Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 135

Late at night.

On TV, a sports program followed the regular news.

Reflecting the nation’s soccer obsession, every broadcasting station seemed to be producing soccer-related content. However, this particular station held exclusive rights to the Premier League broadcast, making it a key channel.

It was a popular program, covering and analyzing the biggest news from Europe and the UK. Two former players-turned-panelists from rival teams provided entertainment with their lively banter.

Tonight’s main topic was undoubtedly Burnley’s stunning victory, which had captivated Europe.

[…That really was, I have to say, the best game.]

One panelist exclaimed, watching the highlights on the large screen.

The screen repeatedly showed PSG’s attacks being thwarted, again and again.

[…PSG’s coach, Christophe Galtier, was completely outmaneuvered by Burnley’s Coach Kim. It seemed like a complete tactical defeat even before the game started.]

Both panelists, former defenders for the England national team, understood the difficulty of such a dominant defensive performance.

Burnley’s coordinated attack, midfield, and defense effectively shut down every PSG attack with intense pressure from the front line.

[…Nicolas Seiwald’s success in neutralizing Lionel Messi was crucial, but the entire Burnley team executed the coach’s tactics flawlessly.]

The first panelist glanced at his colleague, a man with a short beard, seeking confirmation. The other nodded.

[…That’s right. The last time I saw Messi so effectively contained was when Ji-Sung Park played for Manchester United. I didn’t expect Nicolas Seiwald to shut him down so completely today. But it wasn’t just Seiwald; Burnley played a great game overall.]

The highlight reel shifted to Burnley’s goalkeeper, Nick Pope, diving to block shots from Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, who had managed to penetrate Burnley’s determined defense.

[…Even with limited attacking opportunities, if the goalkeeper makes saves like that after the defense is breached… there’s just no answer.]

[…Burnley’s offense and defense were perfectly balanced today. Dwight McNeil, Benjamin Šeško, and especially…]

[…That’s right. Karim Adeyemi. Wow!]

Highlights of Karim Adeyemi’s performance filled the screen.

Footage showed him receiving passes from the midfield and explosively driving into the penalty area.

His agility, technique, and speed allowed him to easily evade one or two of PSG’s world-class defenders.

He demonstrated excellent judgment, knowing when to aggressively attack and when to subtly pass to create opportunities for his teammates.

And he finished decisively when a good chance arose, never being selfish when a teammate had a better shot.

Even his defensive contributions, occasionally pressuring opponents and winning the ball back, were impeccable.

[…This is a video that should be shown to every young player. This is how a striker moves. Movement, technique, speed, judgment, decisiveness, boldness! Combine that with the intelligence and selflessness to utilize teammates, and you can devastate the opposition like this.]

The panelists watched the highlights with impressed expressions. The host, sitting with them, smiled and posed a question.

[…So, what should Burnley’s goal be this season?]

The two panelists exchanged glances, a silent “You answer first” passing between them. Finally, the first panelist chuckled and shared his opinion.

[…With this kind of performance, a Champions League [Europe’s top club competition] spot should be the natural expectation. They’ve practically secured a top-four finish. Liverpool and Manchester City are solid in 1st and 2nd, but Burnley can definitely challenge for 3rd and 4th.]

[…Liverpool hasn’t firmly secured 1st place.]

The first panelist looked incredulous at the interruption.

[…I never said that, did I? I said Liverpool ‘and’ Manchester City are in 1st ‘and’ 2nd place. And where is Manchester United right now for you to say that?]

[…Ahem!]

The second panelist, regretting bringing up his former team, now languishing in 7th place after a poor second half of the season, stroked his beard and looked away, feigning disinterest.

[…They’ve also reached the Carabao Cup [English League Cup] final, guaranteeing them at least second place, and they’re still in the FA Cup [English domestic cup] competition. But if there’s one trophy Coach Kim and Burnley truly desire this season, it’s probably the Europa League [second-tier European club competition].]

The host nodded, adding his thoughts.

[…Burnley has never won a European trophy in their 140-year history. It would be a historic moment. And their next opponent is Nice from Ligue 1 [French top-division league]. Since they beat PSG, wouldn’t you say Nice is a manageable opponent?]

[…Even if they get past Nice, the next round won’t be easy. There are still many strong teams left in the Europa League.]

The first panelist agreed, voicing his concerns.

It was a major tournament featuring top European clubs, albeit a step below the Champions League.

From the round of 16 onward, large clubs eliminated from the Champions League or participating in the Europa League from the start would fight for the championship.

In the Premier League, Tottenham and Arsenal remained strong, while AC Milan, the surprise winners of Serie A [Italian top-division league] last season, along with traditional powerhouses Juventus, AS Roma, Sevilla, and Bayern Leverkusen, had all reached the round of 16.

Most had underperformed in the Champions League group stage and were determined to redeem themselves.

[…Of course, Burnley is exceeding expectations this season, and they have a good chance of winning one or more trophies. Frankly, even if they don’t win anything, Coach Kim is already making history with Burnley.]

The second panelist, who had been listening to the conversation, interjected.

[…But what worries me is next season. Specifically, the summer transfer market will be quite frightening.]

[…That’s probably true.]

The three men, though not Burnley fans, were impressed by the underdog’s performance and now wore concerned expressions.

Burnley’s victory over PSG had showcased their talent on the European stage, but it was clear that wealthy clubs would be circling when the transfer window opened.

Despite Burnley’s rapid growth, they still couldn’t compete with the financial compensation, prestige, facilities, and support offered by larger clubs.

From Burnley’s perspective, player sales were somewhat necessary for the club’s financial stability.

[…I’m worried about whether Burnley can maintain this level of performance next season.]

The host said, his face clouded with concern.

***

As the BCC broadcasting station’s logo appeared, signaling the end of the program, Hyungmin turned off the TV with the remote.

Just then, his office door opened slightly.

“Hyungmin? What are you doing here?”

Startled, Hyungmin sat up on the sofa.

“Helena?”

Helena poked her head in and, at his gesture, entered the office, looking around with surprise and tilting her head.

“You’re not drinking… Well, there’s no reason to drink after a win, is there? What are you doing here?”

“…I can’t calm down…”

Helena smiled at Hyungmin, who scratched his head as he answered.

“Well, it was a truly great game today. One that everyone at the stadium will remember for the rest of their lives.”

Helena vividly recalled the passionate Burnley fans in the director’s box, moved to tears and jumping around, and the deafening cheers that threatened to collapse Turf Moor [Burnley’s stadium]. She sighed contentedly.

“By the way, what are you still doing here, Helena?”

“Me? Oh, I had some things to finalize with the US side. I was on the phone dealing with that, so it got late.”

Since the Turf Moor reconstruction plan was approved, Helena and Emil had been incredibly busy.

Burnley Football Club had set a new British record for the fastest stadium reconstruction approval, thanks to enthusiastic support from the residents.

Jamal Higginbottom, the Member of Parliament for the Burnley constituency, later confessed that he feared a resident vote to impeach him if the approval was delayed, but regardless, it was granted.

Her younger brother, Emil, had been given the daunting task of supervising the stadium reconstruction, coordinating with Gensler Architects [an architecture firm] and traveling between the UK and the US to order semi-assembled stadium modules and transport them to Burnley.

He was also piling up materials behind Turf Moor on the wide, flat ground where residents used to picnic, recruiting construction teams, and preparing for full-scale construction.

All of this was being done without pay.

While preparing for construction, he resented his sister for tempting him with the promise of touring European soccer stadiums on public funds, and himself for naively believing her. But it was too late to back out.

Instead of seeing other stadiums, he was so busy he couldn’t even take his phone out of his hand.

“Oh, you’re busy preparing for construction.”

Hyungmin gestured for her to sit on the opposite sofa.

“When does construction start?”

“May 29th, since that’s when we play our last home game of the Premier League. We’ll have our last home game against Aston Villa on the 28th, followed by a farewell ceremony with the fans that night. Demolition will begin the day after.”

“Demolition work?”

Helena chuckled at Hyungmin’s uneasy expression.

“It’s being done with the latest construction methods, so it’s not like pieces of the stadium will be flying around. It’s a necessary operation to demolish the existing stands and install new ones as quickly as possible.”

Helena sighed slightly.

“Thanks to that, we have to completely re-lay the grass.”

Helena looked pained at the thought of tearing up perfectly good grass.

“This is money, all money.”

Helena raised an eyebrow at Hyungmin, who nodded as if sympathizing with the CEO’s financial burdens.

“But Hyungmin, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“Is there something going on between Carolina and Emil?”

“Huh?!”

Helena frowned at Hyungmin’s expression, a mix of bewilderment, embarrassment, and ignorance.

“Why are you asking me that…”

*Well, he doesn’t even notice things related to himself, so there’s no way he’d notice other people’s love affairs.*

“I’m sure there’s something going on…”

“Well… shouldn’t you just ask them directly?”

Hyungmin asked, seemingly not understanding Helena’s hesitation.

“I asked! But whenever that topic comes up, they both avoid it…”

Helena muttered, crossing her arms with a dissatisfied expression.

“Just let me catch them properly…”

“But your brother… Well, Carolina is a bit older, but there’s no reason to oppose them dating…”

*Do Westerners also have such melodramatic situations? Or does Carolina not meet the Cartwright family’s standards?*

Helena clicked her tongue at Hyungmin, who looked at her as if he was witnessing someone meddling in a family’s love life for the first time since arriving in Europe.

“It’s not that. It’s that if they have time to date, it means they have less time to work! I’m so busy, but my brother is distracted…!”

*Ah, that’s what it is.*

Of course. [Sarcastic tone]