Chapter 1 English Football's Management Revolution

This historical period saw the Premier League moving towards a "continental football system."

Four of the Premier League's Big Six clubs established the position of sporting director.

This position also required investment, headhunting talent from giants in La Liga, Serie A, and the Bundesliga.

Manchester City excelled in this area.

They brought in two of Guardiola's partners from his peak Barcelona era: Soriano and Begiristain.

Soriano oversaw the club's development strategy.

Begiristain was responsible for assisting in piecing together the "dynasty blueprint."

Chelsea was different. As pioneers in implementing the continental football system, they placed great importance on scouting young players. The sporting director's task was not solely to acquire players ready for immediate impact but to oversee the "Blue Planet Project," which spanned the globe.

Due to the existence of the "Financial Fair Play" regulations, Chelsea sold many talented players, which allowed them to spend lavishly in the transfer market.

Liverpool's sporting director had a tough job. His role was more like a buffer between Klopp and the club's upper management, enabling more effective communication between the two.

Arsenal recently cleared out Wenger's right-hand man, Dick Law.

They finally welcomed the club's first-ever sporting director, Robert.

Which Robert?

The Robert who sold Li Kang to Leverkusen for one million, paid in installments.

This decision did not become a blemish on his career. If you disregard the outcome, this guy brought Umtiti, André Gomes, and Turan to Barcelona during the Dream Team Four era. He also laid the groundwork for future signings: Dembélé from Dortmund, Coutinho from Liverpool, and Griezmann from Atlético Madrid.

He brought a bunch of super-shining football stars to Barcelona!

It's just that they were a bit pricey.

With Manchester City setting a precedent, Arsenal followed closely behind.

Barcelona's management talent had already proven its strength at the Etihad.

Arsenal Chairman's Office.

Sir Chips Keswick was worried. The club's ownership struggle was too chaotic.

At the recent shareholders' meeting, 200 Arsenal shareholders furiously impeached him and Kroenke's son.

"Do you have any suggestions regarding the selection of the new head coach?"

In recent years, Arsenal's top management would always start selecting the next season's head coach in March, but Wenger was always able to barely survive with his performance.

"Tuchel?"

"Emery?"

"Van Gaal?"

"Enrique?"

"Rodgers?"

Gazidis shook his head. "I think we can get the opinion of Mr. Two Hundred Million. He..."

Before he could finish speaking, the chairman interrupted him in a stiff tone.

"Arsenal letting a player decide the head coach? That's a joke!"

"Robert, what's your opinion?"

Robert straightened his tie, looking serious, and handed a black folder to the CEO and the chairman.

"Inside is an analysis of Mr. Enrique's coaching in his first season at Barcelona."

"His tactical style is very compatible with the assets Wenger left behind."

"Tiki-taka."

"Low-block defense."

"Set-piece improvement."

"He was the one who unleashed the powerful firepower of Barcelona's MSN, and completed the generational change of the ‘Xaviesta’ midfield combination."

"Arsenal needs a coach with experience coaching a super-giant club!"

Robert's tone was fervent, and his eyes revealed anticipation. "His salary isn't high."

Sir Chips Keswick nodded approvingly. "I know that many legendary figures have praised Enrique, calling him a tactical master. Someone even wrote their admiration for him in their autobiography."

"Among these four, Enrique's qualifications are truly the most brilliant!"

"He dares to put Messi on the bench. He has guts!"

"Manchester United has Mourinho, Manchester City has Guardiola, and Arsenal has Enrique. After twenty years of reincarnation, a destined story born in the cradle of football. This is what you call a competition between famous coaches in the Premier League."

"Modernization! Arsenal needs a modern, advanced management system!"

"Emery's salary is too high. Let's talk with Enrique in depth! I'd really like to meet him!"

Gazidis's mouth twitched. He realized he couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Oh well, he was going to AC Milan next season anyway. How the Gunners reformed had nothing to do with him.

He just felt sentimental about Wenger: rebuilding the youth training base, creating a youth training system, building the Emirates Stadium, bearing a heavy debt... leading a mediocre lineup to compete for the top four every year... but now, he couldn't enjoy the fruits of many years of accumulation.

Robert was in high spirits, rambling on and on: "I have another suggestion. When Li initially joined, Wenger didn't want his image rights. We can renegotiate this with Li's agent. His commercial value..."

"No!"

Sir Chips Keswick and Gazidis objected in unison.

Arsenal's top management weren't short-sighted idiots.

"That's out of the question!"

"I'm even preparing to give Li a raise. You want to take his image rights?"

Iberia, Gijón.

Enrique, who was unemployed at home, wasn't lying down. He set up three whiteboards in his study, which were covered with densely packed lines and numbers.

"Arsenal's lineup is far worse than Barcelona's."

"The competitiveness of the Premier League is nothing more than this."

Poor 'steel bull', he had no idea how terrifying Manchester City, Liverpool, and Manchester United would be next season.

Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Van Gaal was on the phone with his agent, Gerlings Stone: "Tottenham wants to fire Pochettino? How foolish! Tell Levy that I have no interest in White Hart Lane. They're not offering enough money!"

"Arsenal's salary is also low? Tell Sir Chips Keswick that I, Van Gaal, don't care about the money!"

"If Wenger really leaves Arsenal, I'm the only one in all of Europe who knows how to cooperate with Li!"

The FA Cup semi-finals of the 2016/17 season had the most luxurious lineup in 18 years. No dark horse appeared.

Arsenal vs. Tottenham.

Manchester City vs. Chelsea.

The audience was more optimistic about Arsenal because the FA Cup was also known as the "Warm Cup."

Whenever Wenger was on the verge of being fired, facing a fierce "anti-Wenger storm," he could always use an FA Cup title to "extend his life."

Coincidentally, the FA Cup semi-final was scheduled for the afternoon, clashing with Li Kang's exam time.

Wenger overruled the opposition and decided to let Li Kang take the exam.

Grange Park, clouds covered the sunset, and the leaves enjoyed the glow of the evening light.

Li Kang walked out of the exam center.

The difficulty of the questions wasn't too great, so there was no pressure.

The assistant had been waiting for a long time and quickly pulled Li into the business car.

"The timing is just right."

"We and Tottenham tied zero to zero in ninety minutes, and the score was also tied in extra time! The penalty shootout is about to begin!"

"Not long after the game started, Son Heung-min created a penalty, but Lamela stole it. The two even argued, and Lamela missed the penalty!"

"That was close!"

"Welbeck also missed an open goal opportunity."

"I'm most afraid of watching penalty shootouts!"

Li Kang took the tablet, listening to the roars of the fans through the screen, and could feel the hatred between the arch-rivals.

Both the semi-finals and finals were held at Wembley Stadium in London.

He hoped that Arsenal could be eliminated and reach the FA Cup final so that he could feel the effect of Lingard's "Wembley Prince" module.

(End of chapter)