Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 14

14: Reorganization

Red Bull ascended to the ranks of a massive conglomerate thanks to the enormous profits generated by their energy drinks.

Focusing on marketing to cultivate a hip brand image aligned with the energy drink theme popular among the younger generation, Red Bull strategically chose sports as their primary avenue.

They achieved widespread recognition by sponsoring a diverse range of extreme sports and challenges, including a record-breaking free-fall jump from the stratosphere that surpassed the sound barrier, yielding significant marketing impact.

However, Formula One and soccer are the areas where Red Bull, the creator of one of the world’s hippest brands, invests the most heavily.

These two sports boast the largest and most extensive fan bases globally.

Within Formula One, they operate two teams: Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri. In the early 2010s, they secured four consecutive championships with Sebastian Vettel at the helm. Following a period of decline, they overcame Mercedes’ dominance in 2021, achieving victory with Max Verstappen leading the charge.

The ‘Red Bull Football Group,’ responsible for investing in and managing Red Bull’s soccer ventures, which has risen to become a powerhouse in Formula One, owns four clubs worldwide.

These include:

RB Salzburg, competing in the Austrian Bundesliga.

RB Leipzig, competing in the German Bundesliga.

New York Red Bulls, competing in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States.

And Red Bull Bragantino, competing in the Brazilian Serie A.

Each club operates its team based on a unified soccer philosophy, focusing on discovering and developing promising players, sharing expertise, and even facilitating internal coach rotations.

A streamlined system is in place to enhance the value of promising players identified in Austria, Brazil, and the United States—leagues considered relatively lower-tier—by transferring them to their sister club in the German Bundesliga.

Among these clubs, RB Salzburg holds a unique position within the Red Bull Football Group.

While its status may not be as elevated as RB Leipzig, which consistently ranks among the top teams in the German Bundesliga, RB Salzburg serves as the primary entry point for young players from the Red Bull system recruited worldwide who are deemed to have the potential to succeed in European soccer.

The RB Salzburg system, which involves players gaining experience in Salzburg—and, if necessary, being loaned to Liefering in the Austrian Second League, a satellite club—before moving to higher-level Red Bull clubs or being sold to clubs in top leagues, is regarded as one of the premier player development programs globally.

Notable players who have progressed through the Salzburg system and currently play in the Premier League include Liverpool’s Sadio Mané, Takumi Minamino, and Naby Keïta; Wolverhampton’s Hwang Hee-chan; Leicester’s Patson Daka; and Brighton’s Enock Mwepu, totaling six players. Expanding this to the top 5 leagues in Europe reveals dozens more.

One of Red Bull’s most successful recent products is Erling Haaland, formerly of BVB Dortmund, who is coveted by Europe’s elite clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

Mark Lang, who has dedicated 15 years to Salzburg, progressing through coaching and management roles to his current position as technical director in charge of player recruitment and transfers, wields significant influence over player acquisitions and transfers at RB Salzburg, the gateway of the Red Bull system.

Mark Lang was pleased to receive a call from a graduate of Red Bull’s coach training program, a source of pride for Red Bull members, even though it is not as renowned as the player development program.

“Kim! Hahaha, I’m honored that the manager of a Premier League club is even contacting me!”

Mark Lang continued the call, holding the phone to his ear while quickly walking down the hallway of the club office.

He made sure to acknowledge the staff he passed with a slight wave.

“…I always envisioned you as a first-team manager someday, but I never anticipated you’d become an official Premier League manager just two months after leaving Salzburg! Everyone is thrilled to hear your news. Of course, I’ve been diligently watching Burnley games lately.”

Mark Lang, about to open the door to the meeting room he had reached with his free hand, paused upon hearing the content of the call.

“…Yes. Of course, I’m always interested in that. You know that, don’t you.”

As he entered the conference room, the attention of those seated around the long table shifted to him. Noticing he was on the phone, they lowered their voices and resumed their conversations.

It was common for the technical director’s phone to be ringing constantly as the transfer season neared its end, so everyone patiently waited for Mark Lang to conclude his call.

Mark Lang, raising a hand in apology to those waiting, frowned and focused on the conversation. After a moment of contemplation, he responded.

“…That’s a very, very interesting offer. It just so happens that I’m heading straight into the transfer committee meeting. I’ll discuss it quickly and get back to you.”

When Mark Lang hung up and took his seat, Christopher Freund, the football director sitting beside him, inquired, “What’s going on?”

Looking around at the members of the RB Salzburg transfer committee seated around the table, Mark Lang smiled.

“Our friend Kim, who went to England, has presented a very intriguing proposal.”

***

Before the transfer market closed on August 31, Burnley Football Club successfully secured the loan of four promising players.

Mike Garlick, the former owner, leveraged his connections to engage various Premier League clubs, ultimately securing the loan of two promising players that Hyungmin had identified during European youth competitions during his time at Salzburg.

The first is Hannibal Mejbri, a Tunisian midfielder from Manchester United’s reserve team.

The second is Jacob Ramsey, an English midfielder from Aston Villa’s reserve team.

Both clubs were receptive to the proposal of showcasing promising players at a semi-main level in the Premier League, allowing them to gain valuable experience.

Therefore, while the potential transfer fee was beyond Burnley’s reach, they waived the loan fee and even covered the weekly wages, as Hyungmin and the board had anticipated.

On the other hand, negotiations with Red Bull proved more challenging, as RB Salzburg’s system is specifically designed for nurturing promising players.

“Look, Kim. I want to help you, but you know our players can realize their potential and increase their value even without Burnley. We’re more concerned about them missing out on our guidance during this crucial stage of their development.”

“Okay, I understand. I acknowledge that, Mark. How about this then?”

Hyungmin, continuing his call with Mark Lang, the technical director of RB Salzburg, proposed:

“Give me the price to permanently transfer those players. We’ll sign a loan agreement with an option to buy based on that price, and we’ll cover their weekly wages. Instead of a loan fee, we’ll include a penalty for guaranteeing appearances, and we’ll treat them as key players in our first team.”

“To what extent are we talking about treating them as key players?”

“Except for injuries, rests for player protection, or cup competitions, they’ll unconditionally start.”

“…Who are you after?”

Hyungmin took a deep breath to conceal his nervousness.

“Nicolas Seiwald and Karim Adeyemi.”

Hyungmin could hear Mark Lang’s surprised sigh.

“…Christopher [Freund, the football director] and Matthias [Jaissle, the first-team manager] are going to kill me. Okay, I’ll talk to them and let you know.”

Hanging up, Mark Lang sighed again.

*I had to transfer them someday anyway.*

The thought of persuading Christopher Freund and Matthias Jaissle to relinquish two of RB Salzburg’s publicly known secret weapons on the last day of the transfer market made him feel slightly overwhelmed.

According to a friend still in Salzburg, Matthias Jaissle was immediately summoned to Mark Lang’s office after the call with Hyungmin.

The exact details of the conversation remain unknown, but it is said that Jaissle voiced his displeasure but ultimately agreed to part with two key first-team players in a manner that aligned with the club’s structure and financial interests.

Fortunately, thanks to the Red Bull Football Group’s financial stability, Hyungmin was able to secure top-class promising players on loan without paying a transfer fee.

However, what comes must go.

Hyungmin, briefly elated by the team’s reinforcement, was disheartened after attending an emergency board meeting called by Helena.

“Ashley Westwood?!”

“Yes. Norwich made an offer, and frankly, it’s too good to refuse.”

Norwich’s offer for the 31-year-old veteran midfielder was £10 million in cash, paid upfront.

Moreover, the payment would be made immediately upon transfer.

A strategic move to weaken a relegation rival while simultaneously acquiring a valuable player.

Everyone at Norwich, who made the offer, and the board of directors at Burnley, who received it, recognized that it was an irresistible proposal given Burnley’s precarious financial situation.

“Then can we use some of that money to permanently acquire one of the loaned players?”

Helena shook her head.

“Ultimately, they still belong to their parent clubs after the loan, right? We’re not paying exorbitant weekly wages. It’s more financially prudent to maintain their loan status rather than spending a significant amount of money unnecessarily. If we have funds available later, we’ll prioritize the permanent acquisition of the loaned players.”

However, Helena added, all of that is contingent on being able to meet the weekly payroll for players and club employees.

Hyungmin, who had barely managed to reinforce the midfield with three promising players, inwardly lamented the plight of a small club after losing a veteran midfielder.

It remains unknown whether Matthias Jaissle found some satisfaction in the fact that Hyungmin, who had poached his players on the last day of the transfer market, had experienced a similar setback.