I am currently sat in my office with Ancelotti and Luis sitting with me and we are trying to decide on who to transfer into and out of the team to ensure a competitive squad.
"The Transfer budget for the season is currently £150 million without including the transfer of Wilfred Zaha from Crystal Palace I would like us to determine how many players you would like to keep amongst the current crop of players" I asked Ancelotti
His answer was blunt " I would like a complete overhaul of the squad some of the players at the club are just not good enough for me to keep at the squad I will inform you on who to let go off but we need players in all the positions we need a Backup GK, 2 Left-backs, at least one Right-Back, 2 Centre-back, at least 2 Central Midfielders, 2 Attacking Midfielders, 3 wingers and one or 2 strikers"
He gave me a large shopping list and it was mine and Luis's job to get him who he needs.
"I understand and I will try to get you who you want. Before you signed with us we had secured a couple of players signatures and they're listed in the document in front of you"
Ancelotti took a look at the list and saw players and he was pleasantly surprised at the players he saw there they include : Dani Carvajal (Leverkusen 6.5 million), Virgil Van Dijk (Fc. Groningen 2.5 million), Joshua Kimmich (Vfb Stuttgart 1 million), Kingsley Coman (PSG 3.5 million), Leroy Sané (Schalke 800,000), Riyad Mahrez( Le Havre 500,000), Gianluigi Donnarumma (ASD Club Napoli 250,000), Ousmane Dembele(Rennes 800,000) and Kylian Mbappe ( Claire Fontaine 100,000) totaling £15.95 million
"I'm surprised by some of the players on this list while it is a young squad, some of the players on here can slot into the first team already which means you'll have to buy less players to fill out the squad. I no longer need Right-backs and a Goalkeeper you can buy one less Center-back I no longer need wingers so all I need is one Center-Back, Midfielders and a striker and I believe our transfer operations are done and we should be in a good position" he informed me
I felt a sense of relief at the revised requirements and continued, " That feels good to hear I am considering adding Kroos, Eriksen, Ozil, Kevin De Bruyne, Marquinhos and Lewandowki to the squad, what do you think?" I asked him.
Ancelotti couldn't help but be surprised at the players mentioned he was now sure he made the right choice in joining this team as it seems like the owner had a good understanding of players "both Kroos and Eriksen should be signed but we also need a midfielder with strong defensive capabilities Marquinhos and Kevin De Bruyne are good candidates for attacking midfield and Center-back, as for Lewandoski and Ozil I'm sure it will be tough securing their signatures" I acknowledged the fact that it will be tough to sign them so I informed him of my plan to sign Lewandoski
"I am thinking of swapping Lewandoski for Van Persie and some cash to secure his signature"
Ancelotti considered the option to sign him like that and responded thoughtfully, "The plan has merit and I am not opposed to it" he informed me of his stance on it
"Alright I will send out our transfer team out while Luis and I go out to secure the signature of Lewandoski. while we are gone you can begin to sell players who you don't need. you will have the support of the staff in these efforts."
With that, we wrapped up our meeting. I bid farewell to Ancelotti and Luis and headed home to prepare for my flight to Germany. It was a busy and critical period ahead, but with a clear plan and the right support, I was confident we could build a competitive squad for the new season.