Chapter 192: $18 Million Sponsorship Contract
In this significant lost battle, the future of Manchester United this season has been met with skepticism from the public.
Moyes's performance as coach in the first five rounds of the league can only be described as disappointing.
After five rounds, Manchester United has 2 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses.
They have defeated weak teams in the lower half of the Premier League but have lost to their rivals, Liverpool and Manchester City.
When facing teams at the top of the Premier League table, Moyes's Manchester United failed to win any matches.
Although they defeated Chelsea in the second round of the league, Chelsea's recent performance suggests that the "Second Game Effect" spell seems to have no effect, as Chelsea's performance this season is not as impressive as Di Matteo's team last season.
Last season, in the first eight rounds, Chelsea won seven and drew one, leading the table.
Therefore, drawing with an out-of-form Chelsea doesn't seem noteworthy.
Fleet Street journalists clearly know how to find big news, so after the Manchester derby, they ran in droves to surround Moyes and try to interview him.
"Mr. Moyes, how do you evaluate Manchester United's performance so far?"
"Mr. Moyes, why couldn't your team win the Manchester derby?"
"Mr. Moyes, Manchester United is currently in eighth place in the standings, 8 points behind leaders Manchester City, do you believe Manchester United can win the title this season?"
"Mr. Moyes, have you considered resigning? Or what kind of results do you think would lead Manchester United's owner to fire you?"
One question after another, Moyes's face could no longer hide his discomfort.
These journalists are really going too far!
But what's surprising is that even when challenged by journalists with such unfriendly questions, Moyes didn't get angry on the spot.
"There's still a lot of the league left, we're just getting started, I have a lot of confidence in my team!"
"Manchester City played better today, they deserved this win, losing is my responsibility, I have nothing more to say."
"As I said before, the league is just starting, it's too early to predict who will win the title, we still have 33 games to play, no one knows what will happen next."
"I am satisfied with my performance as coach so far, although the team has had ups and downs in results, that's due to the fixture schedule, in the upcoming games, we'll strive to win more and recover the points difference."
Moyes answered all the journalists' questions without leaving any.
This made even the journalists who challenged him in their questions couldn't help but feel impressed:
Moyes really has a good temperament!
If this were Mourinho, he would have exploded against the journalists already!
However, having such a good temperament as a coach isn't necessarily a good thing.
After the match, the criticisms towards Moyes from the outside were strong.
Some believe his conservatism in player selection and his stubbornness in tactics are the main reasons Manchester United is losing.
Others believe Moyes simply doesn't fit with Manchester United's temperament and choosing him as head coach was a mistake.
In the face of all these external criticisms, the Manchester United board had to take a stance.
Joel Glazer stated that the board wouldn't fire Moyes for a single defeat.
Legendary coach Ferguson also made a public statement to the media, asking for Moyes to be given more time.
With the club owner and Ferguson coming out one after another, the external criticisms finally temporarily stopped.
However, doubts and dissatisfaction towards Moyes didn't completely disappear.
In the fifth round of matches, apart from Liverpool's home defeat against Southampton, there were no other surprises.
Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham won their matches.
Also, due to Liverpool's defeat, the only undefeated team in the Premier League so far is Manchester City.
In the top five European leagues, Roma in Serie A, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in La Liga, and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga are also undefeated so far.
After the match, Lin Quan invited Guardiola to dinner.
When he heard Guardiola introduce his assistant, a young man who hadn't gone bald yet named Ten Haar, he couldn't help but take a look.
Does this guy seem like the right choice to end Manchester United's chaos?
Many Manchester United fans considered him their savior, until that 7-0 match at Anfield...
One defeat doesn't mean anything, although he has lost several matches, his record since taking over Manchester United has significantly improved, showing that this guy has some talent.
"Bundesliga matches are so boring, Bayern's advantage is too big, the matches lack excitement," Guardiola complained after watching the Manchester derby between City and United.
Competitive leagues like the Premier League are much more exciting! Bundesliga?
It's just a one-sided show, Bayern!
"By the way, coach, it seems like we're still not in the first place in the table..."
Ten Haar dared to cautiously say to Guardiola.
"Really? Oh, we got tied by Freiburg!"
Guardiola tapped his forehead, remembering the match where his team was surprisingly tied away due to his decision to play Martínez as a center-back.
But at least Bayern is still undefeated, apart from Dortmund leading them by two points, no other team threatens them.
Once they reclaim the top spot on the table, he'll be able to keep experimenting with his new tactics.
Thiago isn't fully satisfying him, he plans to adjust his usage, Thomas Müller's technique is too basic, Guardiola almost wants to personally teach him how to play.
Kroos, on the other hand, is good, he has a long and accurate pass, and he's adept at exploiting opponent's defensive spaces, always appearing in the perfect position to receive the ball and pass it safely.
But Kroos's deficiencies are also evident, he lacks dribbling skills, he's not explosive, he's not fast, he can only play as a defensive midfielder, he can't play as an attacking midfielder.
And as a defensive midfielder, his defensive ability isn't strong enough, he needs someone to protect him, otherwise, he'll become a time bomb for the team.
This is giving Guardiola a headache.
It's not that Bayern doesn't have a protective-type defensive midfielder, Martínez is a qualified choice, but Martínez has great value in other aspects, it's a pity to use him just for dirty work.
Bah, better go home and think about it!
Can't believe it! Experimenting again and again and still not getting the answers I want?
After Guardiola left, Perret arrived.
"Your vineyard is already bought, here's the key to the estate, if you have time, you can always go take a look!"
Lin Quan thanked and then asked:
"Who usually manages the estate?"
"You don't have to worry about that, there's a local agency specialized in vineyard management that will take care of it, you just need to pay them a management fee every year."
It's understandable. As an investment product, the local area will surely provide various complementary services, so as not to make investors personally cultivate the grapes.
"Furthermore, the shares of the internet company you invested in have also been bought, but we bought Class B shares instead of Class A, which means we have limited voting rights, but still, there's no problem with dividend distribution and the like."
These are what many call the real "helmsmen" of many companies. Despite owning only a small portion of the shares, they can hold onto real control of the company thanks to the weight of their Class A votes.
Lin Quan isn't very interested in the actual control of these internet companies. He just wants to jump on the bandwagon and get some dividends from the internet's development.
"There's still something else."
"What is it?"
"Nike and Adidas, after seeing your outstanding performance in the Premier League, have shown increased interest in signing a contract. These are the new contracts they've presented!"
This matter had been on Pere's mind for a while. Adidas and Nike had already presented contracts even before the Champions League group stage began.
But he knew Lin Quan wasn't very concerned about this, so he didn't rush to inform him.
Now that the Champions League group stage has begun and the first month of the Premier League has ended, Lin Quan has made his talent clear, dispelling external doubts and leading both companies to make a firm decision.
Lin Quan pondered for a moment. He originally planned to wait until this season ended or even after the World Cup to decide.
But Guardiola told him something important: these sports brands have a great influence on football. Signing with them would be of great help in winning various awards.
For example, the annual Ballon d'Or selection and the Golden Boy award are based on players' connections and influence in football.
A good sponsor can be of great help. For example, in a certain year, the Ballon d'Or award ceremony was delayed, leading to a scarred player missing out on winning it, and this latter has publicly criticized the existence of corruption in the Ballon d'Or.
Eventually, he would have to sign with one of them; delaying it wouldn't be beneficial.
With that in mind, Lin Quan told Pere:
"Between these two, which one offers better conditions?"
Pere had clearly researched this, so he replied:
"Nike offers a higher sponsorship fee and their advertising campaign is stronger, so overall, Nike shows greater sincerity."
"Then, we'll sign with Nike and reject Adidas's contract."
Lin Quan made a decision quickly. Now that he had made a decision, he didn't like to delay things.
Resolving this matter as soon as possible would allow him to focus on the game and training.
Pere understood his thinking, so after he made the decision, he quickly notified Nike and told them they accepted the contract.
After receiving Lin Quan's response, the sports director of Nike felt a great relief.
Nike had been watching and contacting Lin Quan for half a year to compete with Adidas for him.
Seeing how his influence in the football world was growing more and more, showing the potential to become a superstar.
Nike was anxious, fearing that Adidas would take away this emerging star.
Moreover, Adidas already had Messi under its wing; if they lost Lin Quan, Nike couldn't compete solely with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Furthermore, Cristiano Ronaldo is already 28 years old this year, and his peak can only last another four or five years at most.
So who could they turn to when he retires?
There's no one else!
Therefore, they are eager to sign with Lin Quan, a super new talent young enough, with great influence and skills.
In this way, even if Cristiano Ronaldo's performance declines and he stops being one of the top stars, they would have someone who could surpass him and even replace him completely.
Meanwhile, Adidas would face the dilemma of Messi aging and his performance declining.
Nike could seize this opportunity to completely change the position of both brands in the football world.
Additionally, Lin Quan's Asian heritage is also an opportunity for Nike to further expand in the Asian market.
With China's rapid economic development, especially the Asian market, becoming increasingly important for Nike.
By signing with Lin Quan, they could even save money by not having to hire local sports stars in China to promote themselves.
After considering all these aspects, Nike believes that Lin Quan's commercial value is even greater than that of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Therefore, they decided to personally visit Lin Quan and his agent, and after contacting them, cordially invited him to Nike's headquarters for the signing ceremony.
Seeing that they were offering a contract of 18 million euros for three years, Lin Quan accepted Nike's invitation.
He departed for the city of Portland, in the state of Oregon, on a private plane provided by Nike.
At Nike's headquarters, Lin Quan was greeted with great enthusiasm.
Nike's CEO, Mark Parker, and the brand's president, Charlie Denson, personally welcomed him.
"Lin, I've been waiting for you for half a year. You've finally come!"
Mark greeted Lin Quan effusively, giving him a hug and saying with a smile.
"Lin, welcome. For this signing ceremony, we've invited over 200 journalists from various media outlets. Believe me, signing with us is definitely the best option."
Charlie Denson's words not only showed Nike's appreciation for Lin Quan but also demonstrated their power and influence. Not every brand could attract so many journalists from around the world for a signing ceremony.
However, Lin Quan wasn't so impressed. Although Nike has great influence, if it had been an ordinary player signing with them, these journalists might not have attended.
In the end, it was the combination of both parties' strength that made a big impact and Nike's influence in the media that attracted so many journalists.
Nike took all the credit, which was a little embarrassing.
However, the sincerity shown by Nike made Lin Quan dispel his doubts about them.
"Lin, these are the specially developed and designed shoes by our R&D department for you. They are your own customized shoes!"
The appearance of this pair of shoes made Lin Quan's eyes light up.
For footballers, good equipment is necessary.
Having your own customized version of shoes is a dream for most players.
"Can I try them on?"
"Of course, they're not perfect yet. We need direct feedback and opinions from players to further improve them. I hope you can wear these shoes and achieve better results on the field!"
Players achieve better results, sponsors get more exposure, and earn more money.
Each side gets what it needs!
(End of this chapter)
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