After a period of planning and research, the design of the new stadium was finally approved.
Lease agreements were signed for the four plots of land surrounding the stadium, with Audi, Vodafone, Adidas, and Citibank taking one corner each. The first three companies also signed sponsorship agreements with New Manchester United.
Vodafone placed considerable importance on the African market.
Africa was regarded as the next major growth region for the telecommunications industry, and Vodafone intended to expand its presence there. New Manchester United already enjoyed considerable influence across Africa and had several African players in the squad, which the company valued highly.
More importantly, New Manchester United possessed an excellent public image, certainly a better one than Manchester United at present.
That was one of the main reasons Vodafone decided to become the club's principal shirt sponsor.
Beginning the following season, Adidas would become New Manchester United's kit supplier.
The company would build its largest flagship store in Britain on one of the corner plots beside the stadium and had signed a two-year sponsorship agreement with the club.
Adidas had originally proposed a four-year contract.
However, given New Manchester United's rapid development, the commercial department did not want to commit the club for such a long period, so the agreement was reduced to two years.
Adidas retained the right of first refusal on any renewal.
The basic sponsorship fee would be £1 million per year.
If New Manchester United performed well in League One the following season, that figure could rise to £1.5 million.
Should the club win promotion to the Premier League, the annual fee would immediately increase to £1.5 million, with further bonuses determined by their final league position.
In the second year, the total sponsorship payment could reach as much as £3 million.
The contract also contained clauses relating to New Manchester United's participation in the UEFA Cup.
As League Cup winners, the Red Rebels would enter the competition in the first round.
Under the agreement, Adidas would pay an additional bonus if New Manchester United progressed through the opening two rounds and reached the last 32.
Further payments would be made for every subsequent stage they reached.
Adidas had also included performance bonuses for the League Cup and FA Cup.
If New Manchester United achieved certain results in either competition, the company would pay additional sponsorship fees.
Since all those payments depended on the team's performances, Ethan and the club did not give them too much consideration for the moment.
Vodafone's principal shirt sponsorship would also begin at £1 million per year.
Depending on the club's results, that figure could rise to a maximum of £2 million.
If New Manchester United then reached the Premier League, negotiations for the next agreement would begin from the £2 million level.
Audi, meanwhile, would provide New Manchester United with a team coach free of charge.
Every member of the first-team squad would also receive an Audi car, although the club would be required to attend one new-model launch event in Manchester without charging an appearance fee.
Ethan was extremely satisfied with the sponsorship agreements negotiated by the commercial department, particularly the arrangement with Audi.
It reminded him of one important reason so many players wanted to join elite clubs.
Simply put, major clubs were like the best employers. They offered high salaries and excellent benefits.
The wages were obvious, but the additional benefits took many forms, and receiving a sponsored car from the club's automotive partner was one of them.
When Ethan announced Audi's agreement, the entire first-team squad became extremely excited.
For the players, receiving a new Audi free of charge was an extraordinary benefit.
That was only one example of what the club tried to secure for them.
New Manchester United was also working closely with Adidas, which had identified several outstanding players in the squad and wanted to sign them to individual endorsement agreements.
However, just as the major sponsorship agreements were finalised, operations at the City of Manchester Stadium had to be suspended.
The ground would be demolished and rebuilt once the season ended.
Negotiations over renting Old Trafford had initially gone nowhere.
Manchester United refused even to discuss the matter because they saw no benefit in leasing their stadium, particularly to the Red Rebels.
Ethan therefore asked Manchester City Council to mediate while also using his personal contacts to persuade members of Manchester United's board.
He made it clear that New Manchester United was prepared to pay a substantial rental fee and hoped to lease Old Trafford for two seasons.
Once several directors had been persuaded, Kenyon had no choice but to sit down and negotiate.
Manchester United initially demanded an absurd sum.
After studying comparable arrangements in Italy and examining Old Trafford's attendance figures, Ethan eventually offered £3.5 million per year.
It was an extremely high rental fee, but Ethan had never been someone who willingly accepted a bad deal.
He had calculated everything carefully and believed the club would not lose money.
First, New Manchester United would be permitted to secure its own advertising sponsors inside the stadium.
Old Trafford's commercial appeal was enormous.
Even though the Red Rebels would only be playing in League One the following season, their participation in European competition meant the club could recover part of the rental cost through stadium advertising.
Ticket revenue would provide another major source of income.
Under the agreement between the two clubs, prices for private boxes had to match Manchester United's rates.
Manchester United feared that cheaper box prices offered by New Manchester United might damage its own matchday revenue.
For ordinary seats, the Red Rebels had initially proposed an average ticket price of £20.
Manchester United argued that this was too low and would damage Old Trafford's image.
After further negotiation, the average price was set at £25.
New Manchester United estimated that moving into Old Trafford would produce an average home attendance of around 20,000.
That would generate approximately £500,000 in ticket revenue for each match.
Across 23 home league fixtures, the total would reach £11.5 million.
Cup matches, European fixtures, private-box rentals, and other matchday income would provide additional revenue.
According to Mark's calculations, the combined total should reach at least £20 million and could possibly exceed £25 million.
The exact figure would depend on the team's performances and attendances.
Of course, New Manchester United would not simply keep all the remaining money.
The club would also have to pay Manchester United for stadium maintenance, hospitality services, catering for private boxes and executive seating, and several other operating expenses.
All of those charges would be paid separately.
Even so, compared with the headline rental fee, they were less significant.
Viewed as a whole, the cost of renting Old Trafford was high but still acceptable.
More importantly, Ethan found the thought of the Red Rebels playing at Old Trafford under their own name extremely entertaining.
A two-year lease was signed directly with Kenyon.
The news immediately became one of the biggest stories in English football.
Newspapers across the country reported that the Red Rebels had rented the Red Devils' home, widely describing the agreement as the beginning of an invasion.
Over the previous few years, New Manchester United had developed at extraordinary speed.
Manchester United, by contrast, had gradually begun to show signs of decline, particularly since winning the treble.
Amid the widespread media attention, the Red Rebels held a press conference to announce their plans for the new stadium.
...
More than a hundred reporters gathered inside the press room at the Newton Heath training complex.
When the stadium design appeared on the large screen, they were stunned.
The building resembled an enormous glowing ruby.
Both its exterior and its underlying concept were unlike anything they had seen before.
It was undoubtedly one of the most imaginative and distinctive football stadium designs ever presented.
Even after the five-minute presentation ended, many reporters remained visibly overwhelmed.
Questions immediately began flying towards Ethan.
"Mr Yu, how much will the stadium cost?"
Ethan smiled.
"Including the development of the surrounding land, the total investment will be approximately £250 million."
A collective gasp passed through the room.
Leicester City were also constructing a new stadium at the time.
Their ground would hold 32,000 spectators and cost only around £35 million.
New Manchester United's proposed stadium, by contrast, would require an investment of £250 million.
The difference was astonishing.
When one reporter raised that comparison, Ethan nodded calmly.
"You're correct.
"If our only objective were to build a stadium with slightly more than 30,000 seats, then it would cost only a few tens of millions of pounds.
"But that would not be the Red Rebels' way.
"We have developed a complete plan for the entire district.
"We intend to transform all the surrounding land, and in the future, this area will become the home of the Red Rebels in every sense."
The reporters could not dispute Ethan's commercial ambitions.
His record as a businessman was already well established.
However, one question remained.
How could a League One club possibly finance such an enormous project?
"Mr Yu, we understand that you recently sold shares in several companies. Was that done to raise money for the new stadium?"
"Yes," Ethan replied. "That's correct."
"Are you not concerned that the stadium project may encounter financial difficulties?"
"No, I'm not concerned at all.
"We have already established a separate company to manage the stadium's construction.
"We have signed partnership agreements with Audi, Vodafone, Adidas, and Citibank.
"In addition, we have reached an agreement with Apple to establish the company's first and largest European flagship store within the development."
The reporters were visibly shocked.
None of them had imagined that New Manchester United had quietly completed so much work already.
"We are also negotiating with several other interesting companies," Ethan continued.
"Our intention is to develop the entire district around the stadium and turn it into a new commercial centre for Manchester.
"We will also work closely with the city council, which has already begun preparing further commercial development plans for the surrounding area."
Ethan rose confidently and walked towards the large screen.
An aerial rendering of the completed development appeared behind him.
He pointed towards the stadium at its centre.
"We have every reason to believe that, within the next few years, this area will become one of Manchester's major commercial destinations, bringing together football, shopping, entertainment, leisure, and tourism."
His voice rang clearly through the press room.
"The present and the future of this place belong to the Red Rebels!"
(To be continued.)
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◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)