Millwall, in their approach to acquiring young talent, has the option to buy out a player's apprenticeship contract and reach compensation agreements with the player's former club, covering the costs of their youth development investment. In this regard, Millwall is quite generous. Take 13-year-old Joe Hart, for example—his youth club had invested very little in him before he was signed. Similarly, when Cristiano Ronaldo made his early transfer, Nacional investment in him was minimal, just the cost of a few kits and football boots.
Hart, Johnson, and Baines – the total buy-out and compensation fees paid by Millwall were under £4 million.
The situation with Rooney, however, had to play out differently.
Rooney clearly had talent, or else Millwall wouldn't have noticed him. But the real question was: could Rooney live up to the hype? There were many young prodigies before the age of 16, but very few of them turned into stars in professional leagues.
Everton has the option to reject Millwall's offer, but that comes with a big risk.
If Rooney doesn't work out, they've basically lost money on the deal. Now, compared to the smaller clubs that Hart, Baines, and others came from, Everton has a much bigger name in the game. Sure, things haven't been great for them recently—they spent big, but the results haven't matched the investment, and now their financial situation is looking worse. But they're still a Premier League club, and they have to consider their reputation.
Taking advantage of the current buzz, it feels like Everton might be trying to strike while the iron's hot.
Everton faced two main concerns.
First: Would Rooney have signed with Everton at 16 if the offer came now?
Second: Was it still worth signing Rooney at 16?
The club knew it was time to sell him, but they had to squeeze a little more out of Millwall.
Aldrich's track record in recruitment over the past few years speaks volumes—his eye for talent is sharp as a hawk! Manchester United, Arsenal, and Leeds United were now involved in bidding wars, pushing the price up. They began privately wooing Rooney, but their offers lacked the solid backing of Andrew's guarantees. Rooney, though, remained resolute—his future was with Millwall, where he knew big opportunities awaited.
At this point, Millwall had no choice but to proceed.
Backing out would solidify the media's accusations of unethical behavior and make it look as though Millwall only used dirty tactics and never invested real money in signing players. They knew Everton was trying to extort them, but Millwall had no choice but to play along.
Aldrich quickly cut through the chaos, buying out Rooney's contract and paying £5 million in compensation to Everton. While this wasn't the transfer fee, it quickly became one of the most talked-about transfers in England, thanks to Fleet Street's coverage.
Millwall had just shelled out £5 million for a player who might not even end up staying with them!
Rooney had come from Everton to Millwall for training, with that £5 million serving as compensation to Everton for developing him over the years. But here's the catch—after a year and a half, if Rooney didn't sign a professional contract with Millwall, he could jump ship and join any club he wanted. Millwall would be left with nothing!
Aldrich was willing to spend £5 million to protect the club's image. Rather than being seen as a thief, he preferred to be ridiculed for spending money foolishly.
Knowing he would be mocked, Aldrich started avoiding the media. After work, he would hang out with Andrew, both of them staying out of sight of the reporters.
Meanwhile, Millwall made another move to distract the media from the Rooney saga.
Millwall was set to sign a 19-year-old talent, Qu Bo, from Chinese club Qingdao Zhongneng.
This new story took over, but the ridicule surrounding Millwall's reputation in the British football scene remained unchanged.
Most pundits agreed that Aldrich had lost his mind, and Millwall wasn't far behind.
Signing a player from China?
Ha.
Millwall went through the usual process, making an offer to Qingdao Zhongneng. The remaining work would be handled by the sponsors. Millwall only offered £1 million for Qu Bo's transfer, which in Chinese currency amounted to over 10 million RMB – an absolute fortune! However, if Qingdao tried to inflate the price, the sponsors would either cover it, or they'd walk away.
Even the Chinese Football Association got involved. It was strange, but anything involving Chinese football was likely to be odd. European football associations rarely interfered in club transfers unless there was controversy or a breach of regulations. They didn't have the power to intervene.
During this time, Aldrich had a direct phone conversation with Qu Bo. He frankly told him: "With your current ability, you won't make it into Millwall's first team, and you won't even make the bench. Because of work permit issues, you can't train with us or play in our reserves. If you transfer here, the rights to you will belong to Millwall, but you won't be able to work in the UK. We'll loan you to one of our partner clubs in Belgium, where one of my trusted friends will mentor you. I'll keep an eye on your progress. Once you've reached the necessary caps for the national team and can get a work permit, we can talk about bringing you back to Millwall. My suggestion is that if you have ambition and dreams, you're already late. Many non-EU players start playing in Europe at 16 or 17. You're 19 now, and if you don't come now, your talent will go to waste. I'm happy to listen to your questions, but you must learn to fit in with the team."
Should a second- or third-tier European club express interest in a Chinese player, they might be faced with extortion from the Chinese club, which would argue that the player's growth would be better nurtured in a familiar environment.
But when a world-class club like Millwall extends an offer, no Chinese club would dare block the transfer without drawing the wrath of their own fans, who would have no mercy on them.
In the end, it all came down to the player's decision.
Qu Bo's transfer was finalized a month later. His ownership was now with Millwall, and he symbolically held a press conference there before heading directly to Belgium, where he was loaned to Saint-Truiden, managed by his former coach, Torup. At Saint-Truiden, there were several Millwall players—some unknown, but also Essien, who had been there for two years. In those two years, Saint-Truiden had risen from the second division to the Belgian top league, and Essien had firmly established himself and shone brightly.
With nothing to do in Andrew's company, Aldrich was flipping through the records of his South American agency.
Andrew was thrilled about the business in South America.
"Aldrich, I finally understand how you feel! Selling players really is a thousandfold profitable business!"
When it came to the satisfaction and sense of achievement in doing business, Andrew preferred the South American ventures.
The European business was glamorous, the work dignified, but the money earned was just the reward for the hard work put in. The more work done, the more reward.
In South America, however, it was more like speculation—huge profits!
He and his South American partners could directly buy out player ownership through their agency, often at ridiculously low prices. Once the player made a name for themselves, their agency would recommend them to Europe. The transfer fee was paid directly to their agency, and sometimes they needed to give a small portion to the club, but the bulk of the money landed in their pockets. The money was made effortlessly, almost as if it blew in from the wind, especially since they didn't have to directly involve themselves in the player development process. It was like the clubs worked for them.
"Fuck, you can't understand how I feel. You're just in it for the money. If someone wants to buy my player, I don't even want to sell. If a player I let go years ago wanted to stay, I'd rather not make the money. Selling him would have been a loss," Aldrich rebutted Andrew, looking over the documents without mercy.
Andrew's eyes twinkled, and he gave a sly grin, deciding not to provoke Aldrich further.
Take Shevchenko, for example. Looking back, Millwall couldn't really say they made a fortune off him. After all, Shevchenko's market value was still on the rise.
Aldrich's actions suddenly stopped. He pulled out a player's profile and handed it to Andrew, saying, "What's the deal with him?"
The document had some symbols Aldrich couldn't understand.
Andrew glanced down and saw that the player was a 17-year-old Brazilian. He said casually, "It shows he was dropped by the club. He's no longer of value."
"No value? Then do me a favor—have your agency sign him, arrange a club for him in Brazil, and after he turns 18, Millwall will bring him in."
Andrew took another look at the document, studying the player's face and name. He raised an eyebrow, "Will he be worth anything?"
"Who knows? Maybe I'm just getting back at you, making you work for nothing," Aldrich whistled mysteriously before continuing to flip through the documents.
Andrew chuckled and walked aside, picking up the phone to call the South American office, instructing them to reach out to the boy, Thiago Silva, who had no team to play for, using the details on the document.
On August 3, Millwall held a press conference to announce that tomorrow would be a milestone day for the club: the grand opening of Lion King Stadium!
AC Milan, invited for the opening friendly, had already arrived in London to prepare.
At the press conference, Aldrich first announced that the club's transfer market was closed—there would be no more arrivals or departures.
This year's transfer activity might be criticized in the future.
Aldrich could foresee it, but he wasn't worried about it.
For instance, not signing Adriano. When the player became a star, Millwall would surely be mocked for missing out on a major talent.
The Rooney controversy, in the future, might follow Rooney throughout his career, and everything that happened today would likely be brought up time and again.
Millwall's negotiations with Real Madrid, missing out on Casillas, and so on.
That's normal. For clubs in the spotlight of the football world, these kinds of stories always emerge.
Millwall is now the center of attention, regarded as the "number one enemy" in European football. Everything surrounding them has become a topic of conversation in the football world.
On the night of August 4th, the lights of the Lion King Stadium sparkled as it welcomed its first fans, filling the stands to capacity.
It was a historic year, a historic moment, and Millwall's supporters wouldn't miss it for the world, lest they regret it.
In a friendly match, Aldrich didn't pressure the team. He left the locker room early, giving the players plenty of time to prepare.
The brand-new lockers, modern facilities—many players stood before their lockers, lost in thought, gazing for a long time at their name tags on the lockers.
Some, like Ronaldinho and Schneider, had stripped down and jumped into the recovery pool to relieve fatigue and unwind, playfully splashing water at each other like children.
Aldrich, dressed in a suit, didn't enter the pitch but instead headed for the VIP box.
On the way, he met AC Milan's manager, Galliani.
Galliani smiled warmly and shook Aldrich's hand, congratulating him on the unveiling of Millwall's new stadium.
The stadium's opening ceremony had been attended by the London mayor, and the club had invited a popular band to perform. The event had concluded, and staff were now clearing the pitch, preparing for the two teams to enter for the match.
Aldrich had a long conversation with Galliani in the corridor. Among the European elite clubs, Millwall's relationship with AC Milan could be considered one of the best, if not the best. In contrast, Juventus' relationship with Millwall has deteriorated to the lowest point possible.