ensure his stability.

It is difficult for anyone to meet such demanding requirements, especially in a league like the Premier League that advocates offense. It has stricter requirements for central defenders. It is not that simple to be the main force in the Premier League.

Nowadays, any strong central defender who can play the main role in the Premier League has to start at 20 million pounds, and even if you hold on to the money, you may not be able to find a suitable candidate.

Throughout the summer, Kenyon has been looking for suitable candidates, but most teams will not let their defensive players transfer. Compared with those offensive players, the central defender is sometimes more important.

Moreover, the transfer market has always been like this. Offensive guns are easy to find, but shields that can defend the defense are hard to find.

The purchase list proposed by Mourinho this time also made Kenyon scratch his head a little. Richards, Pique, Kompany, Mertesacker, Albiol, these names are very impressive just by looking at them. depressed.

None of them are easy to dig. Although Mourinho did not include guys like Cannavaro and Puyol on the list, none of the central defenders in front of him can be easily solved.

Almost all of them are future stars of their respective teams, not to mention that players like Pique have to be poached from rivals like Manchester United. Even if this guy is not the absolute main force now, this deal is difficult to negotiate.

Compared with poaching his old club, it may be easier for a newbie like Mertesacker who is still playing in Hannover 96 to get it done, but according to rumors, this deal also needs to compete with Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga.

But compared with a fortress like Manchester United that cannot be conquered at all, it may be easier to spend money with Werder Bremen. At least Kenyon does not have to worry about having less money than the opponent, and he will not provoke Manchester United fans again. It is better to have one less thing to do than one more thing to do when you launch your own attack.

"I hope I can successfully solve the problems you have given me and try to help you bring back two qualified defenders during the winter transfer period. However, it depends on you whether they can integrate into the team."

Kenyon's answer is quite pertinent. Although he doesn't know who he can get, at least he can guarantee that the goods will be delivered on time. As for whether the person he buys will be useful or not, it depends on Mourinho's training.

Watching Kenyon scratch his head and leave his office, Mourinho now only had to consider the schedule on the wall. December was about to begin, and Chelsea would face tough matches. The devil's schedule was about to begin, and the battle on the green field would burn more fiercely.

"Defending the title is really not a human job." Mourinho muttered softly, but no one could hear it.

But the smell of gunpowder from the series of fierce battles had begun to spread. . .