The Godfather of Football

When Ye Qiu walked into the press conference hall of the Cobham training base, the scene suddenly flashed with strong spotlights.

Dozens of media invited by Chelsea attended this press conference. They came here not only to witness Chelsea's transfer results, but also to witness the official opening of Chelsea's five-star Cobham training base.

Strictly speaking, the Cobham training base has only completed the construction of the first-team training area in the north, and will continue to invest in the construction of the youth training camp base in the south. However, the parking lot, training building, training ground, security room and other facilities that a training base should have are very complete.

The first-team training ground has four training turfs, two of which are standard-sized training grounds. There are also several small-sized training grounds around these two grounds. In addition, the Cobham training base also has a large-scale comprehensive training ground, which is also the most used ground for the first-team training on weekdays.

The training building and the first-team parking lot are sandwiched between the standard training ground and the comprehensive training ground, and there is a half-field-sized training ground in the north of the training building. There are a total of 4 larger training grounds, all of which have geothermal and drainage systems. The only thing that makes Ye Qiu not very satisfied is that there is no indoor training ground.

You know, London is rainy and snowy in winter, and it is indeed inconvenient to have no indoor training ground.

Of course, it is best to have an indoor training ground, but there is no big problem if there is no indoor training ground. However, considering that Manchester United's Carrington and Arsenal's Kearney both have them, Chelsea seems to be a little inferior to its opponents if it does not have one.

Ye Qiu is very satisfied with this, because he has been working in the extremely bad Harrington training base for the past year. Compared with Cobham, the situation there is more like a nightmare.

The team's training has begun. Except for those international players who are still on vacation for the European Cup and those who are still playing for the national team in the America's Cup, everyone else has returned to the team.

"Is it hard to find the way to Cobham?"

As soon as he entered the press conference hall, Ye Qiu made a joke to all the reporters present, because many of them believed that it was their first time to come to the Cobham training base, which must be troublesome.

The training bases of Premier League clubs are generally arranged in suburban areas, so they are generally difficult to find. Manchester United's Carrington and Arsenal's Colney are both difficult to find places, and now there is another one, Chelsea's Cobham.

"The main reason I invited everyone here today is to announce two transfers!" Ye Qiu sat down and asked all the reporters to sit down with him. He was the first to announce, "First of all, we introduced the Argentine left back, Gabriel Heinze, from Paris Saint-Germain for a transfer fee of 10 million euros."

All the reporters at the scene were shocked. Gabriel Heinze, how did this Argentine international perform in Ligue 1 in the past year? To be honest, not many people know, because Ligue 1's influence is really not big now, but many people know him because of Manchester United.

Ferguson said before that he would focus on strengthening the team's left back. One of the signings he designated was to bring in Gabriel Heinze from Paris Saint-Germain. The purpose was to strengthen the team's left defense and allow Sylvester to better play in the middle and partner with Ferdinand.

Does this count as the league starting early?

You know, Chelsea and Manchester United were a pair of mortal enemies at the beginning of the season, because the Community Shield was played by the league champions and the FA Cup, that is, Chelsea and Manchester United, and the first round of the league was also coincidentally, Chelsea and Manchester United, so the media had already prepared to build momentum for these two games.

Who knew that the two teams would fight to the death before the game started!

The media at the scene only moved for a while, but soon they all became quiet spontaneously, because they knew very well that this was the first transfer mentioned by Ye Qiu, and there should be another one.

At this time, Peter Kenyon and a young player in a suit walked into the press conference. When all the reporters saw the arrival, they stood up and took pictures of the two people frantically.

The arrival was Wayne Rooney!

"Oh my God, Chelsea got Rooney!!!!"

"This is definitely a blockbuster transfer, it's so surprising!!"

"When did they get it? Why did Everton agree so easily? How much is the transfer fee?"

The reporters at the scene were obviously very out of control, because this transfer may have limited influence on the European continent, but for the English football world, this is definitely a transfer that is no less than the world superstar level, because Rooney has been regarded as the most talented top talent in England since Gascoigne.

Ye Qiu and Peter Kenyon looked at each other and were very satisfied with each other's results. Now it was just a press conference. After the team training, when they returned to London from the United States after participating in the Champions Tour, they would bring out the three players who joined the team this summer to meet the fans, but now they need the media to create momentum.

"This is the second transfer I want to announce. We have reached an agreement with Everton and have signed a contract with Wayne Rooney. From now on, Rooney will belong to Chelsea for the next six years!" Ye Qiu announced the transfer with a smile.

Rooney walked towards Ye Qiu, and the two shook hands cordially with smiles in front of the media, because they had already met once before the press conference, and many things were settled at that meeting. After that, the transfer matter changed. It went very smoothly.

Everton originally wanted to continue delaying, but Chelsea's attitude was very clear and decisive. If Everton could not agree to Chelsea's transfer request as soon as possible, Chelsea would withdraw the transfer offer and would no longer make any advances to Rooney from now on. Go get a quote.

35 million euros, this is definitely a transfer request that is difficult to refuse for Everton, and what is even more valuable is that Chelsea has promised to pay directly in cash, which is more tempting than installment payments, so we are weighing the pros and cons. After that, Everton finally made a compromise and gave the green light for Rooney's transfer.

"Mr. Ye Qiu, your secret skills are indeed very good and very fast. When did you reach the agreement with Everton? How much was Rooney's transfer fee?" The reporter from the Guardian stood up. Ask questions.

Ye Qiu laughed, "The agreement was reached yesterday, so I can't wait to announce it today!"

Everyone present laughed. Obviously the matter was not as exaggerated as Ye Qiu said, but Ye Qiu used a joke to reveal the Rooney transfer fee. Although it was 35 million euros, Ye Qiu and Peter ?Kenyon felt that there was no need to announce it and let everyone guess.

For the current Rooney, it is not surprising that Chelsea can acquire him at a high price, because his performance in the European Cup was indeed so outstanding that the whole of England and even the world regarded him as the savior of England. For such a player, no matter how high the transfer fee is, it is not outrageous.

On the contrary, as Peter Kenyon said, Chelsea welcomes any exaggerated and outrageous speculation.

"I believe, Mr. Ye Qiu, it must be very difficult to make such a confidential signing. Can you tell us your evaluation of Rooney and how you plan to position his role in Chelsea? After all, everyone Everyone feels that Chelsea was very strong and balanced last season!”

Ye Qiu smiled at the camera, but said seriously, "I want to say that my players and I will not rest on our past achievements and sleep with the championship trophy. That is not our style. We will not Keep working hard, continue to surpass yourself in the past, and keep strengthening the overall strength of the team.”

"Although Rooney is only 18 years old, his personality and talent are surprising. We have been paying attention to him since his debut. He is very confident, mature and stable. He is a very good offensive player, but he is not a pure player. He is a shooter and is not a center. He is best at moving freely on both sides of the penalty area.”

Whether in the England national team or Everton, Rooney is not a single arrow, but more like a midfielder. However, he runs very actively and has a wide range of running. He often pulls to the wings to find one-on-one. Opportunities for breakthroughs. Rooney now plays with a lot of energy. His breakthroughs are very sharp and he is very confident.

Of course, people who don't like him will think that this kid is a bull. If you can get past him, you will still have to get past him. Anyway, he has this kind of temper. But what is surprising is that even if it is a defense that is difficult to overcome, , he can even carve a gap for you.

"So, I believe there is no need to worry about Rooney's position and positioning at Chelsea. He will bring an improvement to the team's strength. I have no doubt about this!"

"But, Mr. Ye Qiu!" Another reporter raised his hand and asked, "You know, there was a saying in the Premier League in the past, that is, the midfielder of the Premier League team is not allowed to have two or more tall people at the same time. Players no taller than 1.8 meters, but now Chelsea seems to have surpassed him at this point.”

"Is there such a statement?" Ye Qiu shook his head. He really had never heard of it, but judging from the reporters' nodding expressions, this was probably an unspoken rule implicitly followed by past Premier League coaches. "If it is true, That’s definitely not for me!”

"In the past, the traditional style of the Premier League was to pass long passes and have a lot of high balls. If the players were shorter, they could only raise their heads and watch the balls flying around in the sky!" Ye Qiu said and matched the flying movements of his right hand. It made everyone present laugh.

"But the Premier League is different now. Just like us at Chelsea, our style of play is not to rush away with long passes. We pursue control. We pursue control of the rhythm of the game, space and ball possession. So for us, players His height is not a problem, because the control is in our hands, and the most important thing is that he meets our tactical needs!”

Many people at the scene nodded, and some even applauded, because if you look carefully, you will find that the midfielders of Arsenal and Manchester United are relatively tall, generally above 1.8 meters, and very few are below. At the same time, there may even be only one player under 1.8 meters tall in the midfield.

But now Chelsea has obviously more. Last season, there were already three midfielders, Deco, Davis and Makelele, who were all under 1.8 meters tall. Even the height of the three of them was considered short in the Premier League, so the last one Before the season started, many people joked that Chelsea's midfielders were all short-footed tigers.

However, this pair of midfielders is indeed surprising, showing a breathtaking control, but Davis and Makelele are both well-known powerful midfielders, and Deco's performance in the Premier League last season and this year's European Cup is also top-notch, so Chelsea has also broken many people's past concepts and perceptions of the height of Premier League midfielders.

But at a deeper level, this is not just height, but represents a style!

Height is synonymous with strength and physical confrontation to a certain extent, but Chelsea has proved with facts that you don't need strong physical confrontation and strength. As long as you can exert strong control pressure on your opponent through overall tactics, you can still defeat any opponent. In this case, height and strength have become a burden.

"Wayne, can you tell us how you feel about leaving Everton and joining Chelsea?" A reporter turned the topic to Rooney. Ye Qiu is now an old hand, but Rooney is only 18 years old.

"I feel sad to leave Everton, but when I knew that Chelsea and Mr. Ye Qiu wanted to bring me in, I thought about it for a long time, and finally I chose to join Chelsea, because I hope to realize all my dreams here, including winning the European Champions League and the league championship!"

"Here, I must say sorry to all the Everton fans who have supported and encouraged me, because the highest honor is too important and too tempting for a professional player, I can't refuse."

"Joining Chelsea is an exciting thing, because there are a group of outstanding superstars here. I am eager to work with Ronaldinho, Deco, Makelele, Lampard, Cannavaro, Terry and other world's best. I can't wait for this, I believe we will succeed!"

Rooney is still very young now, his hair is still thick, and his voice is loud, giving people a feeling of full energy.

With the joining of Rooney, Heinze and Essien, everyone once again realized that Chelsea seems to be stronger than last season in terms of strength and lineup thickness!

"Not good!"

When Ye Qiu had just finished the press conference in London about Rooney and Heinze joining the team, less than half an hour later, Queiroz, who was far away in Carrington, Manchester, knocked open the door of Ferguson's office.

After an embarrassing season at Real Madrid, the Portuguese was dismissed and returned to Manchester United.

Although Ferguson was very dissatisfied with the Portuguese's transfer to Real Madrid a year ago, he now urgently needed a capable assistant, because he had clearly felt that his mind and energy were no longer enough to maintain all the affairs of the team, and he needed someone to share the burden with him. Obviously, it is better to use the familiar than the new. Queiroz does not need to be run-in at all, and is the most ideal candidate.

"What's the matter?" Ferguson looked up. He was arranging the team's summer training plan with a pen in his hand.

"We received a call from a newspaper reporter. Just now in London, Chelsea announced two transfers. They brought in Heinze from Paris Saint-Germain and Wayne Rooney from Everton. We were intercepted!" Queiroz finished such a long paragraph in one breath, and he was a little out of breath.

"What?" Ferguson's pen fell on the table. He was interested in both Heinze and Rooney. "Is the news reliable?"

"Absolutely reliable!" Queiroz said with certainty.

"Fuck!" Ferguson touched his forehead and cursed angrily. These two players were part of his plan. Rooney actually didn't have a big impact, because he didn't plan to rush. If someone robbed them, he would do it this summer. If no one robbed them, he would talk about it next summer. This way, he could avoid Manchester United's transfer pressure.

But I didn't expect that Chelsea bastard would do it without saying a word in advance. It was cruel enough!

The transfer that really affected Manchester United was Heinze. This left-back was a player that Ferguson valued very much. He wanted to introduce Heinze, free up Silvester, let the Frenchman concentrate on playing in the middle, and adjust and strengthen Manchester United's defense. But now Heinze has also gone to Chelsea. Isn't this disrupting Ferguson's plan?

Since Irwin, Manchester United's left-back has never made Ferguson worry-free. From Phil Neville to O'Shea, it was hard to get a Silvester. But in fact, Silvester was not a regular left-back. He played as a central defender. It was only later that he went to the left and performed better than the middle, so he was fixed on the left.

But Silvester's problem is not small. His state fluctuates greatly. When he performs well, he is world-class, and when he performs poorly, he will make you collapse. Moreover, there is a serious shortage of people in the middle now. Silvester is a player that Ferguson is more confident in the middle, so he wants to introduce a left-back to fill the loopholes in the defense.

There are too few outstanding left-backs in the transfer market now. Ajax's Abidal has been flirting with Barcelona for a long time and is expected to go to Spain. Given the relationship between Ajax and Barcelona, ​​no one can snatch this person away. Philipp Lahm, who performed very well in the European Cup, is on loan from Bayern Munich to Stuttgart. It is difficult to dig him out. To be honest, Lahm's physique may not be able to adapt to the Premier League.

Ashley Cole, Zambrotta, Riise, Roberto Carlos...

These capable left-backs are either too expensive or impossible to bring in. Ferguson couldn't think of any suitable targets for the moment, and his mind was a little confused, but he knew very well that if Manchester United could not strengthen the left-back or central defender positions this year, there would still be no chance to compete for the championship.

Seeing Ferguson's gloomy face, Queiroz knew that he was in a bad mood at the moment, and quietly left the office. The moment he closed the door, he breathed a sigh of relief, because he was not the head coach, so the pressure was far less.

But he could imagine that the new season was about to start, but there was still no progress in the transfer until now. The opponents in the first two official games of the season were strong teams like Chelsea. Ferguson's pressure can be imagined.