Official (1)
Official (1)
089
The white-haired gentleman, Franz Valder, sat in the manager's office, lost in deep thought.
A messy pile of documents scattered across the old desk.
[—The above player is in contract renewal negotiations, and effectively has no intention of transferring...]
[Unable to narrow the gap in opinion between clubs regarding the transfer fee...]
[As the player wishes to return to their former team...]
A deep gloom cast over the gentleman's kind face as he looked down at the words catching his eye.
"Hoo."
The gentleman let out a deep sigh and picked up his phone.
Ttureureu— the monotonous ringing sound.
—This is Hermann.
"It's me."
—Valder?
Valder opened his mouth immediately at the heavy voice he had heard just this morning.
"Hermann. How is the transfer going?"
—The report should be on your desk? Did you perhaps not receive the report?
Valder quickly denied it at the stern voice.
Because if he misunderstood that the report was missing, innocent employees would just get harassed.
"The report is right here on my desk. Though it looks like it would fit better in the trash can than on my desk."
—I'm sorry. I have nothing to say.
"It doesn't matter. As long as I can sign that player I mentioned."
—Huu....
A deep sigh was heard over the phone.
—Look, Valder.
"I'm listening."
—Let me be honest with you. It will be difficult to grant your request.
A moment of silence passed.
"May I ask why?"
—You know why.
"...If we had started when that player was unknown, when I strongly requested the signing, we could have brought him in easily."
—I'm sorry.
"Our team needs that player. He's the final piece of the puzzle."
—I'm sorry.
"What else can you say besides 'I'm sorry'!"
Hermann was silent at the gentleman's shout.
"Is it because you don't trust me! Is it because I'm a manager with shallow experience, having only been a coach until the age of 60, that the board won't give me a transfer budget! Speak up, Hermann!"
—...That's not it. Look, Valder. Back then, that player was an unknown player playing on the fringes. But what about now?
Valder couldn't bring himself to answer at Hermann's words.
Because he was right. The unknown player he had discovered had already begun to soar.
—That player has become too famous. He lacks nothing in skill or popularity. Every prestigious club is making a fuss about signing him, so how on earth can our club sign him? Would you ignore a love call from a prestigious club and come to the 2nd division?
"When I requested the signing, he was an unknown player that no one was interested in."
—I can only apologize to you. I sincerely apologize for not trusting your eye for talent.
Even with the sincere apology, Valder just felt despondent.
"I see. We'll lose him to a big club again. This time as well."
—I have no face to show you.
"I have one request."
—What is it? If it's something I can do, I'll do my best to grant it.
"That player's contact information. Can you find it out?"
—Are you going to talk to him directly?
"Yes. I have to do what I can. I will explain how much I want that player, what role he will play in our team, what kind of performance he can show, and what vision the team has."
It was after some time that Hermann's answer, who had been silent for a while, was heard.
—Fine. I'll look into it.
Beep.
Valder's gaze, clutching the phone with the connection cut off, turned toward the tactical board.
Toward the one empty spot in the middle of the tactical board, where tactical symbols were drawn in a mess.
『Arsenal General Manager Leonardo, confident in signing Hong Min-jun!』
『Hong Min-jun receives a call from Dortmund manager Schultz, imminent move to Germany?』
『Barcelona legend Xavi, 'Hong Min-jun has Barcelona DNA' flowing—』
『Olympic top scorer for free? You have to sign a player like this!』
『According to officials, Hong Min-jun says he prefers Serie A.』
I let out a dry laugh while skimming through the sports articles.
I rejected all interview offers, and I don't even use social media, so where on earth are they getting their sources from.
We headed to the parking lot, dressed in simple attire that made it hard to believe we were leaving the country, equipped with only a small carrier.
The coordination was finished, and now it was just a matter of visiting in person, undergoing a medical test, and stamping the contract. It was effectively the final stage of the transfer process.
Just as we were about to leave the house, Oh Ha-rin's phone rang exquisitely.
After glancing at the screen and answering the call, not long after, Oh Ha-rin,
"There's a manager who really wants to talk to you, what do you want to do?"
she asked.
"Now?"
It wasn't officially finished, but it was effectively over.
If there are no major issues in the medical test, we can announce it right away, so talking now would just unnecessarily complicate things.
"Tell them thanks, but no thanks."
Oh Ha-rin, who had been exchanging a few words, slightly frowned.
"Ha. They really want to talk to you."
"Where are they from?"
"Frankfurt."
"Bundesliga? But did an offer come from there too?"
"It did. It was almost the first place that sent an offer."
"But why didn't I see the proposal?"
I had skimmed through the proposals when we were discussing them, but I hadn't seen the one sent from Frankfurt.
It was a few days ago, so surely she wouldn't have forgotten.
"It's a 2nd division league, so I took it out."
"...2nd division?"
Good grief.
No matter what, the 2nd division is not it.
I was about to firmly refuse, but I asked just in case.
"Is the manager a famous person?"
"No. Franz Valder, he's old, but he's only in his 2nd year of managerial experience."
At this point, I'm actually curious.
What on earth gives him the confidence to try and sign me.
"I'll take the call. Ah, I can't speak German."
"It's okay. They said they prepared an interpreter."
After Oh Ha-rin gave him my number, a moment later, the phone rang.
"Hello."
—Is this player Hong Min-jun?
"Yes. This is Hong Min-jun."
—Nice to meet you. I am Frankfurt manager Franz Valder.
Perhaps they are also on speaker mode, as when the deep voice says something, a young voice translates it into Korean.
—I know it's rude, but I really wanted to talk to player Hong Min-jun. I, and our club, sincerely hope to sign player Hong Min-jun.
"Thank you."
—If you join our club, I plan to reorganize the team around player Hong Min-jun. Player Hong Min-jun is a player who shines in tactics centered around himself. I don't know which team you will go to, but being young and Asian, ah, I am not a dirty racist.
"I understand."
Because the center of European leagues is tightly held by Europeans and South Americans.
—Anyway, it's clear that rather than tailoring tactics to you, a player on your first professional contract, you should be playing according to the tactics. And that is merely using half of your outstanding potential.
He's in a rush.
As soon as he confirmed it was me, the deep voice, presumably the manager, chattered like a machine gun, and the interpreter delivered the translation, struggling so much that it could be felt from this side.
—But I am different. I will place player Hong Min-jun at the center and use tactics where player Hong Min-jun can perform at his best. Player Hong Min-jun will be more cared for in our team than at any other club, and can play as a key player. Since it's your first time entering Europe, adapt step by step...
"Just a moment."
I was fed up with the words pouring out without a breath, so I cut him off in the middle.
"Thank you for calling me personally and for evaluating me so highly."
—Ah! Then with our club...? The, the treatment might not be sufficient, but we will match it as much as possible!! Above all, our club is where the legend Cha Bum stayed, so following in his footsteps...
Ugh, I can't even get a word in.
He talks so much that my ears feel like they're bleeding from listening.
"I'm sorry, but it's too late. It's true that my heart is wavering after hearing your words... but we are already at the stage where only the medical test is left."
The contract isn't finished, so I could drift.
Because on paper, I'm still a free agent.
However, to drift at this point would be the same action as when player Park Chu-young in 2011 decided to sign with Lille and then suddenly turned to Arsenal.
It means there's no problem officially, but unofficially it's an act of rudeness equivalent to breaking a contract.
"Above all, I am confident in my skills. If I have to adapt to tactics, of course I should. Because I haven't proven anything in the pros yet. I am confident that I can perform well enough even under tactical constraints. I am grateful for your call, Manager, but it will be difficult to join Frankfurt."
Honestly, I'm not tempted at all. My heart wavering, my ass.
A person needs to have a conscience; the 2nd division is crossing the line.
Still, social life is about not making enemies, so I gave him some nice lip service and ended it.
'...Hmm. Still, becoming another legend on a team where a Korean legend was, is a bit tempting.'
Just a little.
Getting off the plane, the wide sea comes into view at a glance.
The exotic scenery that is clearly felt.
We left El Prat Airport in a vehicle prepared by the club.
Not long after the car entered L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, a huge stadium came into view in the distance.
The world's largest soccer-specific stadium with a whopping 99,354 seats.
Camp Nou.
Around the time Hong Min-jun was undergoing his medical test, the media was gradually narrowing down his destination.
『Narrowing destination! What is Hong Min-jun's final choice?』
[News of Hong Min-jun (20, Hojin University), who has been swept up in transfer rumors after the Olympics, is a hot topic. Hong Min-jun, who has amateur status, is a resource that can be signed without a transfer fee and has already become the top priority target for various European clubs—]
『Exclusive! Hong Min-jun waiting to board a flight from London in secret?』
[According to officials, as of the 19th, Hong Min-jun's contract is in the final stages, and only stamping it remains—]
『Jorge is not enough! Real Madrid is still hungry!』
[Real Madrid, the prestigious Spanish La Liga club strongly linked with Hong Min-jun, has already signed a big fish named Jorge Garcia (20), but it seems they are still lacking. The courtship towards Hong Min-jun—]
『Quietly strong! Is Juventus the one leading the recruitment war?』
[There is a rumor that Serie A powerhouse Juventus is quietly leading the recruitment war for Hong Min-jun. According to information obtained by this paper—]
『"Manchester City should have signed Hong Min-jun instead of Rodrigo"... Criticism from British media』
[British local media claims that the prestigious English club Manchester City should have signed Hong Min-jun (20) instead of Rodrigo (22)—]
『(Exclusive) Hong Min-jun spotted in Barcelona?』
[A witness who saw a Korean soccer player in Barcelona—]