Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 165

165. Summer Transfer Market, Open!

“Next is Patrick de Paula.”

As the board members tilted their heads at the unfamiliar name, detailed information appeared on the screen.

“Since you may not know him well, I’ll provide a detailed explanation. He is 23 years old, Brazilian, and a product of the Palmeiras youth system in the Brazilian first division. He is 178 centimeters tall and weighs 78 kilograms. His position is midfielder.”

A short highlight video began to play.

The young and powerful midfielder dominated the center of the field, relentlessly disrupting the opposing team’s attacks, sending sharp passes, and showcasing the dribbling skills unique to Brazilian players, with the occasional long-range shot.

John Vanaskywitz exclaimed, impressed by his ability to single-handedly control the midfield for Brazil’s prestigious Palmeiras.

“Wow! He’s like an upgraded Casemiro.”

“Exactly. In Brazil, he’s being touted as the next Casemiro.”

Over the past three and a half seasons, he has appeared in 109 games, scoring 10 goals and providing 4 assists.

Considering he often played as a defensive midfielder, it was a decent record.

Of course, Burnley’s scouting team focused on more than just the stats.

“His fighting spirit, dedication, activity, stamina, speed, passing, and dribbling ability all perfectly fit the profile of the midfielder we want. He can also play as a defensive midfielder instead of Nicki…”

“…If we put them together, they’ll just destroy the opponent’s midfield.”

Mike Garlic muttered, his tone a mix of admiration and apprehension.

“Yes. Kim and I discussed it, and we decided that to add tactical flexibility next season, placing him and Nicki side by side in central midfield and injecting a large number of offensive players will provide a significant boost to the team.”

Nicholas Seiwald was already considered a midfield disruptor, but alongside a similar player, his impact might be amplified even further.

Helena, with a satisfied smile as if she could already hear the opposing team’s fear and despair, nodded.

“Very good. What is the transfer fee?”

“10 million pounds.”

“Huh?!”

The board members exclaimed in astonishment.

Even for a player unproven in Europe, 10 million pounds seemed like a steal.

Jonathan smiled slightly at the directors’ disbelief.

“Fortunately for us, Palmeiras has a buyout clause of 10 million pounds for clubs in the major European leagues.”

“Hohora!”

The board members smiled, pleased with the football director’s discovery.

“It’s really bad for Palmeiras.”

John Vanaskywitz muttered, sounding apologetic but not truly showing it.

Burnley’s successful integration of South American players, starting with Christian Medina from Argentina, made them confident in pursuing this deal.

“Yes, well, I guess Palmeiras didn’t expect it either… Anyway, the transfer fee is set, and personal terms with the player are almost agreed upon. Since the transfer fee is low, the agent is pushing for a weekly wage of around 50,000 pounds.”

“Alright!”

Mike Garlic clenched his fist.

As the directors smiled, Jonathan moved to the next slide.

“Next is the defense. Honestly, I didn’t expect both Abdu and Charlie to leave this summer, so it’s been a bit of a headache.”

For Charlie Taylor, at 29 years old, this summer transfer window was the ideal time to sell before he turned 30.

No one anticipated that Chelsea, seeking a backup for Reece James, would offer such a substantial sum of 21 million pounds.

The joy was short-lived, as Abdu Diallo, who had transitioned to left-back this season and become the starter, was unexpectedly transferred to Tottenham. Tottenham’s football director, Fabio Paratici, and coach Antonio Conte had actively pursued him, impressed by his performance.

“Speaking of which, what about Jamal?”

Hyungmin shook his head at Mike Garlic’s question.

“Jamal has decided to switch to winger. I thought it would benefit both us and the player to maximize his offensive potential.”

“Well…”

At the end of the season, injuries to Karim Adeyemi and Max Cornet led to Jamal being urgently deployed as a striker. Unexpectedly, he displayed sharp offensive skills and scoring ability, becoming a strong contender for a winger position next season.

Otherwise, they would have needed to sign a winger instead of a full-back, so the overall impact was minimal.

“So, the next target is Luca Pellegrini.”

“Hmm…”

The directors showed intrigued expressions at the unexpected name.

“He is 24 years old this year. He’s a bit older than we initially wanted, but I felt it was too good an opportunity to pass up. Finding a left-back that fits our criteria isn’t easy.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Left-footed defenders are always in demand.

Luca Pellegrini, a defender proven at the highest level, is even more so.

Pellegrini, from the AS Roma youth system, transferred to Juventus in the summer of 2019 for 19.25 million pounds when he was 20 years old. Juventus, impressed by his loan spell at Cagliari in Serie A the previous season, believed he would be the next starting left-back for the Italian national team and invested heavily, but he faced some misfortune.

After successful loan spells at Cagliari and Genoa, he faced fierce competition for a rotation spot at Juventus for the past two seasons due to their deep roster.

Ultimately, Burnley, capitalizing on the player’s frustration and the club’s contract situation, secured a capable defender who had also been called up to the Italian national team.

“The transfer fee is only 7.5 million pounds. The weekly wage is being negotiated at around 50,000 pounds, and the player seems agreeable.”

Juventus, recording a loss of 11.75 million pounds, would be lamenting, but it was a jackpot for Burnley.

“The player is confident he will get enough opportunities at Burnley, so he readily agreed.”

Although final steps like medicals and paperwork remain, reinforcement for most positions is nearing completion without major issues.

“It seems like there are only about 2 positions left?”

Jonathan sighed at John Vanaskywitz’s comment.

“I know. The remaining two are not easy.”

The void left by Nick Pope, the starting goalkeeper who had been a mainstay at Burnley for the past seven seasons, appearing in 173 games.

And the left-back position, which remains a challenge even with a new signing.

***

“Ah, I’m glad but also not glad. Are you healthy? But why do I feel like if I receive your call at this time, I wish you weren’t healthy?”

Hyungmin chuckled at the other person’s rapid-fire greeting.

“It’s been a while, Mark. How are you doing?”

“I want to be doing well, but you won’t leave me alone, will you?”

Mark Lang, the technical director in charge of recruitment and transfers for RB Salzburg and Hyungmin’s former boss, replied gruffly.

However, Mark Lang was the first to congratulate Hyungmin when Burnley won the Carabao Cup [English Football League Cup] and the Europa League [annual football club competition organized by UEFA], and when Benjamin Sesko won the Young Player of the Year award.

So, Hyungmin smiled, his tone full of gratitude and affection.

“Amar Dedic.”

“Hey, you!”

Mark Lang slammed the conference room table at the mention of the young manager who had called again to poach from his former team.

Appeals and complaints, threats and annoyances were exchanged, but ultimately, RB Salzburg agreed to the transfer fee and conditions set by Jonathan Landris and conveyed by Hyungmin.

Mark Lang, having handed over a promising player who had underperformed last season for less than 10 million pounds, hesitated, sighed heavily into the receiver, and continued.

“But are you really okay with this?”

“With what?”

“I’m talking about Amar. The truth is, his form wasn’t good this season.”

In fact, it wasn’t a situation where other teams would normally make a transfer offer.

A poor record of only 17 appearances, 1 goal, and 3 assists last season.

Even at RB Salzburg, the dominant force in the Austrian first division, known as a breeding ground for promising players, it wasn’t an impressive record. However, Hyungmin, who had been watching the young player since his youth coach days, remained firm in his decision.

“Um… I think he’ll be fine.”

Not all players improve linearly.

Sometimes they slump, get distracted by off-field issues, or reach their potential limits sooner than expected and become frustrated.

A player isn’t a machine and experiences emotions like everyone else.

It’s unreasonable to expect them to suppress those emotions and perform flawlessly on the field.

“Amar is still young. Well, Karim, Luca, and Benjamin are all young too… But they haven’t experienced such severe setbacks.”

A season is not a short time.

Even excluding the summer break, it’s 10 months.

No one knows exactly what happened during that long loan period of over 300 days.

However, not all players have successful loan spells and return to their parent team with improved skills, and Amar Dedic was one of them.

“It’s okay. I’ve known Amar since he was a kid. He’ll get over it soon.”

“Yeah. Well, he’s not a problematic kid.”

Firstly, players with mental instability are not recruited into the Red Bull system, and if they are, they are quickly removed.

A healthy body and mind, combined with solid basic skills, extensive experience for their age, and tactical knowledge and application.

It’s a mistake to judge Red Bull’s promising players, who reach a high level of development in their early 20s, solely by their age.

“By the way, it must be a bit disappointing.”

“What is?”

Mark Lang chuckled at Hyungmin’s question.

“I’m talking about Karim. I think you’ll feel a little sad because you’ve nurtured him so carefully since he was a kid, but now you’re letting him go like this.”

“Haa…”

A secret he had shared with no one except Carolina.

Mark Lang, on the other end of the phone, accurately identified the feelings he hadn’t expressed to Carolina because she was a member of the same Burnley club.

“That’s how it is. It feels like sending a daughter off to get married. But someday they have to leave the nest and fly into the sky.”

“That’s true. But I’m still a little sad. He’ll do well there. No, he has to do well.”

“Of course.”

There was a brief silence between the two.

“Oh, by the way…”

Hyungmin said suddenly, remembering something.

“…Mark only has two sons, doesn’t he?”

“Hey, just die!”

“Hehehe.”

Hyungmin hung up the phone as he chuckled and curses were hurled his way.

Anyway, now that one season is over, preparations for the next season must continue.