My light shines on Arsenal

Chapter 112 London Undercurrent
The flight from Spain landed in London, and Chen Yao walked hurriedly in the hall of Heathrow Airport dragging his suitcase.

He should have been satisfied with the journey: he had secured his position, gained two assistants, and completed personal communications with prospective players.

This gave him a good start to his coaching career, but the phone call from Dick Law made Chen Yao's heart sink again.

Lillo listened to Chen Yao briefly describe the situation inside the club on the plane. The Spaniard followed Chen Yao quickly with a stern face.

"Coach." Lillo said, "After listening to your description, I think such things are inevitable. The club has experienced such a big change, and it is almost impossible to complete the transition smoothly."

Chen Yao nodded worriedly.

"Ivan Gazidis." Chen Yao read out the name coldly, "This must be his bad idea."

He had already anticipated the drastic changes that might occur within the club.

This is also the reason why Chen Yao supports Wenger to enter the club's senior management. With the support of Wenger's reputation and status, he can suppress many unfavorable factors until he completes his layout.

It may not be a good thing to tie the meritorious coach to the club too deeply, because once the reputation of the meritorious coach is bound to the right to speak in managing the club, it may deeply affect the operation of the club.

But Wenger is different.

He believes in Wenger's character, even if he enters the upper echelon, he will not wantonly interfere in the club's affairs.

However, the candidate for the new chairman of the club has not yet been finalized. During his trip to the United States, Kroenke and others also kept secret about this.

Chen Yao calculated the time, maybe this matter will not be resolved until the Arsenal Shareholders' Meeting in October, and there is a huge power vacuum inside Arsenal right now.

Chen Yao had thought that Gazidis would take advantage of this period of time to cause trouble. After all, in another time and space, he had already proven with practical actions how much he loved doing such things.

For example, introduce several managers to decentralize power, and watch them intrigue and eliminate dissidents.

For another example, when Wenger needed funds and public opinion support, he never played a positive role.

When he was a fan, Chen Yao hated both Gazidis and Kroenke, believing that these two people had deeply hindered the development of Arsenal.

And even now, he still retains this view.

It was only after he was also involved in the disputes within the club that he realized that many seemingly unreasonable things were the result of a group of smart people doing what was best for them.

Fallacy of composition.He was helpless, but he couldn't change everything.

"Coach, what are you going to do? Do you need my help?" Lillo's voice pulled Chen Yao out of his thoughts.

"No, I can handle it myself. Juan, let's help you settle down first." Chen Yao sighed.

He is not only worried about Gazidis' desire for power, he is even more worried about whether irreversible consequences have already occurred, which will have a negative impact on his pre-season preparations.

If he can't rebuild a team this summer, Chen Yao can foresee that he won't be able to stay at Arsenal for long.

……

Kearney base.

Arriving at the base after a long journey, Chen Yao gave Lillo a brief introduction to the office, then found a staff member of the club, and sent him to take Lillo to settle in.

Bergkamp hasn't arrived yet, and the players are still on vacation or preparing for international events.

The 2012 European Cup is about to begin.

Chen Yao was supposed to arrange a scouting team to go to Eastern Europe to inspect players, but he found out embarrassingly that he was actually the head coach in name only because he had almost no contact with the main staff.

——In fact, it doesn’t even have a name.After all, there is no official announcement yet.

His head hurt a little. Chen Yao rubbed his temples and sent a message to Tim Lewis first, telling him that he had returned to London.

Tim Lewis responded quickly and asked Chen Yao to wait for him at the Kearney base, and he would rush over immediately.

He has maintained a good professional quality and has been paying attention to work.

Afterwards, Chen Yao walked to an office door and pushed open the door.

"Dick, are you okay?"

This is Dick Lowe's office, and there's a sign for Director of Transfers and Negotiations on the door.

What came into view was a messy room, and the always handsome old gentleman was sorting out the documents with a sad face.

Dick Law looked up from the paperwork, saw Chen Yao, smiled wryly, "Chen, are you here?"

He coughed a few times, put the documents in his hands neatly, and said, "I have to sort everything out. This is very important to the club."

"Tell me, tell me what happened." Chen Yao helped Dick Law move the documents into the cabinet, and sat down opposite him.

"Huh—" Diklao wiped his sweat, and the ironed suit was covered with dust, "This happened two days ago."

"You know, after Arsene left, the club's work came to a standstill. Negotiations with several players that I was still working with were also suspended."

"We are all waiting for the new head coach to take office, because in the past ten years or so, we have reported directly to Arsene on transfer matters. Sometimes, if we want to adjust the offer, we have to contact Arsene first and get him. approval."

"This is a kind of inertia. I can't judge whether it is good or not... But Ivan obviously doesn't like this model."

"Ivan? Ivan Gazidis?" Chen Yao interrupted and asked.

"Yes." Dick Law nodded, "He had a short meeting with us two days ago, which means that he is contacting well-known football directors in Europe and hopes to send professionals to manage the transfer."

"In addition, he also proposed to conduct a stricter review of financial expenditures. There will be an accountant to supervise the team's liquidity risk, the most important thing is the transfer expenditure."

Dick Labor smiled bitterly, "What does this mean? It means that the working space left for me is very narrow."

"But it's not over yet, right?" Chen Yao's worry became more and more serious.

"Yes. I didn't expect him to go so far." Dick Law sighed again, "One day ago, Gazidis proposed that the new football director would bring his own team and asked us to terminate the contract with the club."

Chen Yao gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

"And he also wants to lay off the club's scouting team. Ivan's explanation is that digital means can replace a lot of on-the-ground work, and the data analysis team and the new director's connections can replace scouts at a low cost."

"???" Chen Yao almost couldn't help but curse out. Gazidis was doing something that was completely harmful to others and not beneficial to himself.

He actually wants to move the scouting team?
"Steve and Francis were both advised to leave... I don't know if they accepted it, but the current atmosphere in the club is that everyone in the old staff is in danger." Dick Law whispered.

Chen Yao was familiar with the names Steve and Francis.

Steve Rowley, Francis Cagigo, Arsenal's top senior scouts.

From Tony Adams in the early days, to Fabregas and Robin van Persie later, and even Martinelli and Saliba who were still children on this timeline...

These young talents who built the foundation of Arsenal were discovered, signed and brought to London by these two brothers.

The value of a top scout is priceless, because he not only has his own experience, judgment and insight, but also has a scouting network, database and connections accumulated over the years.

Chen Yao believes that the scouting resources and youth training resources accumulated by Arsenal over the years are one of the team's most precious resources, no worse than the magnificent Emirates Stadium.

As for the data analysis team... It's a matter of opinion.

People are not machines without emotions, and many things cannot be seen through pure data.

Even if there is data, the interpretation angles and analysis models are different, and ultimately different results will be derived.

So Chen Yao didn't believe it at all. A player could be defined by statistics alone. Field observation and connection with real people were indispensable.

But now, Gazidis cuts as soon as he says, which is digging out the roots of Arsenal.

Chen Yao could somewhat understand Gazidis' intentions. Both the scouting team and the negotiating team were uprooted, and it would be impossible for him to inherit the resources left by Wenger.

Just like myself now, I can't contact anyone if I want to start work.

"Dick..." Chen Yao said helplessly, "I've already contacted the two players, and I'm waiting for you to negotiate. It seems that this matter has to be shelved."

He is very worried about changes in the transfers of Cazorla and Griezmann. The European Cup is coming soon and Cazorla has been selected for the Spanish national team. If he performs well, Arsenal may fall into a bidding war.

Griezmann has not had a chance to shine on the international stage for the time being, but there is no guarantee that some players were injured during international competitions, or that some coaches saw new tactical opportunities and discovered Griezmann's value.

In transfer matters, it is always better to cut through the mess with a quick knife, and the night is long and the dream is long.

Dick Law tiredly took off his glasses and wiped them, "I also want to help you, Chen. Our cooperation is very pleasant, but..."

Chen Yao patted Dick Law's arm and said, "Dick, don't leave yet. Things can still turn around, so stay."

Dick Law smiled and said, "Thank you for your comfort. But Chen, many things are beyond our control, so don't worry about me. I'm old, so it's not a bad thing to take a break."

"Want to rest? It's early." Chen Yao smiled, got up and left, "Dick, remember, wait first."

"Well . . . but," Dick Law muttered, "can you stop calling me Dick?"

……

Inside the head coach's office.

Tim Lewis sat on the large seat panting, gulping down several mouthfuls of water.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, loosened the buttons on the collar of his shirt, and quickly buttoned them again when he heard the sound of the door opening.

This is professionalism.

"Mr. Lewis, nice to meet you." Chen Yao shook hands with Tim Lewis with a smile on his face.

"Just call me Tim."

Chen Yao went back to the table and sat down, "Tim, let's get down to business."

"Okay." Tim Lewis took out a notebook and turned to one of the pages.

"The first thing we have to do is complete the signing. It took some time to draw up the contract, but fortunately you are not in London these days, so you didn't waste time."

"The second thing is that after completing the signing, the club will arrange publicity matters for you. You can choose to deal with it in a low-key manner, or you can choose to hold a high-profile press conference."

"The third thing...forget it first, let's talk about the first two things first."

Tim Lewis closed his notebook, and Chen Yao asked, "To the point, Tim, is there anything I can do?"

"You just need to sign. However, there are some things I need to make clear first."

"Say it, Tim."

"Chen, the board of directors took a high risk by choosing to trust you."

Tim Lewis paused for a moment, his good professionalism kept his expression on his face, but in his heart, he knew very well that Chen Yao didn't owe the board of directors anything, and this group of old foxes made this decision for their own benefit.

But on the surface, he still had to make it clear to Chen Yao how difficult it was for the board of directors to believe in him and give him a chance.

"I'm very grateful." Chen Yao smiled.

"Well, so, the contract we offer you is like this...a 1+1 contract. If the record in the first season is good enough, we can extend the terms."

"It's a bit harsh, but I accept it."

"Also...the club has the right to fire you within six months without liability. To be precise, how long you can stay at the club depends on your record before the winter window."

"This...is too harsh."

"I'm sorry, I understand your pressure, but for a 120-year-old club to choose the youngest head coach in the mainstream European football league, we need to control the risk."

"Okay." Chen Yao nodded helplessly, "I accept. I don't have the right to say no."

"Very good." Tim Lewis smiled, "I hope we can cooperate happily, and I hope you can keep your position."

"Speaking of which," Chen Yao changed his posture, leaning forward slightly, staring at Tim Lewis, "Tim, you will stay at the club for a long time, right?"

"Yes, I'm part of the front office now, and Mr. Josh Kroenke will be on the team."

Tim Lewis thought for a while, and added: "Mr. Kroenke has always supported you very much, and he has great confidence in your ability."

Mr. Kroenke?
Chen Yao was stunned for a moment, and immediately realized that it was Little Kroenke.

He quickly connected the whole thing in his mind and had already figured out the context of the matter.

Thinking about it this way, the appearance of Tim Lewis is also reasonable.

Old Kroenke dropped Kroenke Jr. in London and Tim Lewis.

This is not only to train Kroenke's ability and reputation to take over, but also to find a way to complete Arsenal's privatization.

And Kroenke Jr. supports him, whether it is pretending or not, at least it means that he can try to get support from him. After all, if the team fights, it will not be a good thing for Kroenke Jr. and Tim Lewis.

Chen Yao took a deep breath and said, "Tim, you have also seen it. I only have six months to prove myself."

"Correct."

"If - I can complete my job satisfactorily, it will be a good thing for you and me, for Mr. Kroenke and for the club."

"Yes." Tim Lewis said, "Mr. Kroenke, including me, is most worried about the team not being able to smoothly transition to the new phase, thereby causing losses in this phase."

As the team's largest shareholder, Arsenal's loss of value is most painful to the Kroenke family.

Even if the depreciation in value may help him acquire shares, it is a lose-lose situation. To restore the value of the team to growth, more capital needs to be invested.

Moreover, the ghost knows if Usmanov is also waiting for the team's low value to initiate an acquisition.

Therefore, what the Kroenke family hopes most is that the team's status is stable. It is good to continue to generate revenue, but at least it should not be too volatile.

The Kroenke family, which has already occupied nearly half of the shares, does not plan to directly take Usmanov's shares by force.

Their plan is to gradually eat into the shares of other small shareholders, and after forming an absolute majority, they will then force Usmanov, who has no chance of controlling the company, to release his shares.

"Then, Tim, our interests are the same now." Chen Yao said firmly, "I need you to believe in me, at least for this summer."

"No one doesn't believe you, Chen. Has something happened?"

"Call Mr. Gazidis." Chen Yao said, "We need to clarify something."

(End of this chapter)