Translator:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
Editor:
Nyoi-Bo Studio
Ribéry suddenly let out a loud scream, alarming all the tenants in the house. They stood on the stairs and looked in puzzlement at the lad with the knife scar on his face, who was spinning in circles and screaming repeatedly. The fat landlady squeezed to the front from behind the crowd and shouted in a louder voice than Ribéry to calm him down. Ribéry finally stopped his madness.
Franck, what is wrong with you?
asked the landlady.
Ribéry shouted,
I’m going to Britain, I’m going to the United Kingdom!
Britain? Isn’t it just across the sea? What are you going to do over there?
asked a tall, lanky man who was in his underpants.
Play football! Play professional football!!
Just from thinking about that call and a future in England, Ribéry’s face was bunched up in excitement.
I… I’m going to invite you all to dinner! And drinks! I want to celebrate!
The landlady spread her hands and said sternly,
Well, Franck, since you have money, pay me last month’s rent first.
Upon the mention of the matter, Ribéry’s face fell again.
Can I owe you first, Aunt Emma?
You know I’m…
Seeing his embarrassment, the landlady smiled as she ambled down the stairs and gave Ribéry a hug.
Okay, don’t worry, Franck. I wish you good luck.
Then she gently kissed Ribéry’s forehead. After her, the tenants who lived under the same roof also came up to Ribéry and congratulate him on finding another team.
Do your best, Franck! Become a star player! Just like Thierry Henry!
Let all of France know that we can produce a superstar if we work hard!
Franck—Ribéry!
Olé! Olé!
※※※
Ribéry felt lucky that a Premier League team was keen on him even though he was only a young, unknown footballer playing in the Championnat National. His biggest problem had been resolved.
And Tony Twain felt that he was lucky too. Either FC Metz had not approached Ribéry yet, or something unexpected had happened. Either way, the future France national team’s main force in the midfield, the extraordinary Scarface warrior in the World Cup held in Germany, now belonged to him. Extremely fast and an exceptional dribbler, Ribéry would be like a sharp blade on the Forest team’s left wing; he was also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder, right winger, and forward. To get such a well-rounded midfielder for free? Where else could one find such a bargain?
The deal was finalized four days later, and Nottingham Forest obtained the twenty-one-year-old French midfielder, Franck Ribéry, for free. When the Forest team announced their confidence in the the deal on their official website, even the English correspondents and commentators with the most encyclopedic knowledge of football did not know who Franck Ribéry was. However, his scarred face became a point of interest for the media. With regards to him joining the team, the media’s general view was that, because Twain did not spend a single penny, he had simply increased the number of substitutes on the bench.
Since Twain had cast his net for targets in France, there is one person who should not be left out. One day later, the Forest team announced a deal with the French Ligue 1 team, SC Bastia. For a price of one million pounds, the team reeled in Bastia’s main right back, Pascal Chimbonda. As Batisa’s main right back, Chimbonda had appeared in thirty-one games last season and scored a goal. With his outstanding performance, he had already attracted a lot of interest from various teams. And that time, Twain was, once again, ahead of his competitors.
In terms of center backs, although the Forest team already had Gerard Piqué, Clint Hill, and Wes Morgan, it was far from enough. They needed to fight on multiple fronts.
Entering into July, the latest news on the Forest team’s official website about transfers was constantly refreshing.
On July 1st, Nottingham Forest announced an agreement with Birmingham City F.C. to sign Birmingham’s main center back, Matthew Upson, for four million pounds. Upson, who came from Arsenal’s youth camp, was not a top defender in the Premier League, but he could still play a major role in a Premier League mid-stream team. And the main reason that Twain had his eye on him was that the 25-year-old Upson had more experience than any other center backs on the team, and had played for many teams. In addition, the transfer to Nottingham Forest was, to some extent, revisiting an old haunt for Upson. He had been on loan to the Forest team by Arsenal during the 2000-01 season, but unfortunately he had only played one game.
On the front line, Twain gave up Gareth Taylor, who had joined the team last season, giving him two options: either accepting being a substitute, or being transferred or on a loan. Taylor chose the latter option, and the Forest team was now in contact with several teams who were interested in Taylor.
Eoin Jess ended his contract with the Forest team and chose to return to Aberdeen Football Club for his retirement. The Forest team was now short a player in the midfield who could organize attacks and place kicks as well.
Twain had initially been interested in Mikel Arteta, who had just returned to Spain from Rangers Football Club in Scotland. He had hoped to persuade him to join the ambitious Forest team. But Arteta was not interested in the newly promoted Forest team because La Liga’s Real Sociedad had invited him. As a Spaniard, a team from his motherland was clearly better suited to Arteta. He turned down Twain and chose to go to Real Sociedad.
Twain sighed after learning about Mikel Arteta’s choice. Even though he had changed the trajectory of Piqué’s future, he had not managed to change Arteta’s. Mikel Arteta was another fine product of the FC Barcelona youth camp. He was once regarded as the successor to Guardiola, Barcelona’s jersey #4. As a central midfielder, he was good at organizing attacks, and his footwork was also good at placing kicks. These were the reasons why Twain was interested in him.
But instead, he chose to join Real Sociedad, exactly as Tang En remembered. With no opportunities to play in matches while he was in Barcelona, Mikel Arteta had had no choice but to be on frequent loans to other teams in order to play. In the 2000-01 season, he had been put on loan by Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. Even though he had only played six games, he’d managed to score a goal. In the 2001-02 season, he continued to be on loan to Paris Saint-Germain, and his performance was average. When he returned to Barcelona, he found that there was no place for him. Having no other options, he chose to terminate his contract with Barcelona and went on a free transfer to the Rangers in Scotland. His two seasons in Scotland were wonderful. He played fifty times for the team and scored ten goals. Then, Real Sociedad took a liking to Mikel Arteta in Scotland and sent him an invitation. He proudly returned to Spain only to find that things were not as simple as he’d imagined. In Real Sociedad, he still did not receive opportunities to play, and after half a season in January 2005, he was put on loan to the English team, Everton, by Real Sociedad. Half a season later, he would be permanently transferred to the Liverpool team. After one big circle, he would finally find a stable home. By that time, he would already be twenty-three years old. He would have wasted his youth, wandering ceaselessly.
Tang En had wanted to bypass Real Sociedad at this juncture and bring Mikel Arteta, who had become accustomed to the British-style football, from the chilly Glasgow to Nottingham. What to do…
This is fate, everyone has their own lives and must embark on their journey…
Mikel Arteta was not the first person to rebuff Twain in the transfer market, and he had not given up the idea of looking for a player who could organize offense in the midfield. This time, he had his eye on Xabi Alonso. However, in terms of the Forest team’s financial strength and influence, it was too difficult to successfully pull in a midfielder who was coveted by Real Madrid.
Alonso refused to even talk to the Forest team because he felt certain that he would not go to a newly promoted team. If he had to leave Real Sociedad, he would be going to a big team. In the end, Liverpool got him at a price of 10.5 million pounds.
After meeting with a succession of setbacks while he was looking for a midfielder, another piece of news added to Twain’s woes – the Forest team received a fax from the distant east, Ukraine. They had made an offer of three million pounds to the Forest team, requesting to purchase Sergei Rebrov.
