Chapter 205: Get Ready Part 2
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After losing Alan Smith, Tang En could only wish the ingenious striker, known as the successor of Mark Hughes, good luck. If Smith could not escape his fate in the end, then Tang En could only sigh helplessly.
The second person that Tang En was interested in was Smith’s front-line partner at Leeds United: Mark Viduka. That name was deeply ingrained in Tang En’s mind. When he was still in school in China, he had already heard the Australian’s name. That time was probably the most glorious period of this young Leeds United player’s life, and the whole world knew that Australia had two talented players, one named Harry Kewell and the other named Mark Viduka.
During that time, Tang En still remembered a local football magazine describing Mark Viduka as an “Australian Bull,” because he was so strong. As a result, Tang En had always figured that Mark Viduka was a quintessential British-style striker who relied on his bodily strength to play, had crude footwork, and was only good at headers.
Later, he discovered he was very much mistaken. Mark Viduka’s strong physique was his advantage, but he was, at the same time, a very well-rounded striker, and his footwork was nowhere near as crude as Tang En had assumed.
In the Forest team’s frontline, all three strikers had a common trait: they were too young, and lacked the experience of the European arena. On the other hand, Viduka had exactly that type of experience. At that time, when he had been on the Leeds United team, they had eliminated AC Milan.
Mark Viduka was currently the most suitable striker for the Forest team in every aspect. Having made up his mind, Twain made Leeds United an offer of 4.5 million pounds to purchase Mark Viduka. The Forest team quickly received a response: Leeds United had refused the offer.
There were, after all, a lot of teams pursuing Mark Viduka at the same time. For example, the team closest to the Australian was Middlesbrough, who had also offered 4.5 million pounds. Leeds United was harsh towards Twain because the Forest team was the most active club in the transfer market this summer, and they thought that their offer of 4.5 million pounds was too little.
This was a clear ripoff, but Twain was happy to have Leeds United jack up the price. That was not because he wanted Leeds United to make more money and get themselves out of their financial crisis as soon as possible; he was not so kind-hearted. Rather, he was feeling generous because Forest was in good financial shape, and Allan had hoped that Twain would be able to pull off a “massive deal.” If Leeds United felt that 4.5 million pounds was not enough, then Allan too would find it inadequate.
Consequently, the Forest team made a second offer right away. Twain increased Mark Viduka’s value by 1.5 million pounds, offering to buy him for six million pounds.
That price was beyond the benchmark of the other pursuing teams. Even Middlesbrough, who had initially been determined to win, hesitated. Middlesbrough was furious at the way Nottingham Forest liked to barge in when others were nearing the end of their negotiations. Last season, Twain had seized away their opportunity for qualification for the UEFA Europa League. And now, a player that they were interested in was going to be snatched. It was incredibly aggravating.
No matter how furious they were, the Middlesbrough team had no other options. Compared to the triumphant Nottingham Forest team, which just received an injection of funds and had been promoted to the Premier League, Middlesbrough was very poor. Their annual transfer budget was pathetic. If it was not, why would they have to wait for discounts before they were able to buy players?
With a team that was able to compete in Europe wanting him to join, the Australian would naturally not refuse. Between Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest, choosing a team was hardly worth hesitation. Upon learning that the Forest team had raised its offer a second time, Mark Viduka immediately notified his agent to terminate negotiations with Middlesbrough regarding his contract and to wait for Leeds United to respond to Nottingham Forest. He believed that the club, which was in a financial crisis, would not reject the opportunity to sell him without losing a penny, and Leeds United would have made a profit: four years ago, when Mark Viduka had transferred from the Scottish Premiership’s Celtic F.C. to Leeds United, the latter had spent six million pounds.
As per his expectation, the Leeds United team had no reason to refuse the offer. They agreed to allow the Forest team and Mark Viduka to further negotiate individual salary and benefits. Things had progressed very smoothly up to this point. Three days later, Nottingham Forest’s official website updated their transfer news again. The Australian national footballer, the famous striker Mark Viduka, appeared on the latest transfer list.
The fans cheered when Mark Viduka joined, as he had amply proved himself in the Premier League for the past four seasons. Everyone believed that his arrival on the Forest team would improve the team’s attacking power and, at the same time, provide valuable experience to the young Forest team’s frontline.
Allan was very pleased with the deal as well. Mark Viduka’s popularity in Australia was comparable to Kewell’s, and his long experience of playing in the English Premier League had made quite an impact in the United Kingdom. A power striker like him was sure to be more newsworthy and produce faster results than Bendtner and Piqué.
The excited marketing manager even had the team magazine cover all figured out. They would use the photographs of four players: Viduka, Hierro, Albertini, and Eastwood. The first three players were new to the team this summer and were quite prestigious. Eastwood’s selection was necessary to please the fans; the Romani Gypsy was “the most popular player” selected by the Forest fans last season.
After buying Viduka, Twain told Evan and Allan that he had no need to buy another player in the transfer market. Except for those players who were determined to leave the team and were not in his plan, the Forest team’s lineup had essentially been fixed. If any problems were to be found during the league championships, then they could adjust when the winter transfer window opened.
Nottingham Forest, which had just been promoted to the English Premier League, had burned through 12.42 million pounds in less than two months. Still, Tang En did not think that they had spent much money. He felt that every cent was spent on necessary areas, and that the strength of the team had already dramatically changed compared to six months ago.
After confirming the halting of all transfer activities, Twain brought together all the players whom he had bought over the summer and held a press conference and a meet-and-greet with the fans.
He stood in the middle. On his left were the former Spanish national team captain, Fernando Hierro; the Barcelona youth team’s main center back, Gerard Piqué; the Frenchman, Pascal Chimbonda; and the center back from Birmingham City, Matthew Upson. On his right were the former Italian national footballer, Demetrio Albertini; the young player, Aaron Lennon; the Danish star player, Nicklas Bendtner; the unknown French player, Franck Ribéry; and the Australian striker, Mark Viduka, the latest to join the team.
Some of these players were veterans with rich experience that had won countless championships. Some were strong, outstanding star players of their time, and some were young players who represented the future and hope.
Surrounded by these players and faced by the cameras held up by the reporters, Twain grinned with delight under the continual flashing lights of the cameras.
This was his team. Every player was bought according to his exact wishes. With these players, he could look forward to much more. They did not only want to maintain their position in the Premier League; the Forest team’s goal was more ambitious than anyone could imagine.
