69novels Chapter 30 British Concerns
Chapter 30 British Concerns
At the same time.
It was 10 a.m. UK time.
Liverpool.
Next to Goodison Park stadium.
Everton Football Club Administration Building.
In the enclosed conference room on the top floor, the heavy floor-to-ceiling curtains were half-drawn, isolating the noise from the outside world.
The large television screen was frozen on the replay of the Sino-Japanese War that had just taken place.
The camera focused on Ye Xian, who was calmly directing the game from the sidelines with a composed and unhurried expression.
Everton chairman Bill Kenwright held a glass of whiskey, his fingertips gently stroking the rim of the glass, his gaze fixed on the young Eastern coach on the screen.
Also present were the club's CEO Keith Winters, several core board members, and the head of Far East business development.
The original agenda for today's high-level meeting was simply to finalize plans for bringing in Chinese players and expanding into the Greater China market for the new season. No one expected that a live broadcast of a China-Japan match would completely disrupt the original agenda.
Bill Kenwright put down his glass and said in a low voice, "To be honest, I initially watched this game just for fun."
"Who would have thought that a Chinese team that was not favored by anyone before the match could draw with Brazil, beat Türkiye, and now crush the host Japan with a three-goal thrashing?"
"Li Tie, whom we have been closely monitoring from the beginning, has performed quite well and should be able to secure a place in our squad."
"But I have made an even bigger discovery now."
He raised his hand and tapped Ye Xian on the screen:
"Everyone can see that the key to China's victory in this match isn't the players, it's the coach."
"He is very young, but he is frighteningly calm. His substitutions, tactical adjustments, and defensive arrangements are all meticulously planned and executed."
"He really doesn't seem like a rookie making his debut in a world competition at all... No wonder a seasoned coach like Milutinovic would trust him to lead the team."
CEO Keith Winters leaned forward, his expression earnest: "Chairman, are you really interested in this young Chinese coach?"
Kenwright nodded slightly.
Everyone seemed to be deep in thought.
The reason they're gathered here for this meeting today boils down to one word: money!
After the end of last season, the original sponsor ONE2ONE's contract expired, but they had no intention of renewing it.
Everton's recent poor performance has resulted in a lack of new sponsors willing to invest, causing financial strain on the club and creating an urgent need for cash flow.
At this moment, a living bodhisattva from the East appeared.
That's Shenzhen Kejian, a Chinese mobile phone company!
They also wanted to expand their overseas business and wanted to use the Premier League to increase their international profile, so it can be said that they hit it off with Everton.
However, during the negotiations, Kejian added a hard clause: the team must have 1-2 Chinese national team players!
After all, the domestic market is still the main battleground for Kejian mobile phones. If a Chinese national team player joins, it will definitely have more exposure in China.
Therefore, Everton Football Club is also observing the Chinese team's performance in the World Cup and selecting outstanding players from it.
Looking at all the options, Li Tie and Sun Jihai are actually the most suitable, as they would truly strengthen the existing lineup.
But Sun Jihai is already a Manchester City player, and he helped Manchester City enter the Premier League last season. Everton probably can't afford to acquire him.
Therefore, it can only be Li Tie—and Kejian needs to act as a go-between and sponsor him.
Then they noticed Ye Xian again.
This is the young coach who truly led the Chinese team into the World Cup quarterfinals!
They are aware of how popular Ye Xian is in China right now.
If we could acquire such a star-level Chinese coach, the value would be far greater than that of a single player.
Of course, what's even more important for the club is that they need an excellent coach to lead the team out of the mire!
The team's current head coach is Moyes.
Last season, Everton were constantly moving up from the relegation zone, so the club decided to sack their manager Walter Smith and bring in Moyes to save the day.
Moyes ultimately led the team to safety from relegation, but their 15th place finish was only mediocre.
If there were better coaches, and coaches who could bring in a vast Chinese market, wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?
An older board member frowned and raised his concerns: "The idea is good, but there are two unavoidable problems."
"Firstly, for Premier League first-team managers, the FA has a strict requirement that they must hold an FA Pro License."
"But as far as I know, this Ye Xian doesn't have any European coaching qualifications, not even at the entry level. After all, his official position is just a translator for the Chinese team!"
"Secondly," he continued, "Moyes is now our official head coach. Although he hasn't had any outstanding achievements before, we invited him to come later last season. If we fire him now... I feel it will cause turmoil in the locker room and among the fans."
The meeting room fell silent instantly as everyone lowered their heads in thought.
A moment later, the manager in charge of Far East operations suddenly spoke up: "Perhaps we don't necessarily need to make him the head of the team. We can try a different approach."
All eyes turned to him.
"Moyes retains the nominal position of first-team head coach, and will continue to register, hold press conferences, and comply with the FA and league qualification reviews as usual."
He paused, then revealed the key plan: "We'll invite Ye Xian to join us, as an assistant or tactical analyst, or something similar. But in reality... it'll be the same position he's currently holding in the Chinese national team. And these positions don't require a coaching license."
As soon as these words were spoken, hushed murmurs of agreement immediately filled the conference room.
CEO Winters still had doubts: "He's good at leading the national team, but that doesn't mean he'll be good at leading the club team, right? Some coaches are even good at cup competitions, but only so-so at league games."
Chairman Kenwright laughed heartily: "Doesn't this further prove that the previous plan was good? Ye Xian is only nominally an assistant coach. If he really can't do it, then we'll continue to have Moyes as head coach—at that point, Ye Xian will truly be an assistant coach. If he does, then it'll be even more perfect..."
Winters nodded slightly, but then said, "Then there's only one last question. Will Moyes agree to this plan?"
Kenwright chuckled, "He's a nice guy, he'll accept it."
"There's something you might not know. Before he came to our team, Manchester United had also invited him, but only to be Ferguson's assistant coach."
"Actually, Moyes hesitated for a while at the time, because as a newly appointed coach, he really wanted to learn from top coaches."
"If, and I mean if, Ye Xian's abilities are truly exceptional, so exceptional that Moyes is convinced, then given Moyes's obsession with tactics, he might actually stay on the team to observe and learn..."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Moreover, Ye Xian's cooperation with Milutinovic in the Chinese team is evident to everyone.
Ye Xian is definitely a team-oriented person who never takes credit for others' work.
He was coaching alongside the easygoing Moyes, and even with two managers, there might not necessarily be any friction.
Finally, the chairman gave a summary:
"Today's meeting was very productive."
"The fact that a young Chinese coach who led his team to the quarterfinals of the World Cup has joined Everton in the English Premier League is enough to ignite the entire Chinese football world!"
"Our Far East market is directly accessible, with sponsorships, broadcasting rights, and merchandise generating immeasurable revenue. This will greatly alleviate the club's financial problems."
"Next, we'll immediately establish contact through the relevant channels. We'll formally contact Zhang Jilong, the director of the Chinese Football Association's Foreign Affairs Department, through the Premier League's China office, to express the club's intentions and ask him to inquire with Ye Xian himself about his wishes..."