Tendou hadn't expected Kira Ryosuke to end up with Itoshi Rin. It seemed this "football jewel" hyped up by the media still had some real strength. Tendou had only played one match at Ichinan High, so he himself didn't think Kira was that impressive. But the media weren't fools either; if Kira didn't play well in the high school league, they wouldn't be able to hype him up.
And so, Tendou stayed in the dormitory, watching the second battle between Isagi's team and Rin's team.
...
Meanwhile.
After finishing the match with Tendou's team, Adam Blake eagerly took out his phone and called his own team's coach. Tottenham's results this year were quite good; they had secured 77 points in the domestic league, ranking third in the Premier League. Next season, their Tottenham would be able to play in the Champions League.
But what made Adam Blake extremely anxious was that the club did not plan to spend money on reinforcements during the summer transfer window. For Adam Blake, who had reached the peak of his professional career and wanted to achieve great things, this was absolutely the worst thing possible.
He was a player who had come up through Tottenham's youth academy and had deep feelings for the team. Unless absolutely necessary, Adam really didn't want to leave his parent club to join another powerhouse. Because his peak would only last for these few years.
So when he encountered a genius like Tendou, he was incredibly excited. You're not willing to spend 100 million euros, you can't come up with 80 million, 70 million, but a few million to buy a lottery ticket should be possible, right?
Tottenham's current head coach was Pochettino, who had been on the shortlist for the 2017 Coach of the Year award. After leading the team to a good third-place finish in the league this year, he, like Adam, planned to achieve great things next year. The league, the Champions League, even the FA Cup—he didn't want to miss out on any of them. He had to win at least one of them.
But when he excitedly went to his club's owner to apply for transfer funds, his stingy owner's response was like a bolt from the blue to him. The other party demanded that he must advance on all three fronts next season and achieve better results than this season, while at the same time being unwilling to take out even a single steel penny from his own pocket.
Go to your Holy Mother Mary.
You want results but you're not willing to pay? Where in the world is there such a good deal?
With Tottenham's current lineup, it was absolutely impossible to compete on three fronts. Even competing on two was a stretch. The reason Tottenham had been able to achieve a good third-place finish in the league this season was because the team had focused on the top four in the league, with the goal of getting back into the Champions League zone. This way, it would be easier to negotiate terms with his boss during the summer transfer window.
And now, not only was the boss not paying, but his demands were also ridiculously high. Pochettino already had a vague feeling that his coaching career at Tottenham had entered its final countdown. The Premier League schedule was notoriously inhumane.
Compete on three fronts? Pochettino thought that the busiest department at Tottenham next year would definitely be the team doctors.
So when he received Adam's call, he was instantly interested. A prodigy whose talent, potential, and even immediate combat power were no less than Loki's, and the key was that he had no contract and was not even 18 yet? Didn't this mean they only needed to offer a youth contract to bring him back?
Plus, he was a Japanese player, with no "household registration" advantage, unlike a populous country like the Dragon Country (China), so the price could be pushed down even further. If he was really as outstanding as Adam said, could play next season, and was a f*cking extinct libero?
"Adam, you have to tell me you have a recording of the match with that little brat..."
Words were not enough. With that stingy boss of his, you couldn't even dream of getting a single penny out of his pocket without some solid proof.
"I need more recordings! If you have his physical test data, that would be even better! I need them to convince that vampire who only thinks about running a selling club!"
"I'll get the information you need from the person in charge here. But Mauricio, you have to promise me, you have to move fast. I'm not the only one who has discovered him," Adam also knew that time was money. After hanging up, he went to contact Ego. If possible, he also hoped to get a chance to personally lobby Tendou.
...
Meanwhile, Loki was also contacting his own team's head coach.
Unlike Adam and Pochettino, the then-PSG head coach, Tuchel, did not need to worry about money problems. No money to buy players? Just let that oil tycoon boss of his dig a few more barrels of oil. What PSG wanted was only results, especially in the Champions League. After all, winning too many league titles can get boring.
PSG was a very ambitious club; they wanted to become a unique powerhouse like Real Madrid or Barcelona. Tuchel, who had just taken over the coaching reins of PSG in May of this year, also wanted to win the first Champions League trophy for PSG. This way, his own coaching position would be stable, and he wouldn't have to worry about the risk of being fired for the next few years.
So his first question was, "Julian, is he really as outstanding as you say?"
"He's even more outstanding than I said," Loki said with conviction.
"And he's only 17, just like me. If we join forces, we can definitely achieve great things."
"Alright. I'll have someone contact that... Tendou Kageyoshi... hmm, that should be the right name, right? I'll have someone contact him."
From beginning to end, Tuchel never mentioned the issue of money, and neither did Loki. A youth contract, and an Asian player at that, without a Dragon Country "household registration"... seven or eight million would probably be enough. For PSG, was a few million even considered money?
"I'm serious. You guys have to bring him back."
Loki could hear the disdain in his head coach's voice. But it was understandable. Before he himself had made a name, probably no one would believe that a 17-year-old brat could be so strong. Besides, PSG's lineup was already outstanding enough.
Forwards: Loki, Cavani, Di María.
Midfield: Neymar, Verratti, Marquinhos.
Only the defense was a bit lacking. Unlike the midfield and attack, which each had a hundred-million-euro man, the market value of the four defenders combined was only 80 million euros, just a little bit higher than the lower-table teams in Serie A and the Bundesliga.
This was the reason why Tendou was not willing to go to PSG. PSG's lineup was already strong enough. And Loki was ambitious. The son of France, carrying the prestige of a World Cup champion, his next target, besides the Champions League, was to make PSG his own. Simply put, in the next few years, there would be a lot of problems in PSG's locker room.
How could Neymar be willing to be a subordinate to a 17-year-old brat? Doesn't the Brazilian emperor need face? A conflict between the two would definitely break out.
But Tuchel told Loki to rest assured. "Don't worry, Julian. I'll handle it. No one can refuse to play with you and Neymar."
Why is Real Madrid said to be the end point for football stars? Because if you go to Real Madrid, you can win championships. The Galácticos are not short of strong players. You can win championships, get a big contract, and have high visibility. Who wouldn't have a "childhood Real dream"?
...
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