Capítulo 10: Contract Issues
Returning home, Lin happened to see Guardiola playing soccer in the backyard.
Guardiola, a former professional player turned coach, would occasionally play soccer to relax.
So, in the spacious backyard behind their house, there was a large grass lawn and a goal post, where father and son played soccer.
"Why are you back so early today?" Guardiola asked in surprise as Lin returned.
Having coached Barcelona's youth team, Guardiola was well aware of the youth team's training schedule.
And if he remembered correctly, there was an important match coming up for the youth team in a few days; they should be intensifying their training at this time. Knowing Lin, he knew he wasn't the type to skip for no reason.
So, there was definitely something fishy going on.
Lin took off his jacket and ran onto the grass to practice with Guardiola.
Guardiola dribbled the ball and asked, "How did the club arrange things?"
Though he tried to keep his tone calm, Lin sensed some anger in Guardiola's voice.
"They want to loan me out."
"Where to?"
"To Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga!"
Guardiola fell silent for a moment. When Lin expressed his desire to leave Barcelona earlier, Guardiola had started using his connections to find a suitable team for him to train with. However, he didn't expect the club to act so quickly before finalizing arrangements with the next team.
"Bundesliga..." Guardiola pondered. Although he hadn't played in the Bundesliga, he had faced Bundesliga teams several times and had some knowledge of the league.
Compared to other leagues, the Bundesliga was a good choice. The league had many young players, not only talented youngsters from various European countries but also players from other continents playing there.
Due to a more lenient quota for non-European players compared to other leagues, many young players from countries outside the EU used the Bundesliga as a stepping stone when making a move to the top five leagues.
For example, young players from Japan and South Korea often started their European careers in the Bundesliga. While China had sent players to the Bundesliga in the past, due to a decline in the national team's level and the rise of the Chinese Super League, the number of players meeting foreign standards had significantly decreased.
Even if occasionally a few met the standards, they preferred to stay in China with lucrative contracts, playing in familiar surroundings instead of starting over in unfamiliar territories abroad.
However, for players from non-European countries without those favorable conditions, playing in the Bundesliga provided valuable exposure to the top five leagues. It allowed them to enhance their skills, gain experience, and eventually move to bigger leagues once they gained recognition.
Therefore, the Bundesliga had a high proportion of young players, with the average player age being below 25.
Benefiting from numerous young players, some Bundesliga teams had started a profitable business. They bought promising talents at low prices, developed them on the domestic stage, and sold them at high prices to top clubs in leagues like the Premier League and La Liga once they gained prominence.
One such team known for this was Borussia Dortmund, although Lin wasn't heading there. Still, top clubs favored signings from the Bundesliga.
If Lin performed well at Werder Bremen, scouts from the top five leagues would surely take notice.
When the time came to move on from Werder Bremen, it wouldn't be difficult. Considering this, Guardiola asked, "How long is left on your contract with the club?"
The issue extended beyond the loan; it also involved Lin's contract with Barcelona.
Guardiola could tell that Lin was very unhappy with the club's behavior of using him and decided to leave.
Though Lin hadn't criticized the club directly, his indifferent attitude showed that his emotional connection with Barcelona had diminished.
Even if he performed well at Werder Bremen, he might not want to return to Barcelona.
However, this decision didn't solely depend on Lin. As long as he was within his contract term, Barcelona could recall him after the loan.
"There's one more year left on the contract. I didn't renew with the club because you said you were planning to take a break for some time!" Lin was currently on a youth contract he signed with Barcelona at age 13, with a term of four years and an annual salary of 22,000 euros.
Normally, when Lin turned 15 last year, he could have signed a professional contract with Barcelona. For players whose skills weren't outstanding, Barcelona wouldn't immediately offer a professional contract but would observe them further to ensure they met their expectations or consider selling them before offering a professional contract.
As per the plan, if Lin stayed this year, Barcelona would extend his contract. Otherwise, delaying it until the next year could risk him becoming a free agent poached by other teams.
But now, after Guardiola resigned, Barcelona seemed clear they didn't want to renew with Lin, and Lin himself had no intentions of renewing.
So, he only has one year left on his contract.
"What's the contract's buyout clause?" Guardiola also knew this contract was the key issue. If the buyout amount wasn't too high, it could be completely bought out using personal funds. That way, they wouldn't be restricted by Barcelona.
"It's the same as Messi's, 5 million euros!" Lin looked at Guardiola innocently. Guardiola suddenly remembered that he had set this buyout amount in the contract.
"Ha, I had high expectations for you at the time, so I set it the same as Messi's buyout clause!"
Back when Messi was in the youth team, his buyout clause was also 5 million euros. Despite that, Barcelona was still afraid he would be poached. When he turned 16, they immediately offered him a nine-year professional contract, and using extremely low wages, managed to keep Messi for seven or eight years!
Barcelona really knows how to get a good deal!
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