Chapter 231: Transfer Window Opens, Major Clubs: Manchester City, Don't Come Over!
Somewhere in the stands of the Etihad Stadium, Kevin De Bruyne, like the Manchester City fans on-site, nervously watched the familiar figure on the field.
Directly scoring from a free kick is difficult. Even for a free kick expert, it's not possible to guarantee scoring every time.
Lin Quan had previously used free kicks to win games, and the opponents were certainly prepared. In this situation, it might be even harder for him to score.
With his eyes closed, Lin Quan searched for the feeling of scoring directly from a free kick that he had felt before.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and moved.
The Manchester City fans at the scene saw Lin Quan stepping back step by step, and their hearts began to pound.
Can this ball go in? They couldn't help but wonder, but no one could answer them.
After retreating about eight or nine meters, Lin Quan fixed his gaze on Liverpool's goal, then began to accelerate his run-up!
Here it comes!
Including Liverpool's goalkeeper, everyone in the stadium stared wide-eyed, fearing they would miss the result of this free kick.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Lin Quan completed his run-up and fiercely kicked the ball from underneath with his right foot.
With a bang, the ball turned into a cannonball, flying towards Liverpool's goal.
The ball passed over the wall, rising rapidly.
In the wall, Liverpool players such as Suárez, Sturridge, Gerrard, and Sterling instinctively turned their heads to watch the ball.
The ball flew higher and higher in the eyes of everyone, as if it was going to fly off the goal.
Did it go too high?
Seeing the trajectory of the ball, everyone couldn't help but have some doubts.
However, just as they thought the ball was about to fly into the stands, the ball suddenly seemed to be under some kind of magic, plummeting rapidly.
Here it comes!
Lin Quan's famous skill - the elevator ball!
Goalkeeper Miniole squatted down sharply, diving towards the direction he judged the opponent's shot to be.
If he didn't save it now, it would be too late!
However, when he completed the save action, Miniole didn't have much confidence.
The trajectory of this ball completely defied common sense. If he hadn't studied Lin Quan's free kicks in advance, he wouldn't know how to save it.
However, even after studying it through video and practicing with teammates in real matches.
But when he got to the field, he was still extremely nervous.
Compared to the free kicks taken by his teammates, Lin Quan's free kicks were faster, more unpredictable, and harder to defend.
Miniole widened his eyes, reaching out towards the predicted trajectory of the ball, but he didn't touch anything.
The ball fell even faster than he predicted, almost brushing past the edge of his glove and into the net!
It actually went in!
De Bruyne, who suddenly stood up, stared in disbelief at the ball flying into the net, somewhat unable to believe his eyes.
The fans at the scene and De Bruyne had almost exactly the same thoughts. They hadn't reacted to Lin Quan scoring the goal.
It wasn't until three seconds later that the scene erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
Seeing Lin Quan really score the goal, the Manchester City players all rushed towards Lin Quan like crazy.
Another game-winning goal, Lin's free kick was really incredible.
On the other side, on Liverpool's side, seeing the three points they had in hand turn into one, their players all showed expressions of frustration and unwillingness.
Suárez stood with his hands on his hips, looking somewhat helpless at Lin Quan, who was surrounded by teammates, with mixed feelings in his heart.
During their time in the national team, they had lost to each other twice.
Originally thought they could take revenge at the club level, but unexpectedly, his team was once again defeated by the opponent's game-winning goal.
Could he really never defeat him in his lifetime?
At this moment, looking at these teammates beside him, Suárez remembered what his agent had said to him before the match:
"Luis, Liverpool isn't a strong team. They haven't been in the Champions League for a long time. Your teammates have limited strength, and you'll only waste your time and youth here. You should go to a bigger and stronger stage to pursue the Champions League trophy and Ballon d'Or."
Suárez turned his head to look at his teammates, seriously considering his agent's proposal.
Liverpool's captain Gerrard didn't know what Suárez was thinking, but seeing the opponent's face full of frustration, he walked up, patted Suárez on the shoulder, and comforted him:
"It's okay, we've at least broken their home winning streak. When we return to Anfield next time, we will definitely win!"
Liverpool's recent form has been very good, and the team's performance has been rising steadily, so Gerrard has the confidence to say such things.
Suárez nodded expressionlessly, but in his heart, he was thinking:
If I leave Liverpool during the winter transfer window, can Liverpool still beat Manchester City at home?
Although he helped the team tie with the formidable Liverpool in the final moments of the game, Lin Quan couldn't be happy.
This match, like several previous league matches, was exhausting to play, at least psychologically for him.
"Did you come to the stadium to watch the game? How was it?"
After the game, he received a call from Kevin De Bruyne and learned that De Bruyne had come to the Etihad Stadium.
As the host, Lin Quan naturally wanted to be hospitable, so he invited De Bruyne out and met up somewhere.
"I've watched your games on TV before, but this is the first time I've watched a live match. If I had to describe the feeling, I think your team is really strong, worthy of being the leader of the Premier League!"
"Don't be polite. I asked you to help me find the problems with the team, not to butter me up here!"
Caught up in the moment, Lin Quan realized that the team indeed had issues, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly where they were.
Since De Bruyne was here, he wanted him to analyze the situation from an outsider's perspective.
"Well, I think there are some problems with the attacking system in your team's frontcourt. Your teammates are more adapted to you organizing attacks in the frontcourt. Once you move forward, there's a lack of organization in the frontcourt, and the attack doesn't pose much of a threat."
Lin Quan thought for a moment. After he moved to the front line, the threat to Liverpool's goal did indeed decrease significantly, just as De Bruyne had said.
"The club is already considering this issue. They plan to make a signing during the winter transfer window to bring in a top midfielder to solve this problem."
Upon hearing this, De Bruyne's eyes lit up. A top midfielder? Did that mean he had a chance?
"Oh, really? Which top midfielders are you considering?"
He casually inquired, wanting to glean some information from Lin Quan.
"Real Madrid's Modric, Barcelona's Iniesta and Fabregas, and Bayern's Kroos!"
"That's it?"
"That's it!"
Seeing De Bruyne's disappointed expression, Lin Quan chuckled, "Haha, don't worry, I've already recommended you to the club!"
Realizing he had been tricked by Lin Quan, De Bruyne also planned to counteract. He pretended to ponder:
"Although I can reluctantly accept Manchester City's invitation, Chelsea may not agree to my transfer to your side!"
Lin Quan nodded, "That's true. After all, they are direct competitors in the league, and Chelsea certainly wouldn't want to see us strengthening."
Mourinho is a top coach who should be able to see the problems within the Manchester City team.
Under these circumstances, Mourinho may not want to let go of players.
However, De Bruyne performed very poorly under him and had already been completely excluded from the team's squad.
Under such circumstances, Mourinho might not have a clear understanding of De Bruyne's abilities.
Maybe he would think it's a good thing for De Bruyne to transfer to Manchester City, as it would allow Chelsea to earn a profit while also affecting Manchester City's pursuit of other top midfielders.
If Manchester City were to really buy players like Modric or Fabregas, it wouldn't be a good thing for Chelsea.
So, Lin Quan felt that as long as Manchester City's offer was high enough, there was still a good chance Chelsea would agree to let him go.
After all, during the winter transfer window, Chelsea also needs to make signings. It's rumored that they have already made contact with Basel and plan to bring Basel's winger Salah to Stamford Bridge.
In addition, Mourinho also plans to bring back the beloved hero Drogba, who is currently wandering in the Turkish Super League, to further strengthen the team's forward line and solve the headache of the lack of scoring power.
These signings all require money, and Mourinho's relationship with the club owner Abramovich and manager Emenalo is currently very tense. He may not have enough transfer funds. If they don't sell players, they may not have the money to buy the players he desires.
...
After the match against Liverpool, the next day, Manchester City continued to host Crystal Palace at home.
Thanks to Lin Quan's goal in the 76th minute of the second half, Manchester City narrowly defeated their opponents.
With this victory, Manchester City secured the half-season championship of the Premier League with a 9-point lead.
After 19 rounds, their record was 16 wins, 3 draws, and 0 losses, totaling 51 points.
This record set a record in Manchester City's history, but unfortunately, they fell short by 1 point compared to the Chelsea team of the 2005-2006 season and failed to break the Premier League's half-season record.
Mourinho's Chelsea team set a formidable record of 17 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss, totaling 52 points in the Premier League, the highest score in the Premier League's half-season to date.
And Chelsea also secured the Premier League title that season with a huge lead.
With Chelsea's success as an example, after winning this half-season championship, the fans of the Sky Blues can breathe a sigh of relief.
They are currently 9 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, which is still a considerable advantage.
Given Arsenal's habitual collapse in the later stages of the season, as long as Manchester City doesn't collapse more severely, their chances of winning the league title are very high.
However, Manchester City also has concerns of their own.
Although they won the game, Manchester City's form remains poor.
Neither team scored in the first half, which is very rare at the Etihad Stadium.
Manchester City's attack is indeed experiencing problems, which has caused widespread concern among the Sky Blues' fans.
Chelsea, on the other hand, has been plagued by a lack of firepower up front, leading to a significant decline in their performance this season, with Everton almost catching up to them in league points.
If Manchester City follows Chelsea's example, the second half of the season might be uncertain for them.
Therefore, Manchester City's determination to strengthen during the winter transfer window has increased.
On January 1, 2014, the transfer window for the top five leagues officially opened.
The major clubs, who had already identified their transfer targets, immediately waved their checkbooks and made offers for their desired players.
The first to act was Manchester United, who, after the transfer window opened, immediately offered £30 million to Chelsea in hopes of bringing their midfielder Mata to their team.
Like De Bruyne, Mata is not the type of player Mourinho favors.
After Mourinho returned to Chelsea, Mata's playing time and scoring efficiency plummeted.
This season, he has only played a total of 14 games for Chelsea, including 10 league games, 2 league cup games, and 2 Champions League games.
In these 14 games, Mata has only scored 1 goal, which was in a low-level league cup game.
Compared to his phenomenal performances and absolute core status in previous seasons at Chelsea, Mata's current performance and status within the team have declined significantly.
Unable to secure a guaranteed starting position and playing time, Mata gradually became disinterested.
In order to participate in the World Cup, Mata didn't want to sit on the bench at Stamford Bridge anymore, so he expressed his desire to leave.
Red Devils Manchester United indeed needed a top midfielder after Scholes retired, and Mata's move to Manchester United seemed like a good result for both parties.
Mourinho did not try to persuade Mata to stay, but it was club manager Emenalo, under Abramovich's instructions, who made contact with Mata.
Mata, who helped the Blues win the Champions League, was a significant contributor, and Abramovich had emotional ties to such veteran players.
However, Mata was determined to leave, and Emenalo's attempts to persuade him were unsuccessful.
Therefore, after bargaining with Manchester United, the two clubs finally reached an agreement at a price of £37 million, and Mata officially left the Blues to join the Red Devils.
This transfer was expected but still somewhat unexpected.
Mata had been a key player and a core figure at Chelsea for the past few seasons, so it was surprising that he was quickly discarded after Mourinho's return. Truly, fortunes change rapidly in football!
This transfer between Chelsea and Manchester United made Lin Quan and De Bruyne somewhat worried.
With Mata gone, the competition in midfield for Chelsea doesn't seem as intense.
Perhaps De Bruyne will get a chance to play?
Will this affect De Bruyne's transfer?
"Um, do you think Chelsea will still let you go now?" De Bruyne was also uncertain.
"I don't know, it shouldn't have much impact, right? There's still Oscar, Willian, and Hazard in the team!"
Oscar and Hazard are players that Mourinho really likes, with Hazard being considered Mourinho's Messi, as he wants him to play in every game.
And Oscar is also highly valued, with his playing time even ranked above Mata's.
After them are Mata, Willian, Moses, and then De Bruyne can get a chance to play.
So losing Mata won't have such a big impact on De Bruyne.
While the two were discussing De Bruyne's transfer, according to reports from Real Madrid's mouthpiece AS, Premier League giants Manchester City made a €45 million offer to Real Madrid, hoping to sign Real Madrid's midfield star Modric.
If Real Madrid accepts this offer, this transfer will become the highest transfer of the winter transfer window.
However, faced with Manchester City's offer, Real Madrid didn't even hesitate and directly rejected it.
Manchester City didn't give up and continued to raise their offer, launching another attack on Modric with a price of €50 million and an annual salary of €7 million.
This price is exactly the same as the transfer fee when Özil joined Arsenal, and anyone with insight can see that in Özil's transfer, Real Madrid made a big profit from Arsenal.
Considering Özil's current performance in the Premier League, he is not worth €50 million at all, €35 million would be more appropriate.
Modric has not been with Real Madrid for long, although he has shown signs of a top player in games, considering that he joined Real Madrid for only €35 million, for a midfielder, a price increase of €15 million in just half a season is quite exaggerated.
Furthermore, the salary offered by Manchester City is exceptionally high, and they are worried that the players themselves may not be able to resist the temptation and could be lured away by Manchester City.
Therefore, faced with Manchester City's offer, Real Madrid also began to hesitate.
Should they take this money?
"We can't let Modric go. We've finally stabilized the framework of the starting lineup, and now is the time to push for the championship. If we let him go now, do we still want the league title? Do we still want the Champions League title?"
Ancelotti strongly opposed this transfer. As a coach, he naturally didn't want to see the tactical system he had painstakingly built collapse due to the absence of a certain player.
Real Madrid's current performance in both the league and the Champions League is very good. After spending a lot of money to bring in Bale, their goal is the Champions League trophy.
At this point, they certainly cannot sell their midfield core just for a little money!
So, Florentino decisively made a decision: "Reject Manchester City's offer. Furthermore, inform Modric's agent that we need to renegotiate a contract with them. The club will give Modric a raise!"
Modric's current annual salary is €4.5 million after tax, and Manchester City's offer is twice as high.
Real Madrid can reject Manchester City's offer, but they cannot reject it without any indication. At this time, they not only need to retain players with starting positions and emotional appeals but also give them a raise. This way, players will not feel dissatisfied with the club.
Real Madrid plans to offer Modric a salary of €6 million annually, which is the second tier within the team, on par with Casillas and Ramos, only behind Ronaldo and Bale.
Modric has only been with the team for a little over a year, and the club is already giving him a raise. Florentino wonders if other players will have any thoughts upon hearing this news, and if they will also demand a raise?
Just thinking about this, Florentino feels a headache coming on.
Damn Manchester City, why do they have to make an offer for Modric out of nowhere? Making an offer once has put our salary system on the verge of collapse! Damn oil tycoons!
Real Madrid's rejection was expected by Manchester City. They are not discouraged but immediately shifted their focus to Bayern Munich's midfielder Kroos.
On January 4th, according to Munich's Daily, Manchester City made an offer of €35 million to Bayern, hoping to take Kroos away.
Now it's Pep Guardiola's turn to have a headache!
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(End of this chapter)