The Godfather of Football

Ye Qiu received a call from Peter Kenyon and returned to London two days after arriving in the United States.

The reason why he left in such a hurry was because there was an important contract waiting for him to sign in London.

After getting off the plane, Ye Qiu arranged for someone to take his wife and two children home. Then he got on the club shuttle bus that had been waiting for him and headed to the White Hart Lane Stadium. Along the way, someone from the marketing department had already sent him a message. A letter of intent for cooperation.

The one who wants to cooperate with Tottenham Hotspur is Qatar Airways from Asia. This company is one of the five-star airlines in the world and one of the airlines that has been developing quite well recently. It has a high-profile sponsorship in the United Arab Emirates. After Arsenal, it seems that Qatar Airways is not to be outdone and has entered London.

In the eyes of many people, small countries such as Qatar and the United Arab Emirates seem to have the feeling that people are stupid and money comes quickly. But who knows, which rich person in this world would be a fool? When you call others stupid, you yourself are not much smarter.

Both Qatar and the United Arab Emirates rely on oil for their livelihoods, but oil is a strategic material and will always be sold out one day. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, they must convert the money earned from oil into sustainable development projects in the future. .

Therefore, in recent years, a large number of consortiums such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have entered a series of important fields such as media, aviation, real estate, and shipping. They are even taking advantage of the U.S. subprime mortgage and European debt crises to take advantage of the situation. They are not stupid, on the contrary, they are very smart and far-sighted.

Just like Li Ka-shing likes to invest in basic industries, aviation, media, shipping, and real estate are all very valuable industries. If there had not been a debt crisis, it would not have been easy to get hold of them.

And the big conglomerates in the Middle East are not stupid at all. They also know how to market themselves, so when they spend money on investment, they also sponsor teams and advertise heavily, because football is undoubtedly one of the best advertising platforms in the world. one.

Sometimes we have to admit what Florentino said. In the capital market, money is not valuable at all. Things that money can buy are not expensive no matter how you calculate them. What is really expensive are those who have Money can't buy it.

So he said that whether he bought Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, or later bought Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and others, he didn't think it was expensive. On the contrary, he felt it was very cheap and a good deal. Because he solved all problems with money.

The simplest logic is that there is endless money to make and spend, but the earth is only so big.

After arriving at White Hart Lane, Ye Qiu went up to the second floor and went to Peter Kenyon's office. He knocked on the door and went in. Before he said anything, Peter Kenyon took the initiative to talk about this cooperation. .

"Qatar Airways has always attached great importance to the Southeast Asian market and is also very active in developing the global market. This time they took the initiative to find us, and the sponsorship fee they offered was very attractive." Peter Kenyon walked out the door. Ask the secretary to make two cups of hot coffee, then close the door and come back.

"The training uniform sponsorship is five million a year, but all players, including our coaches, are required to wear training uniforms with their logo on the training field, and as long as the training photos appear in front of the media and the public It’s the same thing!”

This is a very normal request, just like Adidas sponsoring Tottenham Hotspur. With so much money every year, it is impossible for you to be allowed to wear other brands of jerseys in training or games, then they will definitely sue you.

“Also, they hope that all our team’s away games in the future, including our warm-up matches in other places, will be on their flights. If possible, they hope to start directly from this summer’s Asia trip, which costs two million euros! "

After hearing this, Ye Qiu felt that these two conditions were not harsh, because flying with them was free, but when the time came, Qatar Airways could use Tottenham Hotspur's brand and player image, even within the next year. Words like Champions League champion.

"Don't they have any other conditions?" Ye Qiu was a little funny, because the conditions were so generous.

"Yes!" Peter Kenyon nodded, "When we reconsider the jersey sponsorship with Vodafone, they have priority, and they require us to ensure that we enter the Champions League every season in the future, otherwise they will reduce part of the sponsorship fee according to the terms. , and the other thing is that we have to cooperate with their activities at least twice a year, one of which will be in the Middle East.”

Perhaps seeing Ye Qiu's frown, Peter Kenyon knew what he was going to say, so he smiled and said, "I have already talked to them. In order to take care of the team's preparations, because we do not have a winter break, Therefore, the trip to the Middle East can only be arranged in the summer, and I even proposed to hold a warm-up cup in the Middle East.”

Ye Qiu smiled bitterly after hearing this. The cooperation between Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax was going well, but Ajax once again invited Tottenham Hotspur to participate in the invitational tournament in Amsterdam. This was the first consecutive invitation. In the second year, if there is another Middle East Cup, Tottenham Hotspur will play in the cup almost every summer.

Especially considering that the Premier League is intensively preparing for the Premier League pre-season, mainly in Asia and the United States.

Peter Kenyon and Ye Qiu understood each other, smiled and nodded, saying: "So, you don't need to worry about warm-up matches in the future, because there are warm-up matches everywhere, and you are too busy!"

"I don't reject warm-up matches, but I have only one requirement. The opponent must at least have some weight, so that the warm-up matches are worth it. I don't even reject arranging training camps in other places, such as the Middle East, Asia and the United States, but everything should be based on the quality of the team's summer training."

Peter Kenyon understood what Ye Qiu meant. Competition opens the way for business, but business must also consider the interests of competition. Only when the two are combined just right can Ye Qiu's two-legged strategy be best reflected.

Seeing Peter Kenyon's big bald head smiling, Ye Qiu knew that after winning the Champions League, the team's summer business operations were progressing quite well. There should be several cooperation agreements under discussion at present, one of which is BMW.

"How is the negotiation with BMW?" Ye Qiu asked with concern.

Peter Kenyon nodded, "Almost. The sponsorship fee is 3 million euros a year. All first-team players and senior management of the club will each get a BMW, and they can choose any model. Some potential players in the youth team will also get a BMW."

"Then I can't drive a Ferrari in the future?" Ye Qiu immediately showed a very aggrieved look. He has two Ferraris and a Porsche at home. He recently bought a Bugatti Veyron, but no BMW!

"When you come to the training base or the stadium, it's best to drive a BMW. Who told us to be greedy for other people's money?" Peter Kenyon laughed. He didn't care much about cars, but it was not bad to get a BMW for free.

"Don't make it sound like we are profit-seeking. Talking about sponsorship, not money, is too vulgar!" Ye Qiu also teased.

"In addition, both Qatar Airways and BMW are very interested in our stadium billboards. Qatar Airways has also decided to buy the billboards behind our coach and substitute seats!"

Many live broadcasts are shot from the stands, so the chances of shooting behind the substitute and coach seats are quite high. It can be said that it is not inferior to the stadium billboards. White Hart Lane did not pay much attention to it before, but it has been developed now.

"Is BMW sponsoring other teams at present?" Ye Qiu asked casually.

Peter Kenyon shook his head. "BMW's marketing in recent years has mainly been in sailing and golf, and less in football. Now it sponsors the Brazilian national team. A few years ago, it was reported that they would sponsor Bayern Munich. They used to be brothers with Bayern, only separated by a street, but later they were intercepted by Audi."

"In recent years, Audi has relied on football marketing, especially becoming a sponsor of a lot of big clubs including Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​AC Milan, Bayern, Manchester United, etc., which has greatly improved Audi's brand value and sales. BMW now feels threatened, so it found us. . "

When he said this, Peter Kenyon stared at Ye Qiu and laughed, "In fact, there is another thing that no one has said, but we all know it. Sponsoring Tottenham Hotspur is equivalent to sponsoring you. This kind of advertising effect and the response it can cause in the Chinese market are very amazing. "

Tottenham Hotspur dare not say that it is the team with the most fans in China now, but it is definitely one of the most popular teams in China. Especially after winning the Champions League, it has become the object of pursuit by countless domestic fans. Coupled with Ye Qiu's influence, even many wealthy teams may not be able to catch up.

Ye Qiu has long been accustomed to this situation. Since he decided to become the head coach of Tottenham Hotspur, he has expected this to be the case, so he is not surprised by this.

"By the way, I received a shocking news. I heard that a large consortium from the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East is acquiring the Manchester City team acquired by Thaksin. It is estimated that it should be completed soon. Counting it, this should also be a big local tyrant!"

Peter Kenyon is not familiar with this large consortium in the United Arab Emirates, but Ye Qiu knows very well that it is the Abu Dhabi consortium.

This is the real No. 1 tycoon in the football world, so rich that it is simply outrageous.

"Don't worry about them!" Ye Qiu didn't want to intervene in these things for the time being, "How is Valencia?"

"Still dragging it out!" Peter Kenyon said, "They didn't agree to our offer, but they didn't refuse it either. However, Barcelona asked us about Mascherano's price. I didn't agree, indicating that the Argentine is not for sale."

"Well, put some pressure on Valencia, don't let them be so calm and think that we must have David Silva!"

While Ye Qiu stayed in London, signed sponsorship contracts with Qatar Airways and German auto giant BMW, and the two sides reached a comprehensive cooperation agreement, there was another storm in the transfer market.

Real Madrid finally made a move and directly offered a sky-high price of 50 million euros to Frank Ribery of Tottenham Hotspur. Calderon said that Ribery is better than Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United. He firmly believes that Ribery will greatly enhance Real Madrid's offensive power, especially considering the double forward combination of Ribery and Robben.

Tottenham Hotspur acknowledged the offer from Real Madrid, saying that it had indeed received an offer from Real Madrid, but the team had rejected it, arguing that Ribery was an important member of the team and Tottenham Hotspur had no plans to sell Ribery. At the same time, the team also denied Barcelona's transfer proposal for Messi worth 30 million euros.

"We have not received any offer from Barcelona, ​​and we have no plans to sell Messi. He is the core player of the team and will not leave Tottenham Hotspur!" The club's official spokesperson said at a press conference.

But it is difficult to say what is going on in the transfer market. A series of news came out from the outside world, and many people even humiliated Barcelona, ​​thinking that the offer of 30 million euros was absolutely a humiliation for Messi, and they couldn't even buy Messi's right leg.

On the contrary, the news that Real Madrid pursued Ribery attracted great attention. Marca revealed that at the new round of Real Madrid member meetings, Calderon had made it clear that Ribery would be regarded as the team's most important signing in the summer, and Real Madrid's summer transfer budget also reached a staggering 100 million euros.

However, the media denied it soon, saying that a large part of Calderon's so-called 100 million transfer budget would be realized by selling Robinho to Chelsea, but at present, the two teams have reached a deadlock in the price negotiation on Robinho's transfer and it is difficult to reach a consensus.

Many media also said that instead of introducing Ribery, it would be better to introduce a left back. After all, after Roberto Carlos left the team, the problem of left back has become a bottleneck for Real Madrid. Real Madrid should introduce a powerful left back to strengthen the team's left side.

However, left backs in the European transfer market are obviously very scarce, and the outstanding ones are all in the giants. So when helping Real Madrid list candidates, Tottenham Hotspur's main left back Vargas is naturally indispensable. AS estimates that the Peruvian left back is worth about 20 million euros.

Tottenham Hotspur has been prepared for this kind of speculation from the outside world. They are not the top giants, so after winning the Champions League, they will inevitably be poached by other teams. Ajax fell apart due to poaching by other teams, but now Tottenham Hotspur is obviously not Ajax.

Tottenham Hotspur denied all the transfer rumors and said that the team currently has no plans to sell players.

Before the European Cup, Ye Qiu also accepted interviews with reporters and the media to clarify the rumors that Tottenham Hotspur might sell one or two players in the team to pay for the construction of the new stadium.

"Our team's current financial situation is very ideal. Not only do we not need to rely on selling players to pay for the construction, on the contrary, we are also preparing to actively recruit players in the transfer market, so the rumors that we are going to sell our stars can come to an end."

But Ye Qiu's clarification obviously had no effect at all. Rumors were flying all over the outside world, and it even seemed as if Tottenham Hotspur was about to be divided up by these giants.

While outsiders are poaching Tottenham, Tottenham is also poaching other teams.

As the European Cup approaches, David Silva's agent father expressed the hope that the transfer can be completed before the European Cup, because when David Silva was communicating with Aragones, the latter did not want the transfer to affect David Silva's game and state.

This is also equivalent to urging Tottenham and Valencia to buy or sell quickly.

But on the second day after this news appeared, the German media broke the news again, saying that Tottenham's offer for Diego has been recognized by Werder Bremen, and Diego himself is full of expectations for joining the new European champion. He hopes to further improve his career at Tottenham.

Not long after the news came out, Valencia's deputy general manager Sanchis called Peter Kenyon to inquire about the authenticity of the news, and the two sides also held a new round of negotiations on the phone. Peter Kenyon said that Tottenham Hotspur has not reached an agreement with Werder Bremen for the time being, but if it continues to drag on, it is not ruled out that they will turn to buy Diego.

Sanchis also expressed the hope that the two sides will continue to sit down and talk. After all, Barcelona's pursuit of David Silva is not tight at present. After the last price of 15 million plus 5 million floating was revealed, they did not even take any specific further actions. It can be seen that Barcelona's transfer operation focus is not on David Silva.

In addition, Tottenham Hotspur was unwilling to continue dragging on. Finally, on the second day, Peter Kenyon went to Spain in person and sat down to negotiate with Valencia's senior management. Valencia finally agreed to Tottenham Hotspur's 20 million euro offer.

After obtaining Valencia's consent, Tottenham Hotspur immediately invited David Silva's father Fernando Jimenez to London, and the two sides started negotiations on David Silva's contract.

The Spaniard had no special requirements for his contract. His salary in Valencia was not high to begin with. The Bats were facing a financial crisis, so it would be strange if his salary was high. So in the face of the salary offered by Tottenham Hotspur for the main players of the first team, David Silva's father expressed satisfaction and affirmed the other series of treatments provided by Tottenham Hotspur. After two days of negotiation, the two sides finally signed the contract.

Immediately afterwards, Tottenham Hotspur announced the transfer and stated that the player would arrive in London to sign the contract after the European Cup.

This also became the largest transfer transaction before the European Cup, and was also seen as an important signing for Ye Qiu to further strengthen Tottenham Hotspur's midfield strength.

But just when everyone was preparing for the European Cup feast to finally kick off, Tottenham Hotspur received unfavorable news one after another.