The youth team's recruitment of players was never posted on the club's official website, nor did any news leak out. The media showed little interest in reporting it, and the club preferred to keep a low profile. They didn't want young players to gain too much fame too early, fearing it might put mental pressure on them or skew their mindset due to unwanted attention.
With distractions from player transfers in the past few weeks, the recruitment efforts this summer had been unsatisfactory. By the end of the transfer period, Millwall had only brought in four young players from outside, aside from those who had trialed locally.
The first was Ribery from France, followed by Reyes, who chose Millwall over Sevilla. McFadden and Richardson also joined, all at the age of 16, meaning they likely wouldn't contribute to the first team for at least three years.
Millwall sold a total of 11 players this summer, including 4 first-team players and 7 U20 players. Although the departure of the 4 first-team players had little impact on the club, the departure of the 7 U20 players had a significant impact on another coach and the club.
That person showed up at Liverpool with a long face, representing his club.
Aldrich had spent the entire summer remotely managing the club from Liverpool. His living room had essentially transformed into a makeshift office, where he conducted meetings with various individuals.
Today's guest was David Moyes.
Moyes was utterly frustrated.
Millwall had sold seven U20-players, at least four of whom he had worked with over the past two years.He had led Preston to establish themselves in the First Division, preparing for a bold campaign to push for the Premier League next season.
But his team's strength left much to be desired—not the worst, but they were far from being truly competitive.
The club was tight-fisted, unwilling to spend money on new players. Unlike Millwall, Preston didn't have a scouting network that spanned Europe and beyond.
The club felt it was a waste of money to buy players who were in their prime but had nothing special to offer. They brought in Moyes to save costs and he didn't get a penny from the transfer. But with his relationship with Aldrich, Moyes hit the jackpot and used loan players to get Preston into League One that year, and the following year they were just six points away from the play-offs.
The club's leadership not only admired Moyes but also gave him their full backing. They couldn't offer financial support, but they handed him every other power and stood behind his decision to rely on loan players to keep fighting. Their message was clear: "We have no money, but everything else is up to you."
Moyes had come to terms with this. His ability to lead a team had already been recognized in English football, and several top-tier clubs had extended offers to him—not to manage the team, though, but to be an assistant coach. Moyes, however, had no interest in working under someone else. He was determined to carve out his own path, even if it meant gritting his teeth and training Millwall's young players for now.
No matter how tough it got, if he could lead a team up to the Premier League, everything would change.
Preston's management also promised Moyes that once they reached the top division, he would get a hefty transfer budget to build the team as he saw fit.
This speaks to the contradiction between the Premier League and lower divisions. The Premier League's success was built on the sacrifices made by lower leagues. Before the Premier League's inception, the broadcasting rights for England's lower leagues were sold as a package. The formation of the Premier League, independent from the Football Association, was influenced by TV broadcasters willing to pay huge sums for Premier League coverage, effectively diverting funds from lower leagues, which gradually became worse off. This trend led to the playoff finals of the Championship, years later, being valued at over £100 million! Teams promoted to the Premier League could truly be described as becoming instant millionaires. Similarly, tensions between local leagues and the Premier League kept escalating, reaching an irreconcilable point.
Moyes worked diligently, but for a cash-strapped club, the summer transfer period was nothing special—merely patching up the squad.
Yet, he was ambitious. He retained some core players and left spots open for others he had his eye on, such as Cahill, Bresciano, and Dunn.
These players had trained under excellent tactical discipline and professional standards at Millwall. They came to the team, ready to play hard and make the most of every opportunity, displaying their tenacity through sweat.
However, Millwall ended up selling them all to Leeds United this summer.
Before seeing Aldrich, Moyes called O'Leary to ask about loaning a few players. O'Leary, with a casual yet amused tone, turned him down without hesitation.
"Are you serious?"
Leeds United had just signed these players, and now Moyes wanted them on loan? With the UEFA Cup on the horizon, O'Leary was already worried about having enough players. In his eyes, Leeds needed at least 30 players, especially with so many youngsters filling the roster.
Afterwards, O'Leary chatted with Moyes for a while, asking about the specific performances of these players under Moyes' leadership. O'Leary has watched the game video, but only the head coach really knows the full picture behind the scenes.
Moyes developed Millwall's young players, who in turn sold those promising players to Leeds United for a good sum of money. Now he has to sit down with O'Leary to exchange ideas and help Leeds United make the most of the talent he has developed.
As Moyes thought about it, a wave of frustration washed over him, and he almost felt like crying.
Aldrich was starting to find Moyes a bit too distracted today; it seemed as if selling off those young players was akin to selling Moyes's own son.
Once Moyes managed to shake off his melancholy and wear a slight smile, he got to the point of his visit.
It was still about loaning players.
The sale of so many young players had directly disrupted Moyes's summer preparations.
His frustration was entirely understandable.
If he could keep loaning players like Cahill and Bresciano, team cohesion would be almost a non-issue.
But now, he had to fill those established spots with new players from Millwall. Even talented new arrivals would have to start from scratch in terms of development.
Aldrich and Moyes discussed the specifics of loaning players in detail.
He believed he was being more than fair to Moyes.
Knowing Preston was cash-strapped, Millwall would cover the wages of the loan players.
As long as Moyes could help develop them, it seemed a small price to pay.
Other managers were also vying to loan Millwall players, but Aldrich wasn't keen to share with them.
He was keeping those players reserved for Moyes; now that seemed more than generous!
In the end, Aldrich offered Moyes five players, and when recommending them, Aldrich simply said, "If you use them well, the First Division title is within reach!"
Moyes' heart ached. If only you were selling them to me, then I could really feel secure.
What he feared most was that after a season on loan, Millwall would sell off these players again, leaving him with a fresh batch of youngsters to train from scratch. This never-ending cycle—how could anyone bear it?
Parker, Carrick, Jeffers, Matthew Taylor, and Drogba.
These five players are all forwards or midfielders. Moyes originally wanted to borrow a defender, but Millwall's defense lacked substitutes, so Aldrich had to reject Moyes.
As Moyes got up to leave, two more guests arrived. Aldrich went to the door and discovered that it was Klinsmann and Jensen.
They exchanged nods with Moyes, and after Aldrich escorted Moyes out, he turned to Klinsmann and Jansen, smiling, "The last guy was a bit down on his luck."
Klinsmann and Jansen didn't care about that; they were there to discuss the preparations for the new season with Aldrich.
"Four players have left the first team: two defenders and two attackers. The club isn't planning to bring in replacements from outside. Over the next few days, you two should check out the youth and reserve teams and find 4 to 6 replacements to join the first team. The schedule for next season is going to be tougher than we imagine."
When speaking with his inner circle, Aldrich didn't see the need for pretenses.
Klinsmann and Jensen both gave a nod.
The G14 had pressured UEFA for a larger share of Champions League profit, and UEFA had complied; not only did the Champions League expand, ensuring the big clubs wouldn't miss out, but they also brutally arranged the schedule into double round-robin group stages.
The 32 teams would be divided into eight groups, with the top two advancing.
The last 16 would then be divided into four groups, with again the top two advancing.
After reaching the quarter-finals, it would become knockout rounds.
In other words, to reach the quarter-finals meant an additional group stage match—six matches!
Aldrich fundamentally disagreed with UEFA's decision, but at the G14 summit, Adam had returned saying that other major clubs were all in favor.
The chance to play six more matches would mean selling three more tickets, subsequently providing a larger broadcasting revenue.
If viewed solely from the perspective of immediate profit, that made sense.
But how much higher would the burden be on teams?
What would be the impact on domestic league and cup competitions?
Owners of elite clubs didn't seem to care about this; profits were King.
For the time being, Klinsmann would hold the reins of the team until Aldrich could return, which depended on when Melanie would give birth. It couldn't be long now.
After Klinsmann and Jansen left, the next day, the two arrived together at the Leo training ground. They found Nagy, briefly discussed matters, and then headed to the sidelines to watch the players train.
In the past period, it's been a turbulent time for the youth team, with many players leaving and a new batch arriving.
However, these young players have grown accustomed to the changes.
Especially in the lower tiers, every year sees old players leaving and new ones coming in, with those departing mostly being players eliminated through competition.
Even someone like Vassell, who transferred to Leeds United, is seen by the remaining players as someone who has been weeded out.
Remaining at Millwall means they have the chance to don the first team's jersey and step onto the top-tier stage, competing against Europe's elite clubs, rather than battling for a top-four finish at Leeds United or trying to make a mark in the UEFA Cup.
The young players were also aware that their boss was about to become a father, which explained his absence during the summer. Tabloid magazines were filled with his pictures spotted on the streets of Liverpool.
So when Klinsmann, Jansen, and Nagy stood together on the sidelines, the young players understood the implications.
With so many players sold and no seasoned stars brought in from the transfer market, it was clear the club was preparing to give these young players more opportunities.
This very tradition at Millwall is why more and more young players were willing to join its academy. Here, if you had talent, you had a genuine shot at success, not just empty promises.
Watching the young players work harder than usual to showcase their skills brought smiles to Nagy and the two assistant coaches on the sidelines.