"You're right. So-called negotiations are rarely ever equal. Right now, you are the stronger party," José said.
"Exactly, young man. If you want to impress me…"
Before Pirri could finish his sentence, José cut him off. "It's all about the benefits. Enough benefit will persuade the other side. And the best negotiations aren't those where one side wins, but where both sides benefit. That's when the negotiation holds real value."
"That's the point," Pirri nodded. "It wasn't until I was fifty that I truly understood this, and that's when I became the general manager and technical director of Real Madrid. You're only twenty-five, and even just understanding this is something to be proud of."
José accepted Pirri's praise modestly—now, the real negotiation was just beginning.
"Loaning Eto'o is beneficial to Mallorca because it gives us a more stable scoring option alongside Tristan. For Mallorca to avoid relegation, we need more victories, which means scoring more goals. Eto'o is crucial to us," José started by highlighting the benefits for Mallorca. He quickly changed his tone. "As for Real Madrid, on the surface, they gain the opportunity to develop Eto'o, but financially, there's not much to be gained. Mallorca doesn't have any transfer funds this winter. After our poor first half of the season, we've already lost a lot. Not making it to the Champions League group stage cost us nearly ten million dollars in broadcasting revenue. That's terrifying, and even Eto'o's salary, we can only cover half."
"I'm aware of that. I know the financial situation of all La Liga teams," Pirri nodded. "So, I can't see how this loan would benefit Real Madrid. Maybe in the second half of the season, Eto'o will get more chances, and although Real Madrid's finances aren't great, covering half of Eto'o's salary isn't a big deal."
"Schedules," José uttered the word.
"What?" Pirri didn't quite catch it.
"I said, the schedule," José clarified. "Have you noticed? In the first and twentieth rounds, Mallorca's opponents are both Real Madrid. Now, the La Liga season has passed the twenty-first round, meaning you don't have to worry about Eto'o striking against Real Madrid in the remaining half of the season."
"You mean…" A smile appeared at the corner of Pirri's mouth.
"A stronger Mallorca, at least in this half of the season, will be beneficial to Real Madrid," José affirmed. "Just like how after the last round, Real Madrid moved from fourth place to third."
Previously, Rayo Vallecano had been third, and Real Madrid had been fourth. They were behind the top two teams, Barcelona and Deportivo La Coruña, but in the last round, Mallorca's home victory over Rayo Vallecano allowed Real Madrid to overtake the promoted team.
"Next, we still have to face Valencia, Deportivo La Coruña, even Barcelona…" José listed several teams that Real Madrid would face in the upcoming league matches. "You see, Mallorca poses no threat to Real Madrid. We've already played them twice this season and lost both times, giving Real Madrid six points. If Mallorca can take points off one of these teams, how much advantage will that give Real Madrid?"
José had laid it out clearly—this season, Mallorca wouldn't play against Real Madrid again, but they would face teams like Deportivo, Valencia, Barcelona… Mallorca could help Real Madrid disrupt their rivals. Loaning Eto'o to Mallorca would greatly improve Mallorca's chances of upsetting these teams. Mallorca, fighting against relegation, would be desperate for every point and would give everything to secure those points for survival.
For Real Madrid, this was like having an ally who would help them disrupt their main rivals without any cost…
Compared to these benefits, Eto'o's half-season salary was negligible. The idea that Mallorca would become a threat in the future was a joke—Pirri's earlier comment had only been to put some pressure on José.
After thinking for a while, Pirri smiled, then extended his hand toward José. "Alright, Mr. Alemany, you've convinced me… Now, you can ask Samuel Eto'o's opinion. Though, I doubt he'll reject such an offer. After all, for him, match experience is more important than anything."
"So, can we add a clause to the loan agreement giving us the option to buy Eto'o after the loan ends?" José pressed on.
"Don't be too greedy, young man," Pirri laughed. "I told you, I personally brought Samuel over from Africa. I have high hopes for him. If it weren't for his lack of maturity, Real Madrid wouldn't have needed to buy Anelka, he could have been the one to fill the role… A player like that, I won't let go."
José shrugged, abandoning the idea of buying Eto'o outright. He hadn't expected that anyway.
After leaving Pirri's office, José let out a sigh—though it was just a simple loan negotiation, the difficulty of it was much higher than he had anticipated...
Pirri was certainly no easy opponent, but fortunately, his main goal had been largely achieved. With Eto'o and Tristan partnering up in the attack, the expectations for the second half of the season were much closer to reality—now, Mallorca just needed a forward like Eto'o!
José's reason for wanting to loan Eto'o for half a season wasn't just about avoiding relegation.
Though Mallorca's situation was dire, still at the bottom despite winning a match, José believed that as long as Mallorca focused on defensive counter-attacks, they still had a good chance to stay up. Currently, Sevilla, ranked nineteenth, only had eighteen points, and despite teams like Numancia, Santander, Oviedo, Real Betis, and Atlético Madrid being ahead with over twenty points, José vaguely remembered that the relegation line in La Liga this season was just over forty points. If Mallorca could win ten more matches, they would avoid relegation.
With Tristan's scoring ability and the solid defense, even though they couldn't match top teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, they could still compete with mid-table teams. Signing Eto'o wasn't just about making survival easier—it was about looking to Europe!
Though Mallorca's domestic league performance was poor, and they had been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, they had done relatively well in European competitions. They had made it to the round of sixteen in the UEFA Cup, knocking out Czech teams like Olimpos and Beliccis, and beating Ajax 3-0 in the third round.
Next, they would face French giants Monaco in the round of 16. To challenge a team like Monaco, with players like Henry and Trezeguet, José knew it wouldn't be enough to rely on Tristan alone—Eto'o was a vital addition.
Saving the season wasn't just about survival—it was about doing well in Europe, which was more important for José as a rookie coach.
José didn't know how far Mallorca could go in Europe, but though there were many strong teams, there was still a chance to beat them. Mallorca was still an unknown entity to many, and José was extremely familiar with those teams.
With Dani's departure and Biagini's season-ending injury, Mallorca's attacking line had been broken. Although Tristan's rise had covered one gap, with players like Ginteros and Carlos proving unreliable, without Eto'o, Mallorca's attack wouldn't be complete.
There was also Luke, a talented reserve, but his experience was still lacking, and he wasn't an exceptional forward. He couldn't compare to Eto'o, a future top-tier striker, especially considering Eto'o's explosive speed—something Tristan and Luke both lacked.
After finally convincing Pirri, the next step was to talk to Eto'o.
That afternoon, outside Real Madrid's training ground, José saw Eto'o.
Eto'o was still young, despite being a black player, which made it difficult to gauge his age by his appearance, as the birthdates of many African players were often unclear. For example, NBA's Mutombo didn't even know his own age, and young players had assumed he was in his fifties because his athleticism hadn't declined...
But Eto'o was truly young, with a hint of innocence in his face and his eyes shining with ambition, confidence, and anticipation—the eyes never lie, they're the windows to the soul. A person's eyes can reflect the age of their spirit, as seen with future stars like Adriano, whose 26-27 years carried the maturity of an older man.
Eto'o had a lean body, lacking the bulky muscles common in many African players, but beneath that lean physique lay explosive power—something José understood all too well, knowing Eto'o's future potential.
"Samuel Eto'o, hello, I'm José Alemany, the head coach of Mallorca," José extended his hand.
Eto'o, a little confused, shook José's hand. He knew a club was interested in loaning him, but he didn't expect the coach of Mallorca to be so young...