Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 46

“Burnley’s young manager, Kim, frankly admitted that facing Leeds United head-on in the first half was a tactical mistake stemming from his lack of experience. Thanks to his quick response, Burnley managed to exhaust Leeds’ stamina in the second half without conceding additional goals, but unfortunately, they failed to score the equalizer due to a lack of finishing ability.”

Helena read a snippet of the article aloud, then lowered the newspaper she was holding and looked at Hyungmin, who was sitting across from her.

“The article itself is fine, but why is the headline about *that*?”

Hyungmin, who had been clutching his head due to a hangover, lowered his hand and revealed his tired face.

“No, I mean… during the interview, they asked me how it felt to face Bielsa, and I panicked for a moment. The first thing that came to my mind was that I liked that bucket chair…”

It was a meeting of key executives ahead of the start of the winter transfer window.

Three board members, Technical Director Jonathan Landris, Manager Hyungmin, and Head Coach Arthur were in attendance to discuss important matters.

However, the opening of the meeting began with Helena, looking refreshed, teasing Hyungmin, who was suffering from a hangover, about the interview that had been prominently featured in the morning newspaper.

“Well, anyway, it’s not like Kim is going to Leeds next season. We don’t need to be sensitive about it since we know the truth.”

Mike Garrick, still unaware that his prized whiskey had been pilfered, chuckled along with Helena and dissuaded her from teasing Hyungmin.

Helena had only brought up the topic before the meeting to ease the tension at this sensitive time, just before the start of the transfer window.

No one seriously thought that their young manager would move, as the media was making a fuss, so after a few more jokes, she put down the newspaper and focused on the main topic.

As such, the meeting led by Technical Director Jonathan Landris was crucial to the success or failure of Burnley’s remaining season.

Jonathan Landris first displayed a slide on the large screen containing information on Burnley’s existing players whose transfers were in progress to some extent.

“First, midfielder Jack Cork is scheduled to transfer on January 1st. The destination has been confirmed as Ulsan Hyundai in Korea, as previously discussed. Backup center-back Kevin Long is in negotiations with several clubs. The most likely option seems to be Toluca in Mexico, so he will probably sign with them. And left-back Erik Pieters has already completed his transfer and left for Santos Laguna in Mexico.”

“Is that possible? The transfer market hasn’t opened yet?”

John Banaskiewicz answered Helena’s question, who was surprised that a player had already been transferred.

“The transfer market determines when a club can register a player. In Europe, most leagues open the transfer market and allow player registration from January 1st, but some leagues in other regions open the transfer market and allow player registration earlier.”

“I see. So, what do we do now?”

Jonathan Landris glanced at Manager Hyungmin, then displayed on the screen the transfer and loan plan that he, Arthur, and the scouting team had devised.

“Since we’ve lost one midfielder and two defenders, we need to reinforce by at least that number. We’ve maintained a minimum of 20 field players so far, and three goalkeepers. Actually, there are no resources we can bring up from the reserve or youth teams…”

The board members all frowned slightly at the slide showing the depth of the squad, with each position barely filled by two players.

Looking around the conference room, Jonathan Landris continued.

“From our perspective, we need to maintain at least this level. Fortunately, Burnley’s current position in the league is solid, and more clubs are highly evaluating Hyungmin’s playing style, so we’ve been able to contact a wider range of teams.”

Jonathan Landris operated his laptop connected to the large screen and displayed the list.

“The team we’ll be showcasing this time is Barcelona.”

“Barcelona agreed to a loan deal with us?”

At Mike Garrick’s surprise, Helena looked at the fellow board member sitting next to her.

“Is that a big deal?”

“Of course! They may have financial problems now, but Barcelona is a traditional powerhouse that has established a solid top-two system with Real Madrid in the Spanish Primera Liga [Spanish top-flight football league].”

Mike Garrick wore a slightly envious expression.

“Barcelona’s La Masia [Barcelona’s youth academy] is considered the best youth system in the world. And the players they cultivate there are raised with Barcelona’s DNA. Johan Cruyff’s Total Football [a tactical theory in football] was spread to Barcelona, and Pep Guardiola completed the tiki-taka [a style of play characterized by short passing and movement] system, which overwhelms opponents with short, concise passes.”

Helena, who didn’t know Barcelona but knew Manchester City and Manchester City’s Guardiola, nodded.

“So, that high-and-mighty club agreed to lend us players.”

“Well, to be precise, we’re loaning players who go back and forth between Barcelona’s first team and the reserve team, Barcelona B, but that’s still a blessing for us.”

The first player to appear on the screen had a still youthful face.

“Nico Gonzalez. He’s Spanish and born in 2002, so he’s only 19 years old, but he debuted in the first team at the age of 17 and is a midfielder that Barcelona cherishes. He’s 187cm tall. He’s an all-around midfielder with movement, passing, stamina, physical condition, and even defensive ability. If you only look at passing, he’s comparable to Josh Brownhill or Hannibal Mejbri.”

After finishing the explanation, Jonathan Landris turned the PowerPoint slide, and a player with a thick beard appeared.

“Oscar Mingueza. But don’t be fooled by that beard. He was born in 1999, so he’s only 22 years old. Anyway, this friend is also Spanish, and he debuted in Barcelona’s first team at the age of 20. He’s not tall at 184cm, but he’s a versatile defender who can play as a central, right, and even left defender. His attacking ability may be inferior to Charlie Taylor or Matt Lowton, but his defensive ability is comparable or superior. We’re thinking of him as a reliable defensive backup who can support both sides.”

Helena tilted her head after checking the data.

“According to the data, both of them seem like they could be used as key or backup resources in Barcelona’s first team, so why did they allow the loan?”

“Barcelona’s performance deteriorated rapidly this season, and they eventually dismissed Ronald Koeman at the end of last October and appointed Xavi, a club legend, as manager.”

Helena, who had heard the name somewhere, briefly recalled the list of manager candidates she had drawn up at the beginning of the season.

“Xavi? Ah, Xavi! I know who he is.”

Thinking that this club freely calls other people’s names, whether it’s a director or a manager, Jonathan Landris continued the explanation.

“Coach Xavi is quickly reorganizing the squad and accumulating points again, but it seems like he doesn’t want to put unnecessary pressure on young players because the pressure is high. Barcelona is in a situation where every point is important, so the mental pressure is enormous. Moreover, the manager himself is in an uncertain position, so it’s risky to experiment with young players.”

Jonathan Landris tilted his head slightly to one side and continued his explanation.

“On the other hand, if they come to England and experience the Premier League, they can experience a different kind of fast-paced soccer than in Spain. They think that experiencing Hyungmin’s style will help the youth players they have cherished, so they decided to send them.”

“So, the conditions are similar to before?”

Jonathan Landris turned one more PowerPoint slide to show the conditions.

“That’s right. There is no loan fee, and they will cover the salaries, but there is a huge penalty if they don’t play in any games in a month.”

John Banaskiewicz whistled softly after checking the penalty amount.

Jonathan Landris smiled and continued his explanation.

“For every month they don’t play, Nico has to pay a penalty of 1.5 million pounds, and Oscar Mingueza has to pay 1 million pounds. And in Nico’s case, they set a complete transfer fee at a level that practically says, ‘Don’t sign him.’ 24.5 million pounds. Mingueza set a fee of 12.75 million pounds, which is at the level of, ‘Let’s talk if you really want him.'”

Helena exchanged glances with Mike Garrick and John Banaskiewicz, then nodded.

“Okay. Is that all we’re going to discuss today?”

“No. There’s one more thing. Something more important.”

Jonathan Landris, who had paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, displayed a slide with a black player with a neatly trimmed short beard.

“His name is Abdou Diallo. He’s the brother of Ibrahima Diallo, a midfielder playing for Southampton. He was born in France, but unlike his brother, he chose Senegalese nationality following his parents. He was born in 1996 and is 25 years old. He’s not very tall at 187cm, but he’s a left-footed central defender with aerial ability and passing ability, and he’s a multi-resource who can even play as a left-back if needed.”

When the slide was turned, a brilliant career appeared.

In the 2011/12 season, at the age of 15, he joined AS Monaco’s youth team in the French Ligue 1 [French top-flight football league].

In the 2015/16 season, at the age of 19, he was loaned to Zulte Waregem in the Belgian First Division, where he played in 33 games and rose to the ranks of a starter.

After returning, he did not stand out at AS Monaco, but Mainz in the German Bundesliga [German top-flight football league], who highly valued his potential, signed the young defender for 4.4 million pounds in the summer transfer market of the 2017/18 season at the age of 21.

Abdou Diallo, who proved his ability by playing in 27 games for Mainz, was transferred to Borussia Dortmund, a strong team in the Bundesliga, for 25 million pounds in the very next summer transfer market, giving Mainz a profit of over 20 million pounds.

And now, the young defender, who was 22 years old, played in 28 games for Dortmund and was caught on the radar of PSG in the French Ligue 1, which was collecting top-class players in Europe at the time.

In the summer transfer market of 2019, just one season later, he recorded a transfer fee of 28 million pounds and joined the ruler of Ligue 1.

It was the epitome of a promising defender on a smooth path, a player who was sure to be heading towards the peak of his career.

When a player of a level that did not suit Burnley suddenly appeared, Helena looked at the technical director with a bewildered expression.

“Why is this guy appearing here?”

Instead of answering Helena’s question, Jonathan Landris turned one PowerPoint slide. A low exclamation flowed from his game record and contract situation that followed.