Chapter 380: Tottenham Chairman: Tricked by Lin Quan!
On May 3rd, the 35th round of the Premier League kicked off. Manchester United, playing first, suffered a 0-1 defeat at home against West Bromwich Albion, marking their fourth consecutive loss. This was the first time in 35 years, since 1979, that Manchester United had encountered such a streak in the Premier League.
After the match, Old Trafford was silent, filled only with the curses and complaints of the Red Devils fans directed at manager Van Gaal. They believed that the Dutchman's performance was even worse than Moyes' last season, pinning Manchester United to the wall of shame.
It wasn't just ordinary fans who were angry and disappointed; even Sir Alex Ferguson, who was present to watch the game, felt extremely let down. Ferguson appeared to have a heart issue, leaving the stadium before the game ended, clutching his chest and supported by staff.
With this loss, Van Gaal faced the biggest crisis of confidence, and his dismissal seemed imminent. Speculations abounded about when Manchester United would fire this so-called famous coach.
As Manchester United's bitter rivals, Manchester City fans would normally mock and jeer at United's misfortune. After all, the more miserable United fans were, the happier City fans would be. However, this time was different. It wasn't that City fans had changed their ways; rather, they were preoccupied with concerns about their own team's form and had no time to worry about United.
For Manchester City, there was both good news and bad news. The bad news was that the game was an away match and very close to the Champions League semi-finals, making it impossible to go all out without reservations. The good news was that the opponent was Tottenham. In recent seasons, Tottenham had been City's regular victims, often suffering lopsided defeats. There seemed to be some kind of inherent superiority that City held over Spurs.
Nonetheless, they couldn't afford to be complacent because Tottenham surely aimed to break free from this control. Playing at home, Spurs hoped to exploit City's potentially compromised form due to their Champions League focus and achieve a breakthrough.
One highlight of this match was the face-off between Tottenham's rising star Harry Kane and City's top player Lin Quan. Kane had shown tremendous potential this season, already looking like a superstar striker. With top forwards like Suarez commanding transfer fees over 80 million, Tottenham aimed to build their team around Kane.
As a homegrown talent, Kane excited the British public, and the media on Fleet Street hyped him up with labels like "the next big thing for England" and "the future world's best striker." In their typical manner of boasting and star-making, the British media were unparalleled.
They contrasted Kane with Lin Quan, even though Lin Quan wasn't a striker but more of a free role player, while Aguero would have been a more appropriate comparison. The British media, however, found that comparing Kane to Aguero wasn't as attention-grabbing, so they forced a comparison with Lin Quan.
They even sent reporters to interview Lin Quan before the match, asking for his opinion on Kane and seeking a comment. Though Lin Quan knew they were using his name to hype up Kane, he played along graciously: "Harry Kane is an outstanding player with the potential to become a world-class striker. I have high hopes for him!"
Kane was thrilled and excited to hear Lin Quan's praise. He posted a photo of himself with Lin Quan on social media, captioning it: "You have always been my idol and role model. Thank you for your recognition; it means the world to me!"
While Kane was ecstatic about Lin Quan's compliments, Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy wasn't pleased at all upon hearing Lin Quan's remarks. Lin Quan was one of the top players in the world, and his high praise for Kane would inevitably attract significant attention.
Previously, major clubs might not have known much about Harry Kane, but after this, he would certainly be on their radar. If Tottenham were still the kind of team without ambitions for the league title and content with selling players for profit, it wouldn't matter. However, with their current ambitions of becoming a new powerhouse in the Premier League and aiming for the league title, they couldn't easily sell their homegrown star.
Lin Quan's praise had already put Kane in the spotlight. If other big clubs started waving their checkbooks, could they still keep Kane? This realization made Levy's mood sour: "That kid tricked us!"
Kane, unaware of this, was excited to see Lin Quan in the players' tunnel before the match. He eagerly ran over to greet Lin Quan, thanking him again for his recognition. "Keep working hard; the future belongs to you!" Lin Quan, like a senior, patted Kane on the shoulder and encouraged him.
Fueled by Lin Quan's blessing, Kane played exceptionally well in the match, frequently showcasing his skills and attacking City's goal. Seeing Kane's outstanding performance, the Tottenham fans in attendance were ecstatic. After all, this was their homegrown star, and his place in their hearts was different from previous star players.
While Kane performed brilliantly, his teammates were not as impressive. Manchester City controlled the midfield, making it difficult for Spurs to organize effective attacks. Each time they reached the midfield, City intercepted.
For most of the game, City held possession, and the match turned into City's relentless assault on Spurs' goal. This brought back memories for Spurs players of the times they had been dominated by City.
In the 21st minute, Aguero broke the deadlock, putting City ahead. Lin Quan scored again in the 33rd minute. By the 43rd minute, Kroos had added a long-range goal, making it 3-0 before halftime. Guardiola clearly did not want to engage in a prolonged battle at White Hart Lane, aiming to resolve the match in the first 45 minutes. Judging by the score, he had succeeded.
In the second half, Spurs attempted a comeback, but Lin Quan's goal in the 55th minute shattered their hopes. With the score at 4-0, Guardiola began making substitutions. David Silva and Aguero were taken off successively, and by the 75th minute, Lin Quan was also substituted.
In the final moments of the match, taking advantage of Manchester City's main players being substituted and their complacency from a large lead, Harry Kane finally scored. However, the goal came too late to change the outcome. Ultimately, Manchester City defeated Tottenham 4:1 away, clearing away the gloom from their previous match just before the Champions League semifinals. Lin Quan, scoring two goals and assisting another, unsurprisingly earned the title of Man of the Match. Although Tottenham lost, Kane's last-minute goal still earned him high praise.
Many experts and veterans believe that it's Tottenham's platform that is holding Kane back. They argue that if he were to join a top club, with his talent and skill, he might well stand a chance to defeat Manchester City in future matchups. The media that have been hyping Kane are now suggesting that Tottenham, being too small a "temple," is stunting their "Great British star." Under this media barrage, Kane feels like he could leave Tottenham at any moment.
These reports reached Tottenham chairman Levy, who is now losing sleep over the possibility of waking up to news of Kane being poached by another club. "Renew his contract, and quickly! We need to make the buyout clause sky-high—I want to see who dares to try and snatch our academy gem!" In February, Tottenham began contract renewal discussions with Kane's agent, who demanded a £50,000 weekly salary, while Tottenham was only willing to offer £35,000. With considerable differences, negotiations stalled. However, as Kane's fame and league performance have soared, so have his agent's demands—to £70,000, nearly topping Tottenham's wage structure.
Tottenham is not a wealthy club; their salary expenses are much less than those of giants like Manchester City, Manchester United, or Chelsea, whose spending last season each exceeded £200 million, whereas Tottenham barely reached £100 million, 60% less than City. This lower salary cap means Tottenham's top salary is much less appealing to star players, which is why Tottenham is eager to reach the elite ranks of clubs, thus gaining more operational income to afford top talents.
Kane's demand for a £70,000 weekly wage seems extravagant to Tottenham, but if he were to transfer, he could easily earn much more. Hence, Kane's agents don't see their demands as excessive; if not for Kane's affection for Tottenham, they'd ask for even more. Levy knows they're speaking truthfully; rumors say Wenger is already poised to swoop in. Kane is young and brimming with potential—a prized target for Wenger, especially since he's a player from their rivals, Tottenham.
Levy, feeling the pressure, grudgingly accepts the agent's terms. Indeed, he regrets the media's unrestrained glorification of Kane, which has now backfired, complicating Tottenham's position. And Lin Quan's flattering comments didn't help—why did he have to play into the media's narrative? If he hadn't praised Kane so much, would Tottenham be in such a reactive position?
As Manchester City triumphed at White Hart Lane, Bayern Munich had already arrived in Manchester, preparing for their upcoming Champions League semifinal. After defeating Hertha Berlin, Bayern had clinched the title with four games to spare, and strategically rested their main players against Bayer Leverkusen, sending only a few substitutes while the main squad headed to Manchester early. They settled smoothly into Manchester United's Carrington training base, thanks to good relations with United and the rivalry between City and United.
As Bayern's coaches watched City's match against Tottenham live, they were incredulous at how easily Spurs capitulated. They had hoped Tottenham would drain City's resources, or at least dent their morale with a hard-fought match. Instead, Spurs folded too quickly and too utterly. "Tottenham's strength is truly not on par with City or other top teams," they concluded. Any hopes of relying on Tottenham were dashed. "It seems we must overcome City on our own," they acknowledged.
Three days flew by, and on May 6th, the Etihad Stadium hosted the first leg of the Manchester City vs. Bayern Munich Champions League semifinal. Aware of Bayern's early preparations, Guardiola was struck by their evident dedication to the match. "The Allianz Arena is a tough pitch to play on. If we don't secure a significant advantage in the first leg, we'll be at a disadvantage in the second," he mused. Guardiola considered deploying a new tactic that had proved effective in the league to enhance City's attack, though it risked exposing them against a high-caliber team like Bayern. Decisions had to be made as the match day approached, with no room for error in strategy or execution.