The Godfather of Football

All Tottenham Hotspur players attended the team lunch in Moscow and returned to London by charter flight from Moscow. This dinner was a celebration banquet held in the hotel where the team stayed. The players' relatives and friends, as well as many sponsors and fans were also invited. The scene was quite large.

Even the bigwigs of the Premier League and the English Football Association and many British political and business celebrities were invited to celebrate.

In the past 100 years of modern football history, London has always been suppressed by other cities in the UK. One very important reason is that there are many football clubs and many Premier League teams in London, but they have never won a Champions League. This has always been a permanent pain in the hearts of London fans.

Fans from other cities have ridiculed London. Even a team like Nottingham has produced a Nottingham Forest. How can London, which has never won the Champions League, have the face to call itself the center of English football?

One of the important reasons why Arsenal has always been popular with London fans is that many London fans regard Arsenal as the hope for the revival of London football. They believe that Arsenal has a better chance of making a breakthrough in the Champions League and winning a Champions League than other teams in London.

But Wenger's team has never been satisfactory. Instead, after Ye Qiu came to London from Amsterdam, he led Chelsea to win the Champions League in the first season. This made Ye Qiu completely conquer all the fans in this city in a very short time. Even the fans of those mortal enemies found it difficult to resent him.

But just when everyone had high hopes for Chelsea and hoped that Ye Qiu could make this team a top Premier League giant and a top giant in the real European arena, whether it was performance, influence, or honors, and worthy of London, an international financial center, Ye Qiu left Chelsea.

After a year, Ye Qiu returned to the Premier League. In the first year, he led Tottenham Hotspur to achieve a historic breakthrough and reached the third place in the Premier League. In the second year, which is this season, although the team missed the league championship with a regrettable result, it defeated Manchester United, the flagship team in the northwest, with a miraculous comeback in the Champions League final.

For London fans, this is definitely an epic victory worth celebrating.

In the UK, football is full of regional conflicts. For example, Manchester and Liverpool, these two cities have always been at odds and are mortal enemies. This mortal enemy complex has appeared a long time ago. However, relatively speaking, as two important cities in the northwest, they also have conflicts and competitions with London, especially with the decline of heavy industry in the northwest of the UK and the economic downturn, while London, as an international financial center, has become a flagship city in the UK. This gap has led to more serious regional emotional conflicts.

It can be said that in terms of the position against London, Manchester and Liverpool, the mortal enemies, are consistent. Therefore, the rise of Chelsea and the rise of Tottenham Hotspur are not what they want to see.

Although the London teams are also mortal enemies, they are consistent in their stance against the Northwest.

Therefore, when Tottenham Hotspur reversed Manchester United and won the second Champions League in the history of London football, almost all Londoners were proud and excited about it. Many fans even felt that the fighting spirit shown by Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final should be called the London spirit.

In this world, there is nothing more pleasing to fans than winning the championship by stepping on the shoulders of their mortal enemies. Being able to win the Champions League by stepping on the shoulders of Manchester United, the representative team of the Northwest, is simply a beautiful thing that makes all London fans excited and unable to sleep.

Because of this, the whole city affirmed and praised Tottenham Hotspur's victory. Countless fans, whether Tottenham Hotspur fans or fans of other teams, took to the streets happily to celebrate Tottenham Hotspur's reversal and victory.

Citizens have given their support and affirmation to the London City Government's proposal to allow Tottenham Hotspur's celebration parade to extend from Haig Road to Kingsland Avenue in the south, with a total length of more than six kilometers.

This is a treatment that Chelsea did not enjoy even when they won the first Champions League in London's history. One of the important factors for this is that Tottenham Hotspur defeated the northwest giant Manchester United.

But don't think that the London City Government is kind. In fact, none of these politicians are good birds. The reason why they extended to Kingsland Avenue is that it is close to Stratford, the host venue of the Olympic Games. This year is the first year of the preparations for the Olympic Games. Celebrating with the Champions League is a big publicity.

For this reason, the Olympic Committee made an exception and opened the construction site of the London Olympic Stadium. Although there was nothing there, only a groundbreaking ceremony site, it still attracted countless fans.

British football has always been superstitious, just like what Beckham said to Mascherano, don't touch the trophy before the Champions League final. This is a superstition, and Tottenham fans are willing to believe that the team won this Champions League, precisely because of the good luck brought by this new stadium that will completely belong to the team in the next few years.

This is a stadium that can bring good luck to the team, the fans, and everyone!

This concept quickly took shape among all fans after the team won the Champions League, because as soon as they got it, they helped the team win the Champions League. Is there any better luck than this?

Therefore, a considerable number of fans rushed to the construction site of Stratford's new stadium to celebrate during the team's parade, and Tottenham Hotspur also gave support and encouragement to this. After all, if If fans are willing to believe that the new stadium will bring them good luck, then this will attract more people to become Tottenham Hotspur fans, and at the same time, it will also attract more fans to enter the new stadium in the future.

Sometimes people are superstitious. If you are superstitious, you will believe it. If you are not superstitious, you will not believe it.

On the other hand, based on the response from past Champions League finals and the influence of London, it is expected that Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League will bring at least 20 million to London in the next year. Tourism spending grew around the pound.

If you just count this amount, it doesn’t seem to be anything remarkable, but if you take into account the local fans’ consumption of food, drinks, etc. before and after the game, product sales, and the improvement of the city’s brand image, plus the contribution to the future The momentum created by the London Olympics will bring immeasurable benefits to the city.

In this regard, Boris Johnson, who was just elected as the Mayor of London in May this year, severely criticized his predecessor, believing that whether his predecessor supported Tottenham Hotspur or some people who hated Ye Qiu's Chinese identity The tolerance of extremists is obviously disappointing.

In an interview with reporters, he said that the city government will strongly support the development of Tottenham Hotspur, and implicitly hinted that even if Tottenham Hotspur cannot come up with 100 million euros by September, the city government will Go out of your way to help.

But more importantly, he announced that the London Olympics will fully welcome investors from China to participate.

After Ye Qiu got off the plane, the players boarded the uncovered bus and took the Champions League St. Petersburg Cup and the English FA Cup champions to parade around the city. He took the north road and headed directly to White Deer. Alley pitch, newspapers seen on the road.

"Politicians, this is a politician!" Ye Qiu casually thrust the newspaper into the hands of Chen Zhong who was sitting next to him.

Boris Johnson, who has been a reporter for more than ten years, is famous for his glib mouth. During his campaign, the entire British media will help him build momentum. If you simply hear that he is now If you say this, anyone would think that he is very pro-China, but in fact, he has publicly attacked China many times, even humiliating him.

"When we go abroad, we have to get used to their behavior!" Chen Zhong said with a smile. After living abroad for a long time, he has become accustomed to it. Many Western politicians will do everything possible to attack them for political purposes, such as electioneering. China, but once they get the position they want, their attitude will change drastically.

Boris Johnson is just one of them, not the first, nor will he be the last!

"So, we must learn their rules, adapt to their rules, defeat them within their rules, and re-establish our own rules!"

After hearing this, Chen Zhong felt a little emotional in his heart. Ye Qiu has changed a lot in recent years, especially for his cousin who sometimes doesn't see him a few times a year. Ye Qiu is becoming more and more powerful now. Although he is restrained and modest in his words and deeds, he cannot hide his impressive edge.

No wonder, in just a few years, he not only built a world-renowned and powerful company like Leaf Technology, but also took over the Olympic Stadium, the iconic venue of the London Olympics. This move was called by many British conservatives It was the beginning of the Chinese takeover of Britain.

Even at home, when Chen Zhong was interviewed and talked to by the top leaders of the central government several times, Ye Qiu was mentioned in a subtle way. Although Ye Qiu did not announce many things to the outside world or did not deliberately hype them, the central government did. From what I can see, especially some of Ye Zi Technology’s actions in the country, the central leaders are very satisfied.

There are people above who can do things, and Chen Zhong knows very well that the Huangtian Group has been going smoothly these years, and Ye Qiu is the most important person here. At least the entire group belongs to him, right?

"Brother Zhong, how are you preparing for the five-star hotel this time? Do you have the confidence to work alone?" Ye Qiu asked with a smile.

Running a five-star hotel is not a simple matter. It involves countless aspects, especially in a highly competitive place like London. Even the operating conditions of some international hotel chains are not ideal, and the pressure can be imagined. And know it.

"We have accumulated a lot of relevant experience at home, and we are very confident when we go abroad this time!"

After hearing this, Ye Qiu nodded frequently. This time, the five-star hotel project was built with the help of the Olympic Games and its geographical location is quite good. It can be said that it is uniquely endowed with the right time and place. As long as the hotel's management and services can keep up, I believe it is very likely to become a hit.

As long as it can gain a firm foothold in London, Huangtian Group's hotel business will further develop in the future, and it even hopes to become an international hotel chain brand belonging to the Chinese in the future.

"What about you? In the next three years, do you plan to invest 300 million by yourself? Or get a bank loan?" Chen Zhong asked with concern.

Ye Qiu smiled after hearing this, "With this Champions League, at least there won't be any major funding problems in the next two years!"

"Two hundred million?" He was a little surprised.

"This is a conservative estimate. If our sponsorship system is well managed and we continue to perform well in the Premier League and the Champions League in the next two seasons, this will not be a problem at all!" Ye Qiu said confidently.

But it is not that Ye Qiu is exaggerating, but the fact is that at least from the current situation, the sponsorship system still has a lot of room for development. For example, in terms of automobiles, the team's current automobile sponsor has not yet been settled, but it has attracted the favor of many large companies, including international brands such as Toyota, Opel, and BMW.

Among them, BMW is very interested in sponsoring Tottenham Hotspur, on the one hand because Tottenham Hotspur is located in London, and at the celebration at noon, the president of BMW's European region also attended and had a detailed discussion with Peter Kenyon.

Audi has sponsored Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Manchester United and other teams in recent years, with great momentum and rising sales. But now Tottenham Hotspur has reversed Manchester United and defeated the Red Devils to win the championship, which has made BMW see the business opportunity. By sponsoring Tottenham Hotspur, they can take advantage of this Champions League to show a higher posture than Audi.

In addition, the training suit sponsorship is also in progress, and more sponsors will be attracted to join in the future. Ye Qiu believes that with the current situation of the team, as long as the team's performance and development momentum are guaranteed, coupled with the team's appropriate austerity, it should not be a big problem to cope with the preparation for the construction of the new stadium.

If it really doesn't work, Ye Qiu will consider injecting capital into the club.

Tottenham Hotspur alone has to bear 300 million euros in three years. Ye Qiu thinks this is very difficult, because even Manchester United's annual net profit is only about 100 million euros, but Manchester United's operation is obviously two levels higher than Tottenham Hotspur, so Tottenham Hotspur can never get such a high profit.

Therefore, Ye Qiu's attitude is that if it is the funds for the construction of a new stadium, he will inject capital, but the team will adopt a more frugal operation in recruiting and buying players. It will not buy big-name superstars, nor will it buy some stars who will break the team's salary structure, because these will bring huge troubles to Tottenham Hotspur.

Just like Wenger's Arsenal, there are already salary structural problems. Flamini announced a free transfer to AC Milan because the Rossoneri promised to give him a higher salary, and Arsenal simply could not pay it. In addition, several players such as Adebayo have also expressed their opinions one after another, thinking that the club's salary should be appropriately relaxed.

Ye Qiu has no doubt about Wenger's stubbornness, and this is also reflected in his control of the team's salary structure.

In order to build a new stadium, they have to cut back on their spending and even sell several star players. On the other hand, the Premier League has also been crazy because of the influx of foreign capital such as Abramovich, which has caused the salary structure to rise steadily. Arsenal's stubborn support on this side is already very valuable.

On the contrary, Manchester United followed Chelsea and raised salaries lavishly, so the two teams currently have the highest salaries in the Premier League, with Chelsea first and Manchester United second. Arsenal is fourth after Liverpool, followed by Tottenham Hotspur.

But although Arsenal's salary seems high, the team's combat effectiveness is not strong. One very important reason is that in addition to the departure of core players, more importantly, a considerable part of the salary is spent on some marginal players, and this is indeed Wenger's own problem.

Generally speaking, a team will consider the cost when poaching a player, but the cost of poaching a player is not just the transfer fee, but also includes salary and taxes. The Premier League has always set a weekly salary cap of 100,000 for players in the past, because if the weekly salary exceeds 100,000, high taxes must be paid, but this unspoken rule was completely broken when Chelsea introduced Shevchenko, Ashley Cole, Ballack and others.

Transfer fees and salaries are like the two ends of a seesaw. Generally speaking, except for some superstars, players with high transfer fees will have their salaries relatively lowered to keep costs within a certain range. On the contrary, players with low transfer fees or even free transfers will have higher salaries. Ballack joining Chelsea is an example.

Flamini transferred to AC Milan. His annual salary at Arsenal was 1.2 million euros, but when he arrived at AC Milan, it became more than 4 million euros. It is difficult for anyone to refuse such an invitation, and Wenger is also very clear that he can't give such a high salary, so he can only choose to let go in the end.

So, what is Wenger's problem?

It is that he pursues good quality and low price too much during the transfer process, likes to poach some young players, and sometimes even pays too high a salary for those young players, resulting in the team's originally healthy salary structure, and the salary echelons of the star player, the main player, the rotation, the substitute and the youth training are broken.

Imagine that some young players who can't play many games for many years are paid the salary of the main player or the rotation main player. Will the players be convinced? If the team's total salary cap remains unchanged, the excessive salaries of these young players will inevitably affect the salaries of other players.

This is the problem Wenger is facing now!

Originally, without the star player, Arsenal's salary structure should be very healthy, but due to excessive poaching of some young players, the team's salary structure has become chaotic, which eventually caused frequent problems within the team.

Ye Qiu is very clear that Tottenham Hotspur needs to cultivate its own star players. From the current situation, Ribery is very likely to be the next key training target.

At the same time, the team also needs to ensure that the main players and the rotation players get their corresponding salaries to ensure the healthy and orderly salary structure of the team.

If Tottenham Hotspur introduces a star at this time, it doesn't need to be a superstar, just say that he is a target of heavy money. As long as the overall salary structure of the team is broken, then Ribery, Messi, Fabregas and other players will immediately follow suit and ask for a salary increase. At that time, Tottenham Hotspur's entire salary will completely usher in a big explosion.

Once the salary structure is out of control, the consequences will be disastrous. Chelsea is a lesson learned.

It is not the lack of wealth that is worrying, but the inequality. The words of the Chinese ancestors are still very reasonable!

Of course, we can't be too stingy, so after the team won the Champions League this year, the renewal and salary increase of several stars have been included in the club's key plans, including Ribery and Messi, both of whom have increased once a year, but the amplitude has been slightly controlled, so the team is not under great pressure and the players are in a good mood.

Moreover, Tottenham Hotspur has also taken effective tax avoidance measures, which is something that Eliza Moon's agency used to do. Now Tottenham Hotspur is familiar with it, so overall, the players' salaries seem not high, but they will get a lot, and the club's expenditure is not much, so everyone is happy.

But there are also hidden dangers, that is, as the players, especially several leading stars, become more famous and influential, if the team's management cannot keep up, then within a year or two, they will choose to leave Tottenham Hotspur.

Because by then, Tottenham Hotspur will not be able to satisfy them at all!

Therefore, the management of the team in the next two to three years is very important. It can even be said that Tottenham Hotspur has reached a critical moment. Whether it can become a top club in the future depends on whether the foundation laid in the next two to three years is solid.