Became The Premier League’S Youngest Manager [EN]: Chapter 84

84. Manager of the Year

Hyungmin desperately fought off Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, and Antonio Conte, who were all trying to get him to have just one more drink, and he fled as soon as the banquet was over.

It wasn’t just that he wasn’t used to such glamorous events.

More than anything, he felt a sense of impending doom. If he got caught by those three—a boisterous German ex-player celebrating his win, a somber Spanish ex-player mourning his loss, and an Italian ex-player promising revenge next season—and forced to drink, he might die of alcohol poisoning.

Instead, Hyungmin called Helena from the taxi heading to the hotel, the address of which he had received in a text message.

Fortunately, she was still awake.

[Helena?]

[Hyungmin? Are you having trouble finding the hotel?]

[Ah, no. I’m getting there just fine. I was wondering if you were still up. I wanted to show you the trophies.]

[Oh really? I see. I’m having a drink at the Fumoire right now.]

[…Fumo… Fumoire? Where is that?]

Helena’s laughter echoed over the phone.

[Just come to the hotel and ask to be directed to the Fumoire, and they’ll tell you.]

Hyungmin, slightly intimidated by the elegant hotel, arrived at a magnificent bar decorated with dark brown wood, looking like something out of a movie, guided by the concierge.

It was once a place where London gentlemen gathered to enjoy drinks while smoking tobacco or cigars.

Now that indoor smoking was prohibited, tobacco and cigars had disappeared, but it remained one of the most classic and wonderful bars in London.

Helena easily spotted the Asian man in a suit carrying boxes under both arms and waved to him from her seat at the semicircular bar.

“Hyungmin, over here!”

Hyungmin took a seat next to Helena, placed the boxes on the bar, and looked around in a daze.

“This is… really amazing.”

“Isn’t it? I’ve always wanted to come to Claridge’s, and I decided to treat myself since I splurged on a few things today.”

“Um… is this a famous place?”

In fact, even Hyungmin, who wasn’t very observant, could tell that something was special just by looking at the elegant building from the outside, the luxurious interior with wallpaper, the high ceilings, and the bar’s interior, which looked expensive at a glance.

“Claridge’s is one of the most luxurious and famous hotels in London. There’s an interesting story about it; would you like to hear it?”

“What is it?”

“During World War II, kings from various European countries fled to London and stayed at this hotel. So, if you called the hotel and said, ‘I’d like to speak to His Majesty the King,’ the hotel operator would ask, ‘Which king are you referring to?'”

The reaction Helena expected was laughter, admiration, or even amazement.

However, Hyungmin quietly picked up the two boxes he had placed on the solid wood bar and placed them on his lap.

“Um… Hyungmin? Wasn’t it interesting?”

“…No. I’m just worried that if I damage the bar, I won’t be able to pay for it with my salary.”

“Puhahaha!”

Tonight, the announcement of the award winners at the League Managers Association banquet and his acceptance of the trophy were featured in every broadcast and newspaper that covered sports, but he was worried about scratching the bar.

Helena, thinking that this man always had new sides to him that were interesting to see, chuckled and pointed to the boxes.

“Can I take a look?”

“Of course. I’m going to give it to Arthur, but I wanted to show it to Helena first.”

One was a silver trophy in the shape of a championship cup, and the other was a golden trophy in the shape of a soccer ball.

As the gazes of other guests, who finally realized who the young man sitting at the bar was, focused on them with a low murmur, Helena carefully took out the two trophies, looked at them with a smile, and then carefully put them back in the boxes.

“Arthur will be happy.”

***

“Really, nothing happened?”

“I told you, nothing happened.”

The joy of seeing the two trophies was fleeting.

Hyungmin replied with a puzzled expression to the question of the old British man, who was still stuck in the hospital and complaining about his boring and tedious hospital life.

“Then what did you do in London?”

“Well, first I got a suit made, then after the banquet, I had a drink at a hotel bar and talked about this and that… The next morning, I took a plane back to Burnley?”

What is this?

Arthur, with a dumbfounded expression, asked Hyungmin again.

“But why has Helena been calling you Hyungmin instead of Kim since the beginning of the year?”

“Helena calls me Hyungmin?”

Arthur looked at the young manager with a puzzled expression, then turned to his wife, Clarissa, who was sitting next to him, shaking her head.

This guy, he seems hopeless, doesn’t he?

Clarissa Brimlow sighed and nodded at her husband’s unspoken message.

***

The first key management meeting of Burnley Football Club, held after the official end of the season with a small incident, began with the announcement of a small change.

“Jonathan, the board has been discussing it.”

Jonathan Landris, Burnley’s Technical Director, who attended the key management meeting held every Tuesday, looked around at the attendees with a puzzled expression.

Helena, Mike Garlic, and John Banaskiewicz, who were board members, seemed to know the content and smiled slightly, but Hyungmin shook his head slightly, as if he didn’t know.

“Considering the various contributions Jonathan has made this season, we have decided to appoint Jonathan as the Football Director of Burnley Football Club. Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations, Jonathan!”

As the people attending the meeting applauded and congratulated him, Jonathan Landris couldn’t hide his excited expression and nodded, expressing his gratitude.

After a period of congratulations and well wishes, Jonathan Landris asked as the atmosphere calmed down a bit.

“Thank you so much for entrusting me with this important role. I promise to dedicate myself to Burnley Football Club in the future.”

“Yes, we firmly believe that you are the right person to be Burnley’s Football Director.”

Mike Garlic responded to Jonathan’s pledge on behalf of the directors.

Jonathan, with a smile on his face, looked around at the people around him and asked.

“So, what kind of tasks will I be in charge of as Football Director?”

“Um… let’s see. Player recruitment and transfer negotiations, overall management of scouting operations, hiring and managing reserve team and youth team managers and coaches other than the first team, support for hiring first team managers and coaches, and other management practices related to football. I think that’s what it will be for now.”

Helena replied, checking the contents on her laptop.

“…Isn’t that what I’m already doing?”

“Um… well… yes, but now all of that officially becomes Jonathan’s job! Official authority is granted according to responsibility!”

“Then can I hire a new Technical Director to support me?”

Helena shook her head at the question from Jonathan Landris, who had been newly promoted to Football Director.

“I’m sorry, Jonathan. I don’t think we have any budget for that right now.”

“…Then will my salary be raised?”

“Um… I haven’t thought about that yet. But don’t we still have some time left on our original contract?”

“Oh, come on!”

Same job, same salary.

Jonathan Landris, who had nothing changed except for his business card, swallowed his tears again today.

Ah, how can it be so poor even though it’s the Premier League! This damn rural football club!

Whether Jonathan swallowed his tears or not, Helena, who moved on to the next agenda, displayed the data she had prepared on the screen.

“The final settlement for the 2021/22 season is complete.”

Helena, after looking around at the members who were seriously watching her, realized that the empty seat of the old head coach, who always sat at the end of the table frowning or even dozing off (!), felt particularly large, and she paused for a moment.

“…Helena?”

At Mike Garlic’s words, who carefully called her name, Helena put her longing aside and continued her explanation.

“You can see the detailed contents in the materials you have distributed, so I will only explain the main points.”

As the slide changed, neatly organized figures were displayed.

“The total club revenue for this season is approximately £154 million. As expected, broadcasting rights account for the largest portion, with £86 million received from the Premier League, plus a special ranking bonus of £29 million for our 6th place finish. After that, in order of amount, we have a total of £17.6 million from game tickets and season tickets, £12 million from sponsorships, £3 million from FA Cup participation compensation and victory, and then £6.4 million from other miscellaneous profits.”

After finishing the explanation, Helena moved to the next slide in the PowerPoint.

“The total cost is £149 million: £43 million for player wages, £20 million for game allowances and bonuses, £17 million net expenditure on player recruitment, £11 million for club employee salaries, £4 million for stadium and training ground operating costs, £3 million for game day operating costs, and £2 million for other miscellaneous expenses and taxes. With this, Burnley Football Club’s net profit for the 2021/22 season is £5 million.”

Helena glanced at Jonathan and Hyungmin.

“For reference, the net expenditure on player recruitment includes £27 million spent to completely transfer Karim Adeyemi and Nicolas Seiwald.”

“Um… it seems like some numbers are missing on the cost side?”

Helena nodded as Mike Garlic, who was looking at the numbers, asked.

“Yes. What’s missing from there is the £49 million in interest and dividends that ALK Capital [the ownership group] took to repay its debt.”

John Banaskiewicz cursed in a low voice.

The huge sum of £49 million, which would not have been spent or used for the club under normal circumstances, was taken out to pay off the debts of the former owner.

And in return, Burnley Football Club had to continue a precarious tightrope walk throughout the season, teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.

It was a situation that would have made even the polite British gentleman John Banaskiewicz swear.

“Well… fortunately, thanks to Hyungmin winning the FA Cup and raising Burnley’s ranking to 6th place, we generated approximately £32 million in additional revenue from special bonuses and FA Cup victory. So, if that hadn’t happened, Burnley would have gone bankrupt with a deficit of £27 million.”

In fact, it could have been a precarious situation for Cartwright Fund, which acquired Burnley Football Club just before the start of the season.

However, Mike Garlic, who had poured his affection and dedication into his hometown team, looked at Hyungmin with tears in his eyes.

“Kim… thank you so much. Thank you!”

“Ah, no problem.”

John Banaskiewicz, who was sitting next to Hyungmin, who was embarrassed, patted him on the shoulder without saying a word.

Helena, who gave them time to feel the emotion for a while, moved on to the next slide and started a full-scale discussion.

“The important thing is to discuss how to operate next season.”