Chapter 273: Mr. Two Trillion Dollars Part 2
Chapter 273: Mr. Two Trillion Dollars Part 2
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There were a lot of teams interested in Wood, but very few which could make Twain feel nervous.
Could anyone imagine George Wood, who was the main force in the Forest team, going to a lower-ranking team in the league?
In the past, there had been a lot of clubs asking about prices just like that; there was even an English championship team asking if they could loan Wood! Twain thought that they should really check their intelligence before coming to him about Wood.
However, on the morning of January 3, the Nottingham Forest Club received two offers from two different clubs, giving Evan Doughty no choice but to call Twain from his house. Together with Allan, they gathered to discuss the two offers.
Evan sat behind his desk with two faxes on it, one with the Manchester United team emblem and the other with Chelsea's.
"Tony, did their men get in touch with Wood?" Allan asked Twain.
Twain shook his head. "I don't think so, but I'm not certain. I don't have twenty-four hours to watch him."
"Tony, what do you think of this?" Evan looked at Twain.
"Refuse both of them." Twain answered without hesitation. "We won't sell, no matter how much money they offer."
Manchester United's offer was four million pounds, which was a big investment for Manchester United's tightfisted board of directors.
The rich and imposing Chelsea was even more excessive. Abramovich had not yet realized how foolish he was to throw away his money. He continued his strategy of burning cash to buy players. Their offer was ten million pounds!
It should be said that Evan Doughty, as a businessman, was stunned at the first glimpse of Chelsea's offer. George Wood was just a newcomer to the Premier League. It was only because of his steady play and his beautiful key goal in Manchester United's game that he was put on a pedestal by the media. Evan was the owner of the Forest club, and he knew his player's real price was absolutely not ten million.
He did not think that Abramovich and Mourinho were fools. So what did it mean that the first offer for a rookie defensive midfielder was ten million pounds?
Twain lit a cigarette, took a puff, and then shrugged. "We can interpret it as flaunting, or as a show of force. The Russian is using it to tell us that there are no players they can't buy. Chelsea ranked second last season, and they spent one hundred and ten million pounds. They are ranked second in this season for now, and have spent eighty-nine million just in the summer. Take a closer look at the prices they offered to buy players. They're much higher than the average market price, and they always get the players they want."
Evan and Allan might not fully understand the way the Russian oligarch and his manager, Mourinho, spent their money, but Twain, who had been around the block, was certain.
In the 2004-05 season, Mourinho's Chelsea had won their club's first Premier League title in fifty years and created a series of records. This championship title was the most expensive in the history of the English Premier League, built on the foundation of one hundred and ten million pounds used by Ranieri, and achieved by Mourinho, who had spent eighty-nine million.
When Chelsea won the league title, Abramovich had been in the Chelsea club for six hundred and seventy days and had invested up to 683.40 million pounds, averaging more than one million a day! In 2004, Chelsea's annual financial loss was 87.8 million pounds, which created a new record in the football world. However, just a year later, Mourinho raised the figure by 60%. It reached a staggering 140 million pounds!
Looking at the world of football, which club would dare to burn more money than Chelsea? Even Real Madrid was not that daring.
Countless clubs had experienced Chelsea's deep pockets and surrendered before the Ruble legion. Take a look at the names in the list below and the clubs they once belonged to:
24 million for Didier Drogba, 19 million for Ricardo Carvalho, 13 million for Paulo Ferreira, 12 million for Arjen Robben, 8 million for Tiago Mendes, 7 million for Petr Čech, 5 million for Mateja Kežman, 8 million for Asier del Horno, 21 million for Shaun Wright-Phillips, and 24 million for Michael Essien.
Before the Russian man arrived at Stamford Bridge, English football did not have a clue about spending and pointless squandering of large sums of money. The total investment of the three-time Premier League champion, Arsenal, was no more than 39 million for three seasons, whereas Mourinho's lowest spending in Chelsea for a season was "only" 53 million.
That was the earth-shattering change that the Russian had brought to the English Premier League. Now, everyone used the default "championship rule" of "No money, no champion." If a team wanted to win the championship, large sums of money would need to be spent. If a team was reluctant to spend, the team would face ruthless elimination. It was the football version of Darwinism.
"They think that no matter how much we value Wood, we won't hesitate to accept it if they open with an unimaginably high price." Twain opened his hands. Roman Abramovich did exactly think this way in the first few years of his arrival in Chelsea.
After hearing Twain's words, Allan pondered for a moment, then looked up at Evan and Twain. "That's right. Now there are two options before us: ten million and George Wood. Which one do we choose?"
They had automatically ignored Manchester United. Four million to buy Wood? There was no need to even talk about it.
"I don't think those are the options we need to think about, Allan." Twain shook his head. "I also think that there's nothing in the world that money can't buy, and if no one can buy it, it's only because the price isn't high enough. But I think that the Russian can't afford the price I gave to Wood.
Evan smiled, "I'm interested to hear your price for Wood, Tony."
Twain nodded. "Just as well. Chelsea's offer reminded me to hold a press conference to make a statement specifically for the clubs that are always harassing us."
Allan seemed somewhat hesitant. After all, he was responsible for the club's finances. Ten million was not a small number for the current Forest team.
Evan did not immediately answer Twain either. He was thinking about it, just like Allan.
Twain knew that there was bound to be some hesitation in their minds. After all, the offer… Well, from an objective point of view, Twain thought that it was completely worthwhile. But he was unable to view the offer objectively. Wood had been personally cultivated by him. You want to buy him for ten million? Mr. Abramovich, you've underestimated me!
Evan recalled what Twain had said to him one time in an alley in Wilford, when he had told Tony to sell Michael Dawson and Andy Reid.
Now that the team was on the rise and Wood had just won the best rookie of the team award, it would be truly a pity to sell him for ten million. So, he nodded. "Wood is a new star that we personally cultivated on our own. From the standpoint of the team's image and achievements, I don't agree to selling him."
Both men agreed not to sell, and Allan did not need to insist, so he nodded.
In that way, the Nottingham Forest Football Club held a small press conference that afternoon. Although it was small, there was a lot of media there because everyone knew that Chelsea had just made an offer of ten million pounds for Wood.
With regards to the recently popularized focal figure, his every movement, and any information about him, would attract public attention. The small City Ground conference hall was crowded with reporters, packing the space.
At the press conference, Twain smiled at the reporters and gave the official response from the Nottingham Forest Club to the transfer request.
"I've never said that George Wood is not for sale, and I won't say that in the future either."
The reporters were delighted. Could this deal really be happening?
"Wood can be taken away from the City Ground stadium as long as a club can make a price that we think is right."
It's true! The reporters were excited and got ready to raise their hands and steer the topic to its climax.
"Excuse me, Mr. Twain, what is George Wood's value?" There were already reporters who could not wait to get up and ask questions.
"Whatever Britain's GDP was last year. That's George Wood's value." Twain answered the reporter's question with a smile.
As soon as he finished speaking, not only all the reporters present, but Evan and Allan, who sat next to Twain, were stunned.
Although the British government had not announced last year's gross domestic product number, from the data and growth rate of the first three quarters, the past year's number should not have been less than two trillion US dollars...
Two… trillion?
When they finally reacted, Allan and Evan glanced at each other. That price… not even Mr. Abramovich could afford it.
The press conference exploded, and the reporters scrambled to raise their hands. Someone even directly asked aloud from their seats, "Mr. Twain, are you joking?"
"No, I'm serious. George Wood is worth that price. If anyone can afford it, I'll allow him to leave. But if you can't, then don't come back for a quote from us and waste all of our time. Also, Nottingham Forest doesn't accept installments or loans for the player. This is the official stance of the Forest club."
Just like an auctioneer in the auction house, Twain's decision was final.