Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 130

130. The Last Day of the Winter Transfer Market

January 31, 2023.

The last day of the winter transfer market for most football leagues in Europe.

It’s a chance to shore up weaknesses identified during the first half of the season and to offload players deemed surplus to requirements.

The winter transfer market is therefore a polarized affair, with desperate teams often overpaying to strengthen their squad, while good players can be acquired cheaply as clubs look to offload surplus players at bargain prices.

If used wisely, it’s a golden opportunity; if not, it’s a risky and thrilling period ripe for exploitation.

However, this particular winter transfer market had been unusually quiet for most clubs, including Burnley, who had no significant recruitment or release plans.

Perhaps the long winter break due to the Qatar World Cup gave teams time to reorganize, or perhaps there was another reason.

In the Premier League, there were no major moves, with only Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur each signing one key player.

Or at least, there shouldn’t have been.

Just as the European winter transfer market seemed destined for minor player transfers and loans, a real incident erupted on the final day.

And at the heart of it was Jonathan Landris, the football director of Burnley Football Club, who had been enjoying a peaceful winter transfer market until he was suddenly thrust into a whirlwind.

***

[…What?!]

[…The article is about to be published! It’s already circulating on social media, including Twitter, and the major newspapers are all posting online articles. TSPN and BCC will be discussing it any minute now!]

[…Okay. I’ll check it out right away.]

After receiving the urgent report and ending the call, Jonathan Landris stared at his cell phone, a bewildered expression on his face.

*Are these guys crazy?*

With a slightly trembling hand, Jonathan scrolled through his contacts, found the name he was looking for, and tapped it.

*Pick up, pick up, pick up.*

As if his silent plea had been heard, the other party answered before the second ring.

[…Jonathan!]

[…Alexander! What’s going on?!]

[…I don’t know either!]

Alexander Bayer.

A German agent who primarily represents players in Germany but is increasingly expanding his reach across Europe as players move abroad.

His key clients include Weston McKennie, a US national team member and key midfielder at Juventus;

Niklas Sule, who joined Borussia Dortmund (BVB) after a stint at Bayern Munich;

Julian Weigl, who is battling for a starting position in Manchester City’s midfield; and

Luka Jovic, who moved to Real Madrid after playing for Eintracht Frankfurt.

But his connection to Burnley stemmed from the fact that two of their first-team players were his clients.

Those players were Karim Adeyemi and Wout Weghorst.

And the focus of today’s incident was Karim Adeyemi, the standout player who had caused a sensation at the Qatar World Cup.

The two bewildered middle-aged men began comparing notes over the phone.

[…Have you been contacted by them?]

[…I haven’t received anything. Has the club been contacted? The offer should go there first!]

[…We haven’t received anything. I’m asking because I thought they contacted the player first!]

[…There was no prior contact!]

*Are these guys crazy?*

For a moment, they knew they were thinking the same thing.

[…If they’re not crazy…]

Alexander Bayer trailed off.

Even in private conversations, agents are careful about openly criticizing a particular club.

[…They must be incompetent.]

But Jonathan, who didn’t need to be so cautious, finished Alexander Bayer’s sentence for him and stared dumbfounded at the articles appearing on his laptop.

[…The article is really out there.]

***

If the information wasn’t deliberately leaked to the media, the only other explanation was that it was leaked internally during the preparation process.

Of course, he had to choose between the other party’s malice or incompetence, but Jonathan decided to assume malice in the case of so-called big clubs.

Because it’s better to discover incompetence when you expected malice than the other way around.

Of course, these guys might genuinely be incompetent.

As Jonathan glanced back and forth between his laptop and cell phone, a new email notification popped up, and his cell phone began to vibrate intensely.

*Let’s read what they wrote first.*

Ignoring the pitifully vibrating cell phone, he slowly read the email.

The short and concise email was exactly what he expected, and Jonathan finally picked up his cell phone, which had been shaking incessantly.

[…Yes, this is Jonathan Landris.]

[…Jonathan! How are you doing?]

Hearing the seemingly cheerful voice on the other end, Jonathan fought the urge to swear.

[…Well, there are so many tabloid articles these days that it’s quite annoying.]

*So stop beating around the bush and get to the point.*

As if oblivious to Jonathan’s cold tone, the other party continued.

[…We just sent Burnley a very satisfactory offer by email. Have you seen it?]

[…Email? Well, I’ll check it out later.]

The other party took the bait of Jonathan’s feigned ignorance.

[…Oh, no need. I’ll tell you myself. We want to sign Karim Adeyemi. A whopping £30 million. We’ll pay in full, in cash.]

Isn’t this good enough? Just say yes already!

Jonathan couldn’t hold back his sigh any longer at the hidden message behind the other party’s words.

[…John. Karim Adeyemi’s buyout clause is £73 million. You could have confirmed that if you had asked around a little, couldn’t you?]

*To think they’re trying to sign a 21-year-old world-class striker, who just won the Golden Boot at the World Cup and single-handedly dragged his national team to victory, for a measly £30 million?*

*Are they crazy?*

John Murtough, the football director of Manchester United who made the absurd offer, was silent for a moment, though he couldn’t actually hear Jonathan’s thoughts.

[…Look, Jonathan. I don’t know if you know this, but… it’s already being heavily reported in the media.]

[…Well, journalists always mix speculation and gossip during the transfer market. I don’t think it’s something I need to worry about too much, do I?]

[…But what do you think the player himself thinks when he sees the articles?]

*Could he really easily turn down the opportunity to leave a rural club like Burnley and play for a big club like Manchester United?*

Jonathan scoffed at the thinly veiled threat.

*Who do they think they’re dealing with right now…*

[…Frankly, I don’t care what the player thinks. Burnley Football Club’s position is that we have three years left on the contract with the player, and since there is a clear buyout clause, we have no intention of selling for less than £73 million.]

[…Will the player himself accept that?]

Jonathan turned his head to look out the window.

From his office window, he could see the external training ground of the Barnfield Training Centre.

In the first team training that had been going on until just now, some of the first team players, including the person on the phone, were doing bunny hops with their hands on their ears as punishment for losing a game, while the other players watched and giggled.

Paulo Mora was even taking out his cell phone to film this rare sight.

Of course, the ones being punished were also hopping around and giggling, falling over in all directions and knocking down their teammates who were running next to them like bowling pins.

Since Jung Tae-jin was appointed as the interim coach of Burnley, the punishments during training have definitely become more creative, if nothing else.

Jonathan chuckled and refocused on the call.

[…I think the player himself will be fine? If you’re so worried, talk to his agent. The club’s position is firm.]

*Oh, but when I talked to the agent, he didn’t seem very interested either?*

From the perspective of an agent who has clients in top European clubs such as Real Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Manchester United is, unfortunately, a destination past its prime.

It’s better to grow a little more at Burnley, where he is given every opportunity and faces relatively less pressure regarding performance, and then transfer to a team that competes for the UEFA Champions League title every year.

There’s no way he would waste the most important period of his career by joining a club that has been unable to find its way since the retirement of the great Sir Alex Ferguson, and whose tactics and player recruitment are all over the place.

[…Even though he’d be making twice the profit in just half a season?!]

Jonathan sighed again at the pleading voice of the other party.

[…Honestly, it was a loan with a full transfer clause, so even though the transfer fee was paid half a season ago, he’s actually been playing at Burnley for a season and a half. And frankly, what do you think Karim Adeyemi’s market price is right now?]

[…]

*Think about the price you’re going to pay, not the price I bought him for.*

Silence flowed from the other side at Jonathan’s implicit point.

In the previous summer transfer market, a large number of young, mega-sized strikers were put up for sale.

Kylian Mbappé of the French national team, who was considered the biggest catch, renewed his contract with PSG [Paris Saint-Germain], rejecting Real Madrid, by mobilizing even the country’s president and politicians, surpassing the manager and pouring in almost football director-level authority and financial conditions.

Erling Haaland of BVB Dortmund [Ballspielverein Borussia Dortmund], who was considered a mega-sized player at the same level as him, transferred to Manchester City after paying a buyout of £60 million in a lump sum and offering a weekly wage of £460,000 and a 5-year contract.

Darwin Núñez of Benfica, who was not quite as big as the two above but was considered the hottest next-generation striker in the next level, also moved to Liverpool for £85 million.

Real Madrid, who missed out on Kylian Mbappé, were grinding their teeth, and Christopher Nkunku of RB Salzburg [RasenBallsport Leipzig Salzburg], who was the leading candidate among the strikers expected to grow to the same level, was snatched by Manchester City for £49.5 million in this winter transfer market.

Karim Adeyemi is from the same RB Salzburg, and he is already verified in the big leagues of the Premier League and the World Cup, and he is four years younger than Christopher Nkunku.

On top of that, he is at Burnley, which is led by Hyung-min, who he has known since he was a child, and is causing a sensation in the Premier League for two seasons in a row, so there is no room for the player to be dissatisfied and leave.

Frankly, there was no reason for anyone to criticize if they rejected any offers below £50 million without even asking.

[…Isn’t there any way Burnley can do something about this?]

Jonathan sighed at the words of Manchester United’s football director, John Murtough.

*That’s why you guys have been called the fools of the transfer market for the past few seasons.*

*Why should we look out for your situation?*

*Do you still mistake Manchester United for the days when it represented the English Premier League, the best league in Europe, under Sir Alex Ferguson?*

Ed Woodward, the former football director, was from a non-football background and was largely responsible for Manchester United’s poor transfer market performance and manager appointments, but it seemed that his successor had not yet come to his senses either.

[…Why isn’t there a way?]

[…What is it?]

[…I told you. Just pay the buyout of £73 million.]

Instead of making a panic buy and spending almost £37 million on Çağlar Söyüncü, who is a good defender but has shown severe ups and downs and weaknesses as much as his strengths at Leicester.

Jonathan was willing to bet his salary that Leicester’s football director and manager danced together when they received the offer.

[…Um…]

Jonathan held back another sigh at the opposing team’s football director, who couldn’t continue speaking.

[…Then I’ll hang up now, John. Send an offer with the buyout if you want to talk again. £73 million, in full.]

*Don’t try to shake up the player by spreading gossip in the media first.*

Jonathan hung up the phone and threw it carelessly on the desk, finally letting out the sigh he had been holding back.

It was fortunate that Hyung-min was managing the team so well, and that Karim Adeyemi’s agent, Alexander Bayer, had learned the hard way through Luka Jović, who struggled at Real Madrid, what problems can arise when an unprepared young player joins a big club.

It could have been a headache if he was a player who was easily distracted.

Of course, if he was a player who was so easily distracted, he wouldn’t have made a name for himself as a world-class player at the age of 21.

Jonathan sent a text message to Alexander Bayer informing him that the situation was over, then buried himself in his chair and let out a sigh of relief.

There are only 12 hours left in the transfer market.

It would be perfect to finish the winter transfer market quietly like this and then start preparing for the next summer transfer market.

Thinking that, Jonathan tried to relax his whole body.

Little did he imagine that he would have to grab Alexander Bayer again in a little while.