That evening, back in my hotel room, I had a conference call with Steve Parish, Dougie Freedman, and the rest of the Crystal Palace board. It was a call I had been dreading and anticipating in equal measure.
These were the men who, just a few weeks ago, had been on the verge of a full-blown panic. The men who had called Parish, demanding to know why he had entrusted the club to a 28-year-old who had just sold off a third of the squad. Now, their tone was different.
"Daniel," one of them said, his voice a smooth, corporate purr that always set my teeth on edge. "We just wanted to congratulate you. The James Rodríguez signing is… a remarkable piece of business. Truly remarkable."
"Thank you," I said, keeping my voice neutral. I was on speakerphone, pacing the small room. Freedman and Parish were on the line from the chairman's office.
