Top of the big era

Whoever has the money has the final say.

In the past few contacts, my father was vague, and Zhu Jun didn't dare to promise too much. But Zhou Buqi was different, as soon as he appeared, he shocked several big shots of Manchester United.

Who could disagree?

Who dares to disagree?

However, what should be fought for still has to be fought for.

For example Ronaldo.

It would be best if he could stay at Manchester United and not go to Real Madrid with peace of mind.

The meeting took place at the Old Trafford offices. After the end, a group of people visited together inside and outside the venue. This is a very old stadium. It has not been repaired in the past few years and its infrastructure is relatively backward.

As soon as he stepped into the field, Zhou Buqi was surprised to find that there was a slope on the side of the green field, which sloped downward. He turned to look at Ferguson beside him, "What's going on?"

Ferguson said: "Clean up the stagnant water. This is the UK, and there is a lot of rain."

Once it rains, there will be a lot of water on the green field. In order to drain water, slopes must be set up on the side of the field so that water can flow down.

Zhou Buqi shook his head again and again, "This is too backward, is it a design from 50 years ago?"

Ferguson was silent for a while before slowly saying: "To be precise, it was 90 years ago."

Zhou Buqi said: "The mainstream stadium design should have a complete underground drainage system?"

"That's right."

"It must be changed!"

"Very expensive."

"We have to spend money to change it. Such a slope design is too easy to injure players. Running at high speed on the sidelines, running to the sidelines and encountering such a slope, it is easy to sprain. This is a great stadium and must be improved. . David?"

Zhou Buqi turned his head and looked at Manchester United CEO David Gill who was talking to Zhu Jun.

David Gill came over, "What's the matter?"

Zhou Buqi told about the side slope, and sighed: "Old Trafford's stadium facilities are too old, and a modern repair mechanism must be started as soon as possible. There are also these seats, the roof, this stadium It must be repaired in a large area and in an all-round way. Find a construction company and make a systematic engineering plan.”

David Gill said: "It's going to be a big project."

Zhou Buqi is indisputable, "Big projects have to be done! I said that Old Trafford must be a fantasy stadium. The current infrastructure is too poor. The establishment of Manchester United's brand cannot be separated from a stadium that all players are passionate about." Crazy home game. David, you need to come up with a detailed plan."

David Gill and Ferguson looked at each other, each with emotion.

This young rich man is really special.

please!

Manchester United is not yours yet, you start asking us to do this and that?

However, this feeling is really good!

As a Manchester United person, who doesn't want this club to get better and better?

One of the important reasons why Real Madrid has such a good brand and is so attractive to players is that the infrastructure is so good, not only the stadium is good, but the training base is also good. Manchester United's Carrington training base is also very backward. An aspiring top player like Ronaldo certainly hopes to play in the best environment.

David Gill pointed to the stand above, "That's the south stand. Originally, we completed the northeast and northwest corners in 2006...that's the two positions. It used to be a single-story stand, but now it's a two-story stand. An increase of 8,000 seats. According to the established plan, the next step is to rebuild the South Stand. Generally speaking, the South Stand should have two floors, but here there is only one. If the South Stand can be expanded like the North Stand, Old Trafford can It can accommodate 95,000 fans to watch the game together."

Zhou Buqi waved his hand, "Do it now! Build it!"

David Gill coughed lightly, "The topic of rebuilding the South Stand has been talked about for many years, and there are many problems. The outside of the South Stand is the railway. If it is expanded, the train station and rails will need to be relocated. In addition, we There is also a need to acquire 50 homes near the train tracks."

Zhou Buqi's heart skipped a beat, and he glanced at him, "How much will it cost to settle this matter?"

"One million pounds."

"What?"

Zhou Buqi was amused, and thought it was a big relocation project, only a mere 1 million pounds?

Well……

But it also makes sense.

This is Manchester United!

The expansion of the Old Trafford Stadium will be supported by the government and the nearby residents will also support it. There will be no entrants, and there will be no premium... If the cost of the relocation is fully paid, the matter is basically settled.

Zhou Buqi said decisively: "Hurry up and deal with it, the sooner the better!"

David Gill said: "But there is another problem. If the south stand is built with a second floor, the height will increase, which may block the sun and reduce the light on the stadium. Similar Wembley Stadium and San Siro Stadium have the same If you want to expand the South Stand, you should not just expand the stand, but a systematic construction project.”

Zhou Buqi looked up at the slightly rough design above the court, "There must be lights."

David Gill nodded deeply, "That's right! It's best to have a roof! Here, there is a rainy season for half a year every year. If we can have a fully covered roof, it can greatly protect our stadium from rain erosion. .”

If this is the case, it is not something that can be done with millions or tens of millions of pounds.

It is not necessarily cheaper than building a new stadium for this kind of all-round systematic transformation of the old stadium. However, it is almost impossible to build a new stadium, not a question of money. This is Old Trafford, the soul of Manchester United, and fans may not agree.

"Go, go outside and have a look!"

Zhou Buqi doesn't have so much time to waste, and today he will come up with a general outline of Manchester United's affairs. Tomorrow we will be talking to the Manchester City guys about a bigger project.

Manchester United's land occupation is too small, only the Old Trafford Stadium, cafes, restaurants, offices, press conference rooms, museums, specialty stores, etc. are all in the stadium.

Outside the stadium are other people's places, hotels, private houses, and a group of vendors setting up stalls in the square outside the stadium. The infrastructure of the whole city is very poor, and the road conditions are old. Not to mention compared with Tokyo and Shanghai, it is much worse than London. The pedestrian street on the side of the road is very aging, which is at the level of third- and fourth-tier cities in China.

Just like this stadium.

More than enough heritage, not enough modernization.

But these external scenes have one thing in common.

All red.

Even the bridge in the distance is red, which is in line with the temperament of Manchester United, and the football culture atmosphere is very good.

"Can you buy everything around here?"

Walking out of the court, Zhou Buqi stretched out his hand and drew a large circle casually.

"ah?"

David Gill was stunned for a moment, and the accompanying Manchester United management also stopped, looking at the direction he pointed, dumbfounded.

Zhou Buqi said: "Manchester United is a super brand, and it should have a bigger and more magnificent influence. Why not expand the supporting facilities? There are restaurants and hotels nearby, and there should be more tourist places."

David Gill explained: "These Manchester United-themed hotels and restaurants have licensing fees."

Zhou Buqi shook his head, "We need direct sales. Manchester United is a super brand and a super club. We should open up our horizons."

David Gill has worked with Ferguson over the years to bring Manchester United to a new level in football. However, things outside of football are a little bit worse.

If you want to be a brand, how can it be just in the field of football?

If something goes wrong in the competition, wouldn't the club be over? Just like Nottingham Forest, they also won the Champions League and the Premier League back then, so what? Once the competition declines, a generation of giants will end immediately.

To develop Manchester United as a group, you cannot put all your eggs in one basket. Even if it loses in football, it is necessary to ensure that the Manchester United brand will survive. This requires the Manchester United Group to have a more complex and magnificent industrial design.

For this, we have to rely on the notorious "San Dezi". He is also an Englishman who has worked in the United States for many years and has a better understanding of business, branding and market operations.

There is a large circle around Old Trafford, and there are three bronze statues, namely Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Dennis Law, two of whom are present at the scene.

Zhou Buqi looked at Ferguson, pointed at the three bronze statues, and said with a smile, "There is still one missing here."

Ferguson chewed his gum and smiled broadly.

After walking around to the back of the South Stand, I saw the railway tracks... the distance from the stadium, which is about 10 meters, is too close!

Zhou Buqi looked around at the environment, and said in a heavy tone, "Will the vibration from the train affect the safety of the stadium after a long time?"

David Gill said: "So there must be sufficient seismic indicators in the design of the stadium."

Zhou Buqi is a person who does big business. For David Gill and Ferguson, this kind of matter may be a entanglement that has troubled them for many years. deal with!"

Then, he drew another circle and said, "It's best to take all of this piece of land. Since we've moved, let the trains move farther away. Reserve the land first, and prepare for a new development plan later."

David Gill glanced at him. "Big project?"

Zhou Buqi said: "Let's plan first, find several top construction companies to invite bids, and come up with several plans to renovate Old Trafford. The proposal must reflect technological elements and competitiveness, and it must be able to compete with the club's team." A number of stadium routines, stadium tours, official shops, cafes and restaurants are compatible. Well, there could be an underground car park to generate revenue."

"What about the budget?"

David Gill asked, this is the most important thing.

Zhou Buqi remained silent, looked back at San Dezi, and said with a smile, "Ed, what budget do you think is appropriate?"

Ed Woodward has seen the big world and has handled tens of billions of funds. Unlike David Gill, a professional football manager, he hesitated and said: "If Manchester United To become the best football brand in the world, you must have higher pursuit and ambition. The renovation project of Old Trafford is not considered if it is less than 500 million pounds."

David Gill gasped.

Ferguson was even more speechless.

Zhou Buqi nodded, "I think it's okay."