After the hard-fought draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford, New Manchester United remained top of the Premier League with seventeen wins and five draws from twenty-two matches, giving them fifty-six points. Arsenal followed on fifty-three points with sixteen wins, five draws, and one defeat, level with Manchester United, who had seventeen wins, two draws, and three losses. Arsenal held second place on goal difference.
Chelsea had lost at home to Liverpool, but they had still collected nine points from their previous four league matches, while Liverpool's four consecutive victories had earned them twelve. Both clubs sat on forty-nine points in fourth and fifth respectively, with Chelsea ahead on goal difference. Even so, rumours were spreading that Roman Abramovich was increasingly dissatisfied with Claudio Ranieri, particularly because of Chelsea's repeated failures against stronger opponents. In Abramovich's eyes, a squad built around expensive signings and established stars should show greater authority in major matches. Instead, Ranieri's Chelsea were beginning to earn a reputation for dominating weaker opposition while shrinking against the elite, something a number of pundits had already begun to criticise.
The season was only just past halfway, yet speculation about a managerial change in the summer had already started. The two names most frequently linked with Chelsea were José Mourinho, manager of the Premier League leaders, and Carlo Ancelotti of AC Milan.
Mourinho had now spent four years with New Manchester United and had poured an enormous amount of himself into the project. He had taken the club from the lower divisions all the way to the top of the Premier League, and his contribution was impossible to question. Under normal circumstances, nobody expected him to leave. Chelsea had supposedly explored the possibility of appointing him before the season, but nothing had come of it. Now, however, a new story was being circulated: Ethan was reportedly furious about Mourinho's suspension and believed the manager's comments after the Blackburn match had damaged the club's relationship with the Football Association and harmed its public image.
Mourinho, according to the same reports, was unhappy in the opposite direction. He was said to believe Ethan had been too restrained and had not protected the team strongly enough. One story even claimed Mourinho had told a journalist friend that New Manchester United would be doing even better if the club defended its interests more aggressively away from the pitch.
The supposed rift between the two men gave Chelsea an opening. Several English newspapers claimed Abramovich had already offered Mourinho an enormous salary to take over at Stamford Bridge after the season, and that any compensation or release payment would be irrelevant to him. Ancelotti was the alternative. His success with AC Milan was obvious, and Abramovich was also known to admire Shevchenko, so the idea of bringing both manager and striker to Chelsea had obvious appeal.
New Manchester United supporters were understandably concerned. The club's official website quickly issued a statement insisting that Mourinho had no intention of leaving and that there was no dispute between him and Ethan. But official denials rarely killed a good transfer story, so Ethan decided to settle the matter in a more visible way.
A few days later, a large press conference was held in the function hall of a hotel in central Manchester. Ethan arrived alongside Mourinho, Beckham, and Redondo. Hundreds of journalists from across Europe were present, most of them from Britain, and the supposed Mourinho-Ethan feud was almost as important to them as the actual purpose of the event.
On the way into the hall, a reporter immediately stopped them and asked Mourinho whether he was considering Chelsea. Ethan laughed and glanced at him. "See, José? I told you the first question would be whether you're leaving."
Mourinho, Beckham, and Redondo all smiled helplessly.
"I've answered this countless times," Ethan continued. "José Mourinho is staying here. His wife and children are settled in Manchester, and he's even planning to become my neighbour. If he moves to London now, he'll have a miserable commute."
The joke had a basis in reality. Mourinho had recently bought a large house near Ethan and Beckham. Ethan had helped him find the property, one of the last available homes in that particular area. Judging by how many people connected with the club were choosing to live nearby, the neighbourhood was becoming increasingly popular among New Manchester United's players and staff.
Another reporter immediately asked about Mourinho's FA suspension.
Ethan smiled. "He's the manager of this football club, but he's also a person. He has the right to express what he genuinely thinks. José has never been particularly good at keeping quiet when he feels strongly about something. We've spoken to the FA, explained the situation, and they've accepted our position."
A short distance away, Beckham and Redondo watched Ethan being surrounded by microphones.
"Looks like he's cleaning up after you again, José," Redondo said with a laugh.
After Mourinho's outburst, Ethan had personally stepped in and sent Walsh to London to deal with the issue. From beginning to end, the club had publicly supported Mourinho while quietly working to repair the relationship with the authorities. Mourinho knew exactly how much had been done on his behalf. He also knew he was unlikely to change his personality. Ethan understood that too. His view was simple: Mourinho had reacted because he believed he was defending the team, so the club would stand behind him.
There was only one request. In future interviews, Mourinho should think first about the club's wider interests and make better use of the advice provided by the press office and the club's image consultants. Mourinho had no reason to object. Ethan had always dealt with him openly, and after years of working together, Mourinho understood just how much trust and support he had been given. His public manner might be proud and abrasive, but privately he was far from ungrateful.
"The press conference is about to start," Mourinho said.
He stepped forward, pulled Ethan along with him, and the two walked towards the hall with their arms around each other's shoulders like old friends. Camera shutters immediately began firing from every direction. Mourinho made no attempt to avoid them. The gesture said everything he wanted it to say: he knew what the club had done for him, there was no feud with Ethan, and he was not going anywhere.
Beckham and Redondo followed behind, both wearing the same resigned smiles. Mourinho had never been particularly interested in subtlety.
The actual reason for the press conference was a film project.
Two Hollywood producers, Mike Jefferies and Matt Barrel, were developing a football trilogy titled Goal!. It was intended to be the first major film trilogy built entirely around football, with FIFA offering its support. The three films would revolve respectively around the Premier League, the Champions League, and the World Cup.
Eva had heard about the project early and immediately thought Ethan would be interested. Through friends in the film industry, she contacted the producers and expressed an interest in investing, inviting them to Manchester for further discussions. Once she learned more about the proposal, she introduced them directly to Ethan.
Ethan was interested almost at once. After consulting Mark Davey and Gardner, he concluded that the project could become a major vehicle for promoting New Manchester United's identity and philosophy, provided it was handled properly. Negotiations began soon afterwards.
A number of clubs wanted to participate, including Manchester United, Arsenal, and Newcastle. In Ethan's previous life, Newcastle had ultimately been chosen in large part because of the atmosphere at St James' Park. This time, however, New Manchester United had an equally passionate supporter base and far stronger connections to the project. Ethan successfully secured the partnership.
The scale of the films also grew. The planned budget for the trilogy reached roughly $200 million. Disney had already come aboard, and together with Ethan's DreamWorks interests, the two studios would jointly handle the production and commercial operation of the project.
Ethan was determined to avoid the uneven development that had hurt the original films he remembered. Instead, he wanted the trilogy planned as a complete story from the beginning, following the model used for The Lord of the Rings. The screenwriters would map out all three films before full production started so that the character arcs, football progression, and emotional payoffs remained consistent.
Because the protagonist would play for New Manchester United, the films would naturally contain a strong club identity. Old Trafford, the Newton Heath training base, the club's management philosophy, and the new stadium under construction would all feature heavily. In effect, the trilogy would also function as an enormous promotional platform for the club.
But Ethan had no interest in spending hundreds of millions of dollars on an advertisement disguised as a film. If he wanted a documentary, he could make one much more cheaply. The movies first had to work as commercial entertainment. If audiences did not enjoy them, then none of the promotional value mattered.
With that in mind, Ethan asked the club and its supporters to collect memorable stories from New Manchester United's history. Those stories were then given to the screenwriters as raw material for a mainstream, inspirational football drama. To Ethan's surprise, the supporters overwhelmingly voted the incident in which he had confronted Millwall hooligans as one of the club's most memorable moments. Another favourite was Gary Turner telling the club's story inside the dressing room. That particular episode was well liked enough that the writers created a specific character inspired by Turner for the films.
The project quickly attracted attention outside football as well. Several of Ethan's Hollywood friends, including George Clooney and Tom Cruise, said they would happily appear without a fee, even if only for brief cameos. Before shooting had even begun, the trilogy was already accumulating a remarkable list of potential guest appearances.
Even so, Ethan refused to rush production. The script came first. Several drafts were written and discarded before the writers finally produced a complete trilogy that satisfied him. Only then did the project move formally into production.
Unlike the version Ethan remembered from his previous life, the protagonist would not leave the club. His loyalty to New Manchester United and belief in its philosophy would become part of the story itself. Friendly clubs such as Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Droylsden would appear, while sponsors including Audi, Vodafone, and Apple would also participate. New Manchester United's senior squad and academy players would be involved in filming whenever their training schedules allowed.
The first film would follow the protagonist through a Premier League season with New Manchester United, including attempts by clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal to sign him during the winter transfer window. He would choose to stay. The second film would take the club into the Champions League, where he would again reject offers from Europe's established giants, including Real Madrid. The third would move onto the international stage, centring on the World Cup and his experience playing both with and against club teammates.
The three films were scheduled for summer releases in 2005, 2006, and 2007. With FIFA's support, major Hollywood involvement, high-profile cameos, and the combined promotional resources of Disney and DreamWorks, the trilogy had attracted enormous attention long before filming properly began.
Outside the United States in particular, the project was already being discussed as one of the most anticipated football films ever attempted.
(To be continued.)