Droylsden had become another remarkable success story in the lower divisions of English football. Apart from spending two seasons in the Third Division, their rise had been almost uninterrupted. The previous year, in their first season in the Second Division, they had performed impressively without quite managing to win the title, eventually securing promotion through the play-offs.
David Pace had poured enormous effort into the club, particularly over the past few years. Ethan had helped him map out a long-term development plan, and with New Manchester United's assistance, Droylsden had established a proper academy and begun actively scouting talented youngsters from around the country.
Sulley Muntari had spent the season there on loan, but he was far from the only promising player at the club. Droylsden had recruited Tom Huddlestone from Derby County, a tall, powerful English midfielder with excellent passing ability who had already attracted attention from several bigger clubs. Michael Dawson had been brought in from Nottingham Forest and was developing into a highly promising centre-back, while Steve Sidwell had arrived from Arsenal for £250,000.
Ethan had also advised Pace to keep a particularly close eye on Southampton's academy. That had allowed Droylsden to move early for Gareth Bale, another gifted left-sided player whose development was already attracting attention.
On paper, Droylsden should probably have won the Second Division outright. Pace was investing more than £1 million a year into the club, and the squad was stronger than most at that level. Their problem had been consistency. Brilliant performances were followed by baffling collapses, including several heavy defeats that left Pace wondering how the same group of players could look so different from one week to the next.
Eventually, the manager who had guided Droylsden for several years came to Pace himself and admitted that the club had outgrown him. He believed the First Division would demand more than he could provide and suggested that Pace appoint someone more qualified to take the team forward.
Pace did not try to persuade him otherwise. Instead, he offered him control of the academy, allowing him to remain with the club in a role better suited to his strengths. Then the search for a new first-team manager began.
Half a month passed.
Nobody suitable came.
With pre-season planning approaching, Pace finally went to Ethan for help.
"A manager?" Ethan repeated thoughtfully.
It was not a small decision. A manager could determine the direction of an entire club.
Droylsden were effectively New Manchester United's closest partner club, and Pace trusted Ethan almost completely on football matters. Ethan's original idea had been for Droylsden to serve partly as a development pathway, a place where promising players could experience senior football before being recalled when ready.
Walsh had once suggested sending players such as Michael Johnson and John Obi Mikel there on loan. Mourinho had rejected the idea. He rated both too highly and wanted them developing under his own staff rather than handing their education to someone else.
Muntari was different. His move had already been discussed with Pace, and all sides agreed that a permanent transfer suited him. New Manchester United therefore allowed him to join Droylsden without a conventional fee. In return, Ethan increased his investment and took a twenty per cent stake in the club.
On paper, giving away a player and investing more money might have looked generous to the point of foolishness. In reality, Ethan had little concern about the arrangement. His relationship with Pace was built on years of cooperation, and if New Manchester United ever seriously wanted one of Droylsden's players, Pace was unlikely to stand in the way. Much of Pace's own business success had developed through ventures connected to Ethan, and the football partnership benefited both clubs.
Ethan wanted Droylsden to become a strong, stable partner.
If they eventually reached the Premier League themselves, even better.
"I've approached quite a few managers," Pace said with obvious frustration. "Martin O'Neill. Harry Redknapp. People at that level. Most of them rejected us almost immediately."
Ethan could understand why.
English football still placed enormous value on status and reputation. Droylsden might be ambitious, but they were newly promoted to the First Division. Managers with Premier League experience or strong reputations were unlikely to take the job unless the club could offer them something exceptional.
Pace had begun from the lower leagues just as Ethan had, but their journeys had been very different. New Manchester United had risen almost without interruption, while Droylsden had repeatedly hit obstacles. They had spent an extra season in the Third Division and had nearly missed promotion from the Second Division altogether.
Ethan had hinted more than once that Droylsden's previous manager had probably taken the club as far as he could. Pace had been reluctant to act while the team was still progressing, and the delay had nearly cost them.
Still, Ethan knew his friend well. Pace was not obsessed with building an empire or creating a dynasty. He loved Droylsden and wanted the club to succeed because it was his club. That made him very different from Ethan, whose ambitions had always extended much further.
It was also why Ethan trusted the partnership.
A club such as AFC Wimbledon was different. Ethan supported them financially and maintained a good relationship, but Wimbledon had their own identity, their own supporters, and their own determination to restore the Crazy Gang. They were allies, not part of New Manchester United's wider development structure.
"I do have someone in mind," Ethan said after thinking for a while.
Pace immediately leaned forward. "Who?"
"He's in Argentina. He's not a famous name in England, but he's very capable, and if you give him time, you could build something with him. There is one thing you need to understand first, though. I wouldn't describe him as someone who's guaranteed to turn you into a trophy machine."
Pace frowned slightly.
Ethan explained. "Some managers are at their best when they're expected to win everything. Others are excellent builders. They improve players, create a clear style, organise clubs, and get more from a squad than people expect. The man I'm thinking of is more in the second category."
The warning was deliberate. If Pace wanted Droylsden to become a European giant one day, there might eventually come a point when another manager was required. But for a club trying to establish itself in the First Division and continue developing intelligently, Ethan considered this candidate almost ideal.
"Do you think he'd suit us?" Pace asked.
"If I didn't, I wouldn't recommend him. He would change the way Droylsden play. His football is much more technical, more open, more influenced by South American ideas. You'd become a better footballing side, not just a stronger one."
Ethan had watched several Droylsden matches that season, usually at Pace's invitation. His impression had always been the same. They were still recognisably a lower-league English side. Strong, direct, committed, physical, but too dependent on intensity and not comfortable enough controlling matches with the ball.
Ethan believed English football was changing.
The Premier League was already becoming more technical. Arsenal were the clearest example, but Ferguson's Manchester United had moved in the same direction. New Manchester United themselves played with enormous physical intensity, yet their football depended just as heavily on technical security. Their passing error rate was low, players constantly exchanged positions, and even under pressure the team tried to keep control of the ball rather than surrender possession unnecessarily.
That was where Ethan believed the league was heading.
More pace, more athleticism, but also more technique.
If Droylsden wanted to keep climbing, they needed to evolve before the rest of the lower leagues caught up.
Pace considered it for only a moment before nodding. "All right. Who is he?"
"Manuel Pellegrini."
The Chilean was currently managing River Plate.
Ethan's strongest memories of Pellegrini came from his future work with Villarreal and, later, Real Madrid. His season in Madrid had ended without a trophy, but Ethan had never thought that told the whole story. Pellegrini had inherited a club still carrying problems from previous years and happened to run into an exceptional Barcelona side.
His greatest strength, in Ethan's view, was building teams when given authority and time. He could improve players, impose a coherent tactical identity, and make technically gifted footballers work within an organised structure.
That made him especially suitable for Droylsden.
Ethan had met Pellegrini several times while doing business with River Plate in Argentina. Their conversations had included Javier Mascherano, who was still developing there, and Pellegrini had been intrigued by some of Ethan's ideas about how the young midfielder could eventually be used.
Pellegrini had once told him that he was the most knowledgeable club owner he had met.
Ethan had merely smiled. Much of that supposed insight came from memories Pellegrini could not possibly know he possessed.
When Ethan called him and explained that a newly promoted English First Division club wanted to discuss appointing him, Pellegrini's first instinct was to decline. He had already won a league title with River Plate. Moving from one of South America's great clubs to Droylsden hardly sounded like an obvious step forward.
Then Ethan said one thing that made him hesitate.
"Perhaps you could do for Droylsden what Wenger did for Arsenal."
That was enough to earn a meeting.
Pace flew from Manchester to Buenos Aires and sat down with Pellegrini personally. The Chilean had already studied Droylsden and was pleasantly surprised by the club's infrastructure. Pace also promised him authority over both the first team and the academy, giving him the power to shape the club's football from top to bottom.
That immediately appealed to Pellegrini.
At River Plate, politics and internal pressures frequently limited what a manager could control. Droylsden, by contrast, were offering him a genuine project.
The two men spoke several more times before Pellegrini travelled to Manchester to inspect the club himself. He visited the training ground, the stadium, and the surrounding area. What he found was far better than he had expected.
Pace made another promise: once Pellegrini took charge, the club would continue improving its training facilities, analysis department, academy, and support staff according to his requirements.
Droylsden were also planning a new stadium close to the local community. The proposed ground would hold around 40,000 spectators, cost approximately £80 million, and take about two years to complete.
Pellegrini was impressed by the scale of Pace's commitment. More importantly, he saw how deeply Droylsden's supporters cared about the club and began to understand the atmosphere that made English football so attractive from the outside.
He still had concerns. Moving countries, adapting to a completely different football culture, and taking over a club that had only just reached the second tier were significant risks.
Pace answered them one by one.
Then he put £10 million on the table as Pellegrini's transfer budget for his first season.
For a newly promoted First Division club, it was an enormous amount of money.
Pace could afford it partly because Umbro's business had continued to grow rapidly. The company had expanded beyond traditional sportswear into fashion and entertainment collaborations, becoming increasingly popular with younger customers and dramatically improving its revenues.
With the necessary assurances in place, Pellegrini finally accepted.
The moment he did, he made his first request.
Back in Manchester, Ethan suddenly felt an inexplicable chill and sneezed loudly.
He rubbed his nose and frowned.
"I've got a bad feeling someone is about to ask me for something."
Walsh, Davey, and Gardner, sitting opposite him, all looked amused.
As far as they were concerned, Ethan was usually the one finding ways to get the better end of a deal.
It would be interesting to see who was brave enough to try it on him.
(To be continued.)