By the time Ethan next saw David Pace and Manuel Pellegrini, the contract had already been signed. River Plate had agreed to release the Chilean after Droylsden paid the necessary compensation.
When Pellegrini arrived at Newton Heath, he was restricted to the administrative areas and was not permitted access to The Lab or certain parts of the first-team training complex. Even from a distance, however, he could see how modern and comprehensive the facilities were.
"This is the training base Ethan spent six years building," Pace explained. "Even when the England squad trained here, they were extremely impressed. A lot of people consider Newton Heath one of the most advanced football facilities in Europe."
He smiled. "And apparently there are plenty of things hidden away here that outsiders know nothing about. People say some of the secrets behind New Manchester United's rise are buried somewhere in this place."
Pace had tried more than once to persuade Ethan to share some of those methods with Droylsden, but Ethan had always refused. He was willing to help a close partner enormously, but that did not mean handing over every competitive advantage New Manchester United possessed.
"Just looking at this place tells you their success wasn't accidental," Pellegrini said.
The two entered the administration building and, with the help of a member of staff, made their way to Ethan's office. Inside, Ethan was finishing a meeting with Mark Davey and Gardner about sponsorship arrangements. When Pace and Pellegrini arrived, the discussion was already winding down, and the other two men stood to leave.
"Mark," Pace called after Davey, "you promised you'd introduce me to a few sponsors. Don't forget."
Davey turned, laughed, and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Ethan watched the exchange with amusement. "You're getting very comfortable around here, David."
He invited Pace and Pellegrini to sit down, then turned to the Chilean. "So, Manuel, how are you finding England?"
Pellegrini gave a resigned shrug. "I'm surviving. The summer is pleasantly cool, but everyone keeps warning me about the winter. Cold, wind, rain, sometimes all three at once. It certainly asks more of the players."
"That's part of English football," Ethan replied. "Sometimes you're competing against the opposition and the conditions at the same time. If you can succeed here, you've earned it."
New Manchester United had just conquered the Premier League, so there was an unmistakable note of pride in his voice. Next season, Ethan wanted to do it again.
Pellegrini considered the comment and nodded.
Ethan leaned back in his chair. "All right, David. You didn't bring Manuel here just to thank me. What do you want?"
He had already found Pace a manager. The two of them appearing together could only mean they wanted something else.
Players, most likely.
Pace looked slightly embarrassed. He already owed Ethan a great deal, but Pellegrini had made his request and he could hardly refuse to ask.
"We want Mascherano."
Ethan paused.
That made sense.
Javier Mascherano had been one of Pellegrini's most important players at River Plate, and his Italian passport meant there would be no work-permit problem in England. New Manchester United, meanwhile, were already overloaded in central midfield. Essien, De Rossi, and Yaya Touré could all fill the more defensive role, while Michael Johnson and Mikel were capable of playing there as well.
Mascherano had originally been expected to remain on loan at River Plate.
Sending him to Droylsden instead was not a bad idea.
"A permanent transfer is out of the question," Ethan said. "But I'll consider a loan. You'll have to convince Javier yourselves."
Pellegrini smiled. "Leave that to me."
Ethan looked between the two men suspiciously. Judging by Pellegrini's confidence, they had probably spoken to Mascherano before entering the office.
Pace continued. "We'd also like Joe Hart. We need a goalkeeper, and he isn't going to get many senior minutes here. Why not let him play for us?"
Ethan considered it briefly, then nodded.
"Fine. But both loan agreements include recall clauses. If you accept that, I'll let you take them for two years."
It suited New Manchester United as well. Neither player was likely to receive enough first-team football in Manchester next season, whereas Droylsden could give them regular competitive minutes in the second tier. If Mourinho needed either of them later, the club could simply bring them back.
Pace hesitated before trying his luck.
"What about Messi and Ishmael?"
Ethan laughed immediately.
"No chance. They're part of José's senior squad next season."
Pace had clearly expected that answer. Messi and Ishmael were now among the most talked-about young players in Europe, and Mourinho had no intention of handing their development to another club.
"I might have a striker for you, though," Ethan added. "But you'd need to get his work permit approved under the exceptional-talent provisions."
He was thinking of Edin Džeko, who had spent the season on loan at Genk. The Bosnian had struggled to establish himself there and made fewer than ten appearances, which meant the loan had not provided the development New Manchester United had hoped for.
Droylsden could offer him something much better.
Ethan knew Pace's squad well enough to believe Džeko would have a genuine chance of starting, and working under Pellegrini could accelerate his development considerably.
Pace briefly explained the work-permit situation to Pellegrini. The Chilean listened and suggested that he would rather study the player first.
Ethan immediately pulled up Džeko's scouting footage and performance data on his office computer and sent it to the television screen.
The depth of the information surprised Pellegrini. There were clips from training, reserve matches, loan appearances, physical testing, technical assessments, movement maps, and developmental reports.
New Manchester United clearly regarded Džeko as more than an expendable youngster.
And if Ethan was following the player that closely, Pellegrini assumed there was a reason.
After watching the footage, he quickly made up his mind.
"I'll take him. We'll make the application, and if he's approved, I'll give him every opportunity to establish himself."
In addition to Mascherano, Hart, and Džeko, Ethan noticed another weakness in Droylsden's squad.
Right-back.
So he offered them Micah Richards on loan from Newton Heath.
Richards had performed very well in the academy. He was exceptionally strong for his age and comfortable enough technically, but his defensive positioning and decision-making still needed refinement. Regular senior football under Pellegrini could be exactly what he needed.
By then Pellegrini had realised that every youngster Ethan casually mentioned seemed to have serious potential. Naturally, he began wondering what else might be hidden in the Newton Heath academy.
Ethan shut that door immediately.
Four players were enough.
He was willing to strengthen Droylsden, not empty his academy into their dressing room.
Even so, Ethan strongly supported Pellegrini's rebuilding project and gave Pace several transfer suggestions, particularly players New Manchester United admired but currently had no realistic pathway for.
Two of the most obvious were Aaron Lennon and James Milner at Leeds United.
Leeds had been relegated and were still drowning in debt. They had little choice but to sell, and clubs across England were circling the squad.
Ethan liked several of their young players, but New Manchester United's first team was already crowded. There was little sense signing prospects only to leave them without football.
Droylsden, however, could use them immediately.
If those players later developed into elite footballers and New Manchester United genuinely needed them, the relationship between the clubs could always be revisited.
Ethan estimated that Lennon and Milner together should cost somewhere around £4 million, though he advised Pace to negotiate hard. Plenty of clubs were being linked with both players, but the number actually prepared to spend serious money was much smaller than the newspapers suggested.
He also recommended Ashley Young of Watford. Young had only recently broken into the senior side, while Watford were struggling both competitively and financially. Ethan believed a fee of around £1.5 million might be enough.
For the left side of defence, he suggested Leighton Baines at Wigan. Baines was still young but already had the qualities to become an excellent modern full-back, and Ethan doubted the fee would exceed £1 million.
Droylsden also needed another centre-back to partner Michael Dawson.
Ethan gave Pace two names: Phil Jagielka of Sheffield United and Ryan Shawcross from Manchester United's academy. Shawcross did not appear to be among the highest-priority youngsters at Old Trafford, so Ethan believed either a loan or permanent deal might be possible without an excessive fee.
If Droylsden completed most of those moves, Ethan believed their squad would immediately rank among the strongest in the Championship.
It would effectively be filled with players who had the potential to become Premier League regulars, and in several cases future England internationals.
Whether they could win promotion immediately was another question. So many changes would require time, particularly with Pellegrini introducing an entirely different style of football. The quality would be there, but chemistry could not be bought overnight.
The decisive factor would be Pellegrini himself: how quickly he adapted to England, and how quickly the players adapted to him.
...
When Pace and Pellegrini returned to Droylsden and began seriously evaluating Ethan's recommendations, they were surprised by just how much potential there was on the list.
Most importantly, the players were still affordable.
Pace's £10 million transfer budget would be more than enough.
Combined with the loans from New Manchester United, the squad would be considerably stronger than the one that had just won promotion.
Only then did Pellegrini begin to understand how deliberately Ethan had been helping Droylsden over the years. This was not simply a matter of two owners being friends. Ethan had clearly been encouraging the club's growth as part of a wider footballing relationship.
Pellegrini could also see the strategic logic behind it.
He was not offended.
After working in Argentine football, where club politics, agents, third-party interests, and personal alliances could influence almost everything, a transparent partnership between two clubs barely registered as controversial. Droylsden benefited. New Manchester United benefited. The players received opportunities.
As long as he retained control over his own team, Pellegrini had no problem with it.
He and Pace therefore moved quickly.
Leeds were the first club to agree a deal. Under pressure to raise money, they accepted a combined £3.8 million for Aaron Lennon and James Milner.
Watford followed, allowing Ashley Young to leave for £1.25 million.
Other negotiations continued over the following weeks until Droylsden had assembled most of the squad Ethan had suggested.
Manchester United initially preferred to loan Shawcross, but Pace, increasingly influenced by Ethan's philosophy, pushed hard for a permanent transfer. He wanted players who belonged to Droylsden rather than a squad filled entirely with temporary solutions. Shawcross himself was attracted by the chance of regular first-team football.
By the end of the transfer work, Droylsden's squad looked radically different.
Pellegrini arrived permanently with his coaching staff and immediately began identifying areas of the training ground that needed improvement. He wanted changes to the pitches, gym, analysis facilities, recovery areas, and academy structure.
Because Pace had spent less than expected in the transfer market, he backed those requests enthusiastically and released additional money for infrastructure and youth development.
Standing beside the training ground while renovation work carried on around him, Pace thought back to something Ethan had told him.
"David, if you trust Pellegrini and give him time, this squad can reach the Premier League within three years. And once you're there, you can stay there. Build properly for a few more seasons and there's no reason Droylsden can't become the sort of established Premier League club Aston Villa have been."
Pace had dreamed about seeing Droylsden in the Premier League for years.
For the first time, it no longer felt ridiculous.
And while Droylsden were rebuilding for that dream, English football was about to be shaken by another series of major developments.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)