บท 419: Paving the Way for Leeds United's Doom
In the back garden, Melanie brought in freshly brewed red tea along with a plate of waffles. She greeted Ritsdale, saying, "I'm afraid my skills aren't great and I apologize for the lack of hospitality."
With that, she turned and left, allowing the men some space.
Aldrich sat across a small round table from Ritsdale. After taking a bite of the waffle and sipping the tea, he thought that Melanie's cooking had noticeably improved.
However, Ritsdale wasn't in the mood for tea.
With a serious expression, he said, "Mr. Hall, let's get straight to the point."
"Wait a moment. I know why you're here, but before we dive into the main topic, I have a question for you."
"Go ahead."
"Aren't you concerned about Leeds United's financial situation?"
"I'm sorry, but that's confidential information about our club, and I can't disclose it."
Aldrich looked up at the sky and decided not to press further. Some things weren't worth ruining a good mood over.
"Mr. Hall, we are quite sincere about acquiring Ferdinand. Whether Millwall accepts our offer or not, please give us a prompt reply. It would at least allow us enough time to look for other options."
Ritsdale wanted to bring Ferdinand to the team, but if Millwall didn't let him go, there was nothing he could do. Still, it didn't matter; Leeds had already tempted several Millwall players. If they all turned down the offers, staying at Millwall might not be beneficial for their futures either.
He was most worried that Millwall would play dirty, stringing Leeds along until the transfer window was almost closed before rejecting them, leaving Leeds in a very passive position. That's why Ritsdale felt it necessary to meet Aldrich in person for an open discussion.
"Ferdinand is young; he's the rising star of the England national team, touted as the backbone of the defense for the next decade. At the same time, he's also a key candidate for Millwall's future plans over the next ten to fifteen years. Leeds United wants to take him? Ha! With him, and one more high-level center-back, the defense would be secure for the next decade."
Ritsdale scoffed at Aldrich's words.
Blowing up Ferdinand's value was just a tactic to drive the price up. Otherwise, why not simply reject Leeds' repeated offers outright?
"Mr. Hall, let's be straightforward. Just tell me, what is your counter-offer?"
Aldrich turned to meet Ritsdale's serious gaze and replied nonchalantly after a moment, "Then let's be clear, show me your list of desired players."
Ritsdale hesitated for a moment, then gestured to his assistant.
The assistant pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Aldrich.
Aldrich opened it and glanced down, chuckling to himself; it was a long list.
Ferdinand.
Mills.
Duff.
Van der Meyde.
Klose.
Neill.
Lampard.
Just among the first team, there were seven players Leeds wanted.
And in the reserves and youth teams, there was also a handful of players they had their eyes on.
Joe Cole.
Villa.
Bresciano.
Cahill.
Carrick.
Poulsen.
Robinson.
Vassell.
Dunn.
Miguel.
All these players would be between 18 and 21 next season.
Some of them have been loaned out and made a name for themselves, while others have always been noticed in the youth team, just not making the headlines. They do have their share of fame.
After reading through the list, Aldrich felt he had a clearer picture.
He wanted the transfer, especially to resolve the players leaving as soon as possible. The sooner it was settled, the better for internal stability in preparing for the new season.
Turning to Ritsdale, Aldrich asked, "Do you have a pen?"
Ritsdale pulled a gold pen from his suit and handed it to Aldrich.
Aldrich scrutinized the gold pen, feeling it was quite impressive. He had a similar one himself, received as a gift, but it was just for show; he didn't want to appear ostentatious.
He crossed out some players' names on the paper with his pen.
Only Ferdinand, Duff, and Mills remained from the first team.
Below that, he struck out the names of Joe Cole, Villa, and Carrick.
The note now listed ten players' names.
Most of these were the players' own choices.
Duff, Mills, and Ferdinand had all expressed their desire to leave for Leeds to earn more money during conversations with the club. Other players, like Cahill, wanted to stay but felt there was no future, and Aldrich would rather send them to a suitable stage to showcase themselves. As for players like Poulsen and Robinson, they weren't part of the club's long-term plans; having trained them up, it was now time to sell and recoup some transfer fees.
Aldrich returned the paper to Ritsdale.
Ritsdale looked it over, astonished, and retorted, "Millwall would actually sell these ten players to Leeds United?"
"Yep, in a package deal. All ten players can go to Leeds."
Ritsdale's excitement was evident, as if he could breathe more easily.
His assistant was equally thrilled.
After the excitement, Ritsdale inquired, "What would the transfer fee be?"
"Sixty million pounds. Not a penny less; I won't sell a single player otherwise."
Ritsdale and his assistant were stunned.
Sixty million pounds!
"This…."
"Too expensive? Do the math."
Aldrich smiled as he raised his tea cup.
Ritsdale began to consider.
In reality, they would be happy to obtain four or five players from Millwall.
The key targets were from the first team.
Now that Aldrich agreed to transfer Ferdinand, Mills, and Duff, just these three would be worth quite a bit.
Leeds had offered fifteen million for Ferdinand, six million for Mills, and another six million for Duff.
Together, that was close to thirty million pounds, and that was without Millwall bargaining.
If they did start haggling, the final transfer fee could very well approach forty million pounds. After all, Leeds wasn't the strongest, and they had to spend big to convince Millwall to accept their offers.
Just as Aldrich said, players like Ferdinand, Mills, and Duff could remain key players for the next decade.
The remaining seven players had an average valuation of three million pounds each, which would total around twenty-one million pounds.
Moreover, players like Cahill and Bresciano had performed well in the Championship and were expected to have valuations above three million pounds.
"What's the matter? Not interested?"
Seeing Ritsdale hesitate, Aldrich smiled and asked.
"On the contrary! We want them—all of them!" Ritsdale replied emphatically.
This surprise was perhaps greater than he had anticipated, and it left Ritsdale slightly bewildered.
Bringing in ten players at once would definitely put significant financial pressure on the club regarding both transfer fees and salary costs.
'Can we reduce it to four players? We only need six!'"
Ritsdale began to negotiate.
Aldrich shook his head with a smile and reiterated, 'Either you take all ten, or you don't get a single one.'"
With Leeds United attempting to poach from Millwall, their stances were inherently opposed.
Aldrich would not give in to an adversary.
Was it victory not to sell players to them?
No, Aldrich believed that would actually be a win for Leeds, as they could create chaos within Millwall through their aggressive market tactics.
On the contrary, if Aldrich sells players to them, and not only sells, but also sells a lot of players, it will be a more favorable choice for Millwall. On the one hand, Millwall already has at least 6 people on its potential transfer list. If they don't sell now, they will definitely sell next year, otherwise these players can leave for free when their contracts expire.
On the flip side, after the transfer deal is done, how chaotic will the dressing room at Leeds United become with this influx of players?
What kind of financial mess will they be facing?
If they're determined to dig their own grave, Aldrich won't hesitate to lend a hand.
After a long pause, Ritsdale finally muttered, "If Millwall doesn't allow them to transfer, won't that create discontent among the players?"
Aldrich shrugged casually, "Discontent? There are many ways to resolve that. I could sell them to other clubs, or offer them new contracts. If that still doesn't satisfy them, I could always just drop them to the lower tiers and isolate them from the first team. A year later, their market value may plummet, but so what? Can Leeds wait that long? Or you could just start looking for new transfer targets right now."
Ritsdale was conflicted, not knowing whether this was Aldrich's negotiation tactic or his true feelings.
Perhaps the initial statement about allowing player transfers was simply a smokescreen, setting a difficult condition to discourage Leeds.
Resolute, Ritsdale said, "Alright, sixty million! These ten players will transfer to Leeds!"
Aldrich nodded and added quietly, "The contract also needs a clause stating that if these players transfer from Leeds to another club in the future, thirty percent of the transfer income will go to Millwall."
"Hall! That's a robbery clause!"
Ritsdale completely lost his temper, feeling that Aldrich's continual escalation of demands was nothing short of an insult.
Calm and collected, Aldrich waited for Ritsdale to cool down before casually replying, "Sir, you have your stance, and I have mine. I just want to ensure Leeds isn't treating Millwall like an ATM."
Ritsdale and his assistant exchanged baffled glances.
You're hitting us with a sixty million pound demand and yet saying Leeds treats Millwall like a cash cow?
"Your words amuse me," Ritsdale scoffed.
Aldrich remained serious, saying, "David O'Leary is an excellent coach; he can tap into young players' potential. The ten players I'm selling you are all on the rise. Once they make a name for themselves at Leeds, won't their value increase? Let's suppose this year they transfer to Leeds and have a successful season; next summer, if Duff's value rises to ten million pounds and Cahill's to over six million, Leeds could then sell them for a big profit. Meanwhile, I'd likely be criticized by fans and ridiculed by critics for selling them now. Therefore, to avoid such a scenario, I want to ensure that Leeds' acquisition of them is genuinely for long-term team development and not just for financial gain through flipping players."
After listening, Ritsdale and his assistant pondered Aldrich's points carefully.
What he said did have merit.
In reality, they were willing to spend sixty million pounds because they believed these players' future total valuations would exceed that amount, making it a worthwhile investment that would bring Leeds greater rewards.
Ritsdale mentally reassured himself: If these players went to Leeds, it was indeed in the hope that they would serve the club for over ten years, not merely to flip for profit.
In the end, Ritsdale agreed to Aldrich's terms.
Next, Leeds would enter negotiations with the ten players regarding their personal contracts.
As Ritsdale and his assistant prepared to leave, Aldrich stood up, enthusiastically saying, "Let me walk you out."
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