章 496: The Bidding War Begins
Aldrich returned to London after spending the weekend in Liverpool with his two sons, only to unexpectedly discover that Van der Meyde had no shortage of interested buyers.
Even though Van der Meyde is just a backup, Millwall's subs are anything but average players.
Take Phillips, for instance. He was plucked from the lower leagues, trained for three years, and then sold, but now he's one of the Premier League's top strikers. Without Henry and Larsson, Phillips would definitely be the Premier League's number one forward this season—he's put a massive gap between himself and everyone else on the scoring charts.
Van der Meyde was being exiled for breaking the club's cardinal rules, not for lacking skill. This made him even more desirable, as potential buyers hoped to sign him at a bargain price and see him flourish into a star at their club.
That evening, Aldrich sat in his living room with the club's CEO, Adam, Andrew, and Yvonne. Aldrich had a stack of faxed transfer offers in one hand and a cigarette in the other. Yvonne sat beside him, and when Aldrich became engrossed in reading, she moved the ashtray closer to his right hand to prevent ash from falling on the sofa.
Adam frowned slightly at Yvonne's thoughtful gesture.
"Two million, two million, three million, three and a half million... Do they think we're running a clearance sale or something?"
Aldrich flipped through the bids, visibly losing interest.
Andrew snatched the documents from his hand, quickly skimming through them.
There were offers from nine Premier League clubs, eight La Liga teams, five Serie A sides, six from France, four from Germany, and even a handful from Portugal and the Netherlands.
Andrew grew irritated as he reviewed the offers and grumbled, "Do they see Van der Meyde as gold they found on the street or as trash no one else wants? So many bidders, yet the prices they're offering are downright insulting. Arsenal, of all clubs, offered just £4 million."
Aldrich went to the fridge for a beer and casually said, "I don't want to see him playing in the Premier League, so forget about any English clubs. Reject them all."
Andrew focused on eliminating clubs that Van der Meyde or his agent deemed undesirable. While the club was interested in some offers, the final say still depended on the player's agreement.
When Aldrich returned with his beer, his phone buzzed on the coffee table. He glanced at it, chuckled, and began exchanging messages rapidly.
Yvonne, curious about his amusement, asked, "A friend?"
"Sort of. Galliani wants Van der Meyde too."
Yvonne, puzzled, asked, "Are you two close?"
"Not really. We've just dealt with each other a lot."
"Will it take long to discuss?"
"Well... he wants to take advantage of the situation. This guy is clever. He suggested Millwall loan Van der Meyde to AC Milan next season, saying I might regret selling him later. His plan was to loan him out first and then decide after a year, urging me to stay calm. But I'm not rushing into anything, I'm calm enough already. This guy's full of schemes, talking like he's doing me a favor. If I listened to him, I'd probably end up getting tricked and thanking him!"
Andrew burst out laughing.
If Millwall really loaned Van der Meyde out for a year, they'd gain almost no financial return. Even if there were some, it would be minimal.
Van der Meyde's contract only had two years left. A year later, even if Aldrich wanted to recall him, the player would likely refuse to renew his contract.
When his contract expired, Van der Meyde could go wherever he pleased, with interested clubs likely offering him lucrative signing bonuses and salary packages.
Aldrich knew this all too well. He was merely exchanging texts with Galliani to toy with him.
As Andrew reviewed the bids, he placed the five club purchase faxes in front of Aldrich, and at that moment, Aldrich's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and chuckled, "Same city, same rhythm."
The caller was Massimo Moratti, the president of Inter Milan.
Everyone fell silent, and Aldrich answered the phone with a smile.
Speaking of which, this season has been unlucky for Inter Milan. In the summer, they broke the world transfer record by signing Vieri, and the team boasted two top strikers. However, in November last year, Ronaldo suffered a serious injury, and after more than four months of recovery, his form has been mediocre. Inter Milan had already given up on the title race early in the season and now were focusing on securing a Champions League spot and the Coppa Italia.
Wasn't Moratti upset?
He kept spending big money, but the team's performance didn't match the investment.
Now, hearing that Millwall was looking to sell players, Moratti didn't bother having his team submit an offer. Instead, he called Aldrich directly, insisting that he had to get his hands on Van der Meyde.
A Millwall player? Definitely a gem!
Moratti felt that many of the high-profile players his club bought often didn't live up to the hype, whereas Millwall had plenty of hidden treasures.
After all, why else would Millwall sell players year after year but still see their performance improve?
Aldrich and Moratti had never done business before, but this time, Moratti was confident.
"I'm not after your key players or future stars. But these players you've already listed, surely I can get them at a bargain price, right?"
"£10 million? Hmm, that's quite high, but Van der Meyde wants to go to Deportivo La Coruña. As you know, they've made significant investments over the last two years, and they're set to win the La Liga title this season. They've offered £12 million, and Van der Meyde's agent has already given the club an ultimatum—either accept La Coruña's bid or face losing him. After all, La Liga's style suits a technical player like Van der Meyde."
As Aldrich spoke on the phone, he picked up a fax in front of him—it was indeed La Coruña's offer, a genuine offer!
£8 million!
"£15 million? Fine. I'll only accept offers from Inter Milan and La Coruña, and then the rest will be up to you to negotiate with the player. The final decision will be left to Van der Meyde. How does that sound? Yeah, okay, no need to thank me, it's just a normal club transaction. Alright, take care, goodbye."
As Aldrich hung up, Yvonne, covering her mouth, burst into laughter, slapping him on the arm.
Aldrich stacked the faxes on the coffee table, preparing to shred them later.
"Alright, that's it for Van der Meyde. He'll be transferred to Inter Milan, and we'll receive £15 million. Andrew, make sure nothing happens to him before the transfer—no injuries or scandals, nothing that could cause a problem for us."
Andrew just smiled, but Adam looked puzzled. "Boss, what about La Coruña's offer?"
Aldrich casually replied, "Accepted."
"Who guarantees that Van der Meyde will accept Inter Milan's offer?"
"Moratti's checkbook guarantees it."
Aldrich, feeling a bit hungry, invited the three of them to grab a late-night snack, and the night was looking pretty good.
In the 35th round of the Premier League, Millwall was away at St James' Park, facing Newcastle United.
This was likely going to be the decisive day for the Premier League title race.
If Millwall didn't lose, they would be crowned champions again.
If Millwall lost, as long as Manchester United didn't win, they would also secure the title.
Newcastle United's fans were currently in a more relaxed state.
This season had seen its ups and downs, but now, sitting in mid-table, the fans were actually somewhat satisfied.
Bobby Robson had taken Newcastle out of the relegation zone, and with just a few games left, they had already matched the total points they had in the previous season. Considering that Robson had taken over the team in September, when they were at the bottom of the league, his performance had far exceeded that of Ruud Gullit.
The veteran manager's experience and wisdom had brought hope to the Magpies, and with the team's escape from relegation, the fans were naturally content. They believed that under Robson's leadership, Newcastle could achieve a revival or even a full resurgence.
This game was scheduled for mid-week, and Millwall had to play in the FA Cup semifinals on the weekend and then face the second leg of the Champions League semifinals next Wednesday.
Therefore, in terms of team arrangement, he let the substitutes rest for the weekend FA Cup battle. For this match, the full starting lineup was fielded, including Larsson, who had been a substitute last time. He hadn't shown much impact in his brief appearance, but now, after a minor injury, this game would serve as a good test of his recovery.
Aldrich wanted to put an end to the Premier League suspense today, so he fielded the first-team lineup for this match, aiming to ride the momentum of their title defense into the upcoming Champions League semifinal second leg. If all went well, they would have ample time to prepare for the Champions League final, ensuring that the team's rhythm and player form would stay at their peak. This timing was perfect—there would be no gaps from key matches that might cause the team to lose focus.
Newcastle United, having no real ambitions left in the league, played with complete freedom at home. Facing Milwall's full-strength squad, they showed no fear. For them, the result mattered less than the honor of putting up a fight. After 90 minutes of intense play, St James' Park became a celebration ground for Milwall's supporters.
"2-4, Milwall secured the Premier League title with a victory on the road. Congratulations to Milwall, their third league title and their first successful defense of the crown. Hall has clinched the first championship of the new millennium. But Milwall's season isn't over—they still have bigger goals in sight. Four days from now, the FA Cup semifinal. If Milwall progresses, could we be witnessing an unprecedented achievement in English football? The league, the Champions League, and the FA Cup—could Milwall achieve the treble?"
In the same round of the league, Manchester United won again, their eighth consecutive victory in the second half of the season. But even that wasn't enough to stop Milwall from mathematically securing the title. With three games still left, Milwall led Manchester United by 12 points and clinched the Premier League title!
After the match, Robson walked over to Aldrich, extended his hand to congratulate him, and Aldrich greeted the old coach with a broad smile. They chatted for a long while, only ending their conversation when Aldrich was pulled away by the Milwall players for the celebration.
After the match, Aldrich received his first congratulatory message—this one from Ferguson...
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