"Hey, son, you've been doing great lately!"
Vicente Alemany chuckled, his double chin shaking with the laugh. "I never expected this! I've always thought my son was excellent, but I never imagined you'd be this good… just eight rounds in the league and we're already out of the relegation zone, plus we made it to the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners' Cup. Looks like you're just as good as Cooper!"
José smiled at his father, though he wasn't the real José. The real José had drowned years ago, and now, this body was inhabited by someone else — white-skinned, but with the soul of a typical Chinese person from China…
"You flatter me, Father. It's only been a few months. Maybe it's just a coincidence," José replied with a smile.
"Don't be so modest, son. Today at the shareholders' meeting, Juan's kid even said he wanted to sign you a formal head coach contract, so you'll officially take over as the first-team head coach instead of just being the interim one. He believes that will help you serve the club better… your friend really has your back, huh?" Alemany said as he struggled to sit down, taking a breath before continuing.
"Oh? What about the other shareholders, especially Grande…" José's face stiffened slightly as he asked.
"That guy? He's opposed to it," Alemany chuckled, his small eyes gleaming. "Both of us are from Mallorca, though we don't have shares, we're much more popular here than that second shareholder. He failed to win the presidency before, so how could he stand seeing my son become more popular? But he didn't oppose directly, just said it's been only a few months, no need to rush into a contract. He suggested we wait until the season's over."
"What a narrow-minded guy," José scoffed. "Grande's real opponent isn't us, it's the Asensio family, who holds the most shares. But he's going against us, which will only bring us closer to Asensio…"
But this didn't hurt José's interests at all. He didn't want to engage in club politics. Dispersed power only harmed the club's strategy and growth. To some extent, a club didn't need democracy, just a strong leader — as long as the president was wise and had a clear vision.
As a traveler from another world, José knew how to build a club, how to make one into a giant. So, his goal was to remove others from the equation and dominate the scene on his own — he didn't want to waste energy on unnecessary distractions.
"But Grande only holds 30% of the shares. If Juan insists, he won't win… Father, what's the final result?" José asked.
"He won't win for sure. But I'm backing him," Alemany chuckled again. "I told Juan and the other shareholders that José is still young, hasn't even been here for three months. Rushing to confirm him isn't a good idea. Let's wait until the season is over."
Alemany then looked at his son with a strange look, before laughing again. "What, you think it's weird? Or you don't like the outcome?"
"No, Father, I think it's the best outcome," José waved his hand. "I only plan to coach for half a season. I don't like the current situation at Mallorca. Even with some profits, it just benefits others. The club isn't developing properly. It's like overfishing, taking all the fish at once. Sure, you get a lot of profit right away, but you won't be able to catch anything again in the future…"
"The current Mallorca is exactly like that," Alemany sighed. "When we entered La Liga three years ago, the facilities were the same as now. No progress, no improvement, and fewer good players... we've bought some players who could appreciate in value, but we can't rely on luck forever. Selling good players every year to make a profit and failing to keep coach Cooper was also a big factor."
"Have you figured it out?" José smiled.
"Yes, I've figured it out," Alemany nodded. "Although I've been friends with Antonio for decades, I know they aren't really looking out for Mallorca. They're not from here. Their shares in the club are just a tool to profit for the Asensio family. They cheer when the team does well, but only because they get more profit from it."
José smiled and nodded. "So you didn't fight for me to become the official coach, which makes it easier for me to get out of it."
Alemany nodded, pleased that his son understood his intentions, but then sighed. "But son, taking control of Mallorca will be tough. I'm familiar with Antonio, and he won't easily give up anything that can bring profit."
"I know that," José said. "That's why I never mentioned buying Mallorca when I was with Juan. It's a shareholding company, and since it's not listed, it's difficult to deal with. It will take time. But, Father… I'm only 26."
Alemany froze for a moment before laughing.
He understood José's meaning. José was still young, so he had time — though neither of them realized it yet, the opportunity to buy Mallorca was just around the corner…
On March 19th, in the 29th round of La Liga, Mallorca hosted Santander Sporting, another relegation contender!
Santander had 36 points before this round, ranking three places above Mallorca. Winning wouldn't guarantee safety, but it would bring other teams into the relegation battle, which was exactly what José wanted — to drag as many teams as possible into the fight, so that Mallorca could have a smoother path to safety and more energy to focus on the Cup Winners' Cup…
Even though Mallorca had just played a tough match in Turkey three days ago, José still sent out the main players for this match. In front of over 20,000 Mallorca fans, the dynamic duo of Tristan and Eto'o, now resembling a top-class attacking pair, scored one goal each to help Mallorca win 2-1, bringing them to 34 points!
In other matches, Sevilla, with only 28 points before, surprisingly defeated Numancia 4-0 at home, reaching 31 points. Atlético Madrid drew 1-1 with Real Madrid, increasing the gap to just two points, while Real Betis lost to Real Sociedad, allowing Mallorca to widen the gap by three points. Real Oviedo defeated Athletic Bilbao 1-0, adding heavy pressure to the relegation race, with their points now tied with Numancia.
After winning this match, Mallorca was still 17th, but the gap to the two teams below them was now wider, and the gap to the teams ahead had narrowed. They were just one point behind Real Oviedo and Numancia, and only two points behind Santander. Just as José had planned, more teams were being dragged into the relegation battle, and the La Liga relegation fight had become chaotic!
Eight teams were now directly involved in relegation, and even the higher-ranked teams hadn't escaped the danger. With a third of the season left, more than half of the teams were still at risk of relegation — an almost unprecedented situation…
The media was abuzz discussing the direction of La Liga this season. Now, the league could be divided into three major sections: the title contenders, where Barcelona edged Deportivo 2-1, just two points behind; Real Madrid, who after drawing, were also only two points behind Barcelona; Valencia and Zaragoza slightly behind, with other teams like Rayo Vallecano, Celta, Alavés, Athletic Bilbao, and Espanyol all fighting for European spots; and the massive relegation group that consisted of the other teams.
This pyramid-shaped league situation sparked widespread discussion. José remained silent, but this was practically his doing. His continuous victories over relegation rivals and mid-tier teams had pulled more and more teams into the relegation battle, creating the massive group fighting for survival!
"Let it get chaotic, the more chaotic, the better for me," José thought to himself, grinning, as he began to prepare for the second leg of the Cup Winners' Cup.
Though they had already effectively secured a semifinal spot with a 3-0 victory on the road, only Leeds had managed such an impressive scoreline, and Arsenal just scraped a 2-0 win at home against Werder Bremen. Celta, on the other hand, was held to a 0-0 draw by Lens, with their prospects dimming.
Yet, José never underestimated the resilience of Turkish teams. Though he had no love for Turkish football, he respected their indomitable fighting spirit, as shown by their miraculous comebacks in the 2008 European Championship. José knew that such teams, when cornered, could unleash incredible willpower, and he was fully prepared for a tough battle in the second leg of the Cup Winners' Cup…