บท 13: Chapter 13: Taking Over the Saints
"British media are really quite boring!"
Inside a Bentley Mulsanne speeding along the M3 highway, Yang Huan tossed the newspaper aside, expressing his frustration.
There was a hint of grievance in his tone, but everyone else in the car found the statement rather ironic.
Boring? It seemed someone was not being entirely honest!
"The average British citizen loves the style of The Sun. It's all about rumors and speculation, but it's very entertaining," Cash Harris, a native Brit, explained, well-acquainted with the British temperament.
"Take The Times, for example. It used to be a very serious newspaper, but only the top elite enjoyed it, making it very niche. Its business was struggling until News Corporation bought it, shifting its tone to appeal more to the general public. Now, it strikes a balance between seriousness and entertainment."
Even a newspaper like The Times had given significant coverage to Yang Huan, dedicating large articles for two or three consecutive days.
Two days earlier, when Yang Huan's story was about to fade from the headlines, Cash Harris took part in interviews with multiple media outlets in London's financial district. During those interviews, he openly discussed Yang Huan, revealing that Chinese investors were interested in acquiring an English professional football club.
In the interview, Harris described Yang Huan as the next great football investor in England, following in the footsteps of Roman Abramovich and the Abu Dhabi group. This stirred up the British and European media all over again.
Within two short days, rumors of which major club Yang Huan was going to buy were everywhere.
From the Glazer family's Manchester United to Hicks' Liverpool, and even the troubled Arsenal—all of the top teams were linked to Yang Huan.
When these stories spread back to China, they also sparked a frenzy among the media and football fans alike.
If successful, Yang Huan would become the first mainland Chinese person to make a mark on the English professional leagues!
But in reality, Yang Huan had secretly acquired Southampton, a club in England's third-tier league.
Now, he was on the highway heading to Southampton.
"Mr. Yang Huan, earlier you asked me to find some candidates for the head coach position. I've shortlisted a few promising names for you to consider." CAsh Harris had been extremely busy over the past few days, juggling numerous tasks.
Finding a head coach for Yang Huan had taken considerable effort, involving many of his connections.
While fifty thousand pounds was a substantial sum, it certainly wasn't easy to earn.
Yang Huan accepted the documents Cash Harris handed him and began to flip through them.
On the first page was the profile of Manuel Pellegrini, the former head coach of Real Madrid, known as the "Chilean Engineer."
The evaluation in the report was quite favorable. It highlighted Pellegrini as an ideal coach for mid- to lower-tier teams. Though he had been sacked by Real Madrid, his coaching ability was unquestionable, and his teams were known for their fluid, attacking style of play.
However, there was a problem: Pellegrini might not be willing to coach a League One team. After his setback at Real Madrid, he would likely want to rebuild his reputation by proving himself again in a top-tier league.
The second option was the Czech coach, Zdeněk Zeman, currently unemployed. Though not as renowned as Pellegrini—having never coached a top club—Yang Huan knew him to be a coach famous for his all-out attacking football, adhering to the philosophy of "outscoring the opponent by one goal."
Zeman had been out of work for two years, so convincing him to return to management shouldn't be too difficult. However, he wasn't the world-class coach Yang Huan was seeking.
The third candidate was far more famous: the Dutchman Louis van Gaal, head coach of German giants Bayern Munich. Van Gaal's credentials were beyond doubt; he was a world-class manager who had just led Bayern Munich to the Champions League final last season, narrowly losing to Mourinho's Inter Milan. Domestically, though, Bayern had dominated under him, and Van Gaal was known for his relentless attacking philosophy.
Yet, similar to Pellegrini, Van Gaal's strong personality and his current successful run with Bayern made the prospect of him dropping down to coach a League One team like Southampton highly unlikely.
Other notable names on the list included Joachim Löw, head coach of the German national team; Vicente del Bosque, Spain's national team coach; and Marcelo Bielsa of Chile. But would any of them really consider taking charge of a League One team?
On the other hand, more realistic options included lesser-known but capable coaches like Adrie Koster, Michael Laudrup, and the rising young manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Yang Huan closed the report and casually passed it to Zhang Ning, then turned his gaze out the window.
Outside, the scenery along the highway blurred as the car sped by. The number of trees lining the road was increasing, a sign that Southampton was getting closer.
Southampton, often referred to as a "jewel" on the southern coast of England, was the departure point for the Titanic back in the day. It is the second-largest container port in the UK, famous for its cruise ship terminals, and is known as the "City of Flowers and Trees." Almost every household enjoys growing trees and flowers, and the city's most famous landmark is the Tudor House and Garden.
The Southampton Football Club's crest even features a tree and a white rose.
Seeing the growing number of trees whizzing by was a clear indication that Southampton was near.
"Cash," Yang Huan finally spoke after some contemplation. He knew that this was something he had to handle personally.
When Kesh Harris responded, Yang Huan continued, "Help me get in touch with someone."
Yang Huan was well aware of the direction football would take in the coming years. He had to reposition Southampton within the next year or two. Otherwise, the team would struggle to keep up with the future trends of the sport.
The choice of his first head coach was critical, as it would shape Southampton's future.
This task wasn't something just anyone could handle!
Just like when Roman Abramovich took over Chelsea, one of the smartest decisions he made was keeping Ranieri, who laid a solid foundation for Chelsea. Afterward, he brought in a similarly styled Mourinho, which led to Chelsea's success in recent years.
On the other hand, why has Manchester City, despite having a star-studded squad, been unable to achieve the same success?
At the end of the day, it boils down to one thing—the head coach isn't good enough!
Now, Yang Huan had three very promising candidates in mind, and he needed to secure at least one of them.
...
The core of Southampton's city center is shaped like an inverted triangle, with the River Itchen flowing from south to north, and the River Test running from northwest to southeast, converging at the tip of the triangle. Here lies one of the UK's largest cargo ports, second only to Felixstowe.
To the west of the cargo docks is the headquarters of the International Sailing Federation, and to the north lies Southampton's St. Mary's Stadium.
After arriving in Southampton, Yang Huan asked the driver to take them for a brief tour of the city before heading to St. Mary's Stadium.
When the Bentley arrived at St. Mary's, the club's Executive Chairman, Nicola Cortese, who had already been informed of Yang Huan's arrival, was waiting at the entrance with his staff. As soon as he saw Yang Huan step out of the car, he immediately came forward to greet him.
"Hello, Mr. Yang Huan!"
Nicola Cortese wasn't very old—only forty-two. He wore a blue suit with a red tie and gave a good first impression. However, there was a noticeable hint of concern on his face.
Before the club's owner, Katharina Liebherr, sold the team, Cortese hadn't been informed at all, leaving him feeling betrayed. But there was nothing he could do; after all, he was just an employee.
Now, with a new owner taking over, he had to start worrying about his own future.
"Hello, Mr. Cortese!" Yang Huan shook his hand.
Accompanied by Nicola Cortese, Yang Huan and his group entered the meeting room in the administrative office on the first floor of Southampton's stadium.
Once inside, Yang Huan didn't hesitate to sit directly in the boss's chair, while Zhang Ning, Sun Yue, and Kesh Harris took seats on one side. Nicola Cortese and the remaining Southampton staff sat on the other side, clearly divided.
"I believe Mr. Cortese has already been notified," Cash Harris was the first to speak.
"As of yesterday, Mr. Yang Huan has officially completed the acquisition of Southampton. From now on, everything about this club belongs to Mr. Yang Huan."
"I know." A flash of resentment crossed Nicola Cortese's face, though it wasn't directed at Yang Huan, but rather at Katharina.
He now felt like an unlucky man awaiting his fate, filled with uncertainty and anxiety.
"Mr. Yang Huan comes from China and isn't very familiar with running a football club. Therefore, after completing the acquisition, he doesn't plan to make any major changes to the current management structure. He sincerely hopes to retain Mr. Cortese and for things to continue as usual."
This surprised Nicola Cortese, but he quickly understood—it was probably a move to ensure a smooth transition.
After Yang Huan took over Southampton, he placed Zhang Ning and Sun Yue into the core management team. These two were his trusted people—Zhang Ning was put in charge of finance, while Sun Yue handled media relations, public relations, and marketing.
The original management team at Southampton had no say in these appointments and could only accept the top-down decisions.
After making the personnel arrangements, Yang Huan asked Nicola Cortese to give an overview of the current situation at Southampton. It was only then that Yang Huan realized why Katharina Liebherr had been so eager to sell the club.
"Our new training base, which is being built in the forest on the other side of the River Test in the suburbs of Southampton, has already started construction. However, the budget has far exceeded our expectations. The initial estimate was £15 million, but now it's likely to exceed £30 million, and currently, the club doesn't have even a penny to invest in the project," Cortese explained.
"What?" CAsh Harris was shocked.
The entire value of Southampton was only £14 million, yet a training base was going to cost £30 million?
"You didn't mention this project in the report you submitted to us!" CAsh Harris said, both blaming Nicola Cortese and explaining to Yang Huan that he too had been deceived.
"None of the club's asset reports were ever passed through me, so I wasn't aware," Cortese responded. He had always been kept out of Katharina's inner circle.
Yang Huan, however, remained calm and smiled. "It's no big deal. If we want to build a top-tier club, having the best training base is essential, so I will continue investing in this project."
This situation was not unusual. It was similar to when Mike Ashley purchased Newcastle United for £80 million, only to later discover that the club had £70 million in debt after reviewing the financials. That's why Ashley always stuck to a £300 million valuation for Newcastle and refused to budge.
In comparison, Southampton was in better shape—they had no debt, just a large fixed asset investment project that required funding.
And after all, fixed assets like this, once built, rarely lose value.
After a moment of thought, Yang Huan added, "However, I'm not satisfied with the British construction teams. I want them all replaced. I'll bring in a team from China. I'm confident that in terms of price, speed, and quality, they'll be far better than the ones here in the UK."
China's prowess in infrastructure development was world-renowned. Yang's family was also involved in real estate and development projects, so finding a reliable construction team to come to the UK was no big deal.
What Yang Huan was more concerned about, however, was whether Southampton had the ability to enter the transfer market.
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