Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Summer Transfer Window -3
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I heard the news of Jürgen Klinsmann joining Bayern Munich, and at first, I doubted the competence of Bayern's board.
‘……Isn’t this an opportunity?’
But soon, I realized it was a historic chance for league glory.
Victory is the raison d'être of any sports club. It was only natural to crave a title when the opportunity arose.
‘Of course, greed could lead to ruin if it backfires….’
That was fine.
If I had to spend the money someday, investing it now was the right move.
That evening.
I rushed straight to my sister’s room.
“Hey. Park Jung-ah.”
I flung open the door to her room.
“……What.”
Park Jung-ah greeted me, her face etched with deep irritation.
“Give me the money.”
I cut straight to the chase without any unnecessary preamble.
She had seemed uncomfortable at first when she learned I was a regressor like her, but time and blood ties had quickly melted those feelings away.
‘Maybe it’s because we suffered together as kids, chased by Korean reporters.’
Well. Looking back now, they were fond memories in their own way.
“……?”
Anyway.
My sister looked puzzled by my words, so I had no choice but to explain in detail.
How utterly incompetent Jürgen Klinsmann was, and how this was the perfect chance for Union Berlin to lift the league trophy.
“That’s why. Give me the money.”
“No.”
But despite my explanation, she flatly refused.
She couldn’t just spend money willy-nilly without the approval of the company shareholders.
“Korean chairmen do whatever they want.”
“That’s in Korea.”
Rejected by my sister, I continued racking my brain for ways to secure transfer funds.
‘I guess I need to talk it over with the club staff.’
And after the meeting.
The topic of selling the stadium naming rights came up as a way to raise money.
‘Still, passing up this chance feels like too much of a waste….’
We had backed off before due to fan backlash when we tried to sell them in the past, but I couldn’t let go of the greed.
I decided to persuade the Union Berlin fans to sell the stadium naming rights.
Union Berlin fans were staunch traditionalists who valued their heritage deeply.
With a heavy heart and prepared for the possibility of getting whacked with a cane, I opened the door.
But the fans’ reaction was nothing like what I expected.
“Do whatever you want, Chan-hyuk!”
“……?”
***
Right now, Union Berlin fans felt like they were walking on air.
The club had just secured its historic first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga.
- Can’t believe we’re in the top flight!
└ Union! Union! Union!
└ Bye-bye, Dynamo idiots! We’re heading to the Bundesliga!
It was a monumental achievement that more than washed away the bitterness of repeated relegations due to financial woes.
The fans knew full well that the club’s stable growth had started thanks to Park Chan-hyuk.
They decided to throw their full support behind whatever the “legendary manager”—who had guided them to the top flight for the first time in club history—wanted to do.
“……I still don’t like it.”
Of course, they weren’t thrilled about selling the stadium naming rights.
But when the manager himself went out and personally persuaded them, even the dissenters decided to back Park Chan-hyuk.
“Do whatever you want, our Chan-hyuk!”
***
With the fans’ approval, I immediately jumped into negotiations to sell the naming rights.
Truth be told, selling stadium naming rights was a natural progression.
As time passed, football was increasingly driven by capital rather than romance.
In the future, clubs sold anything that made money.
Even “that” Barcelona had sold Camp Nou’s naming rights to Spotify.
Well, Barcelona had no choice with their dire finances.
‘But they sold it, right?’
It was just a natural outcome of capital flooding into football.
No one could stem the tide of history.
And…
As much as it pains me to say it, Union Berlin was objectively lucky.
Usually, even if you try to sell naming rights, few companies bite.
The price is ridiculously high, and with less exposure than the kit sponsor, the bang for the buck in promotion is poor.
Only mega-clubs like Bayern Munich could pull it off easily.
‘Didn’t Tottenham have to jump through hoops to sell theirs?’
Even Tottenham Hotspur, who had grown into a “proper” big club after reaching the Champions League final, had to hustle hard.
‘Ours would be a miracle if it sells at all.’
Union Berlin had just come up from the second division.
There was inherent risk with potential relegation.
I couldn’t help reminiscing about the time we sold “bricks” of the home ground to fund construction. With that in mind, I started pounding the pavement, pitching the naming rights of Union Berlin’s home, Stadion An der Alten Försterei, not just to Korean conglomerates but to German companies too. All to sell them for the highest price possible.
Selling naming rights for a stadium that wasn’t even fully built yet made me look like a con artist…. No, a master dealmaker.
Anyway.
The negotiations favored the Korean conglomerate overall.
Union Berlin was just another club in Germany, but it held symbolic value in Korea and Asia.
Just as the stadium naming rights were about to go to the Korean conglomerate.
[Japanese giant Rakuten shows interest in Union Berlin stadium naming rights.]
An unexpected Japanese powerhouse jumped into the fray.
***
As the stadium naming rights deal with GL Group seemed all but sealed.
Rakuten and other Japanese firms expressed interest in Union Berlin’s stadium naming rights.
‘……This could stir up nationalistic tensions between the two countries. Sigh, better not play with fire.’
A bit of gamesmanship might skyrocket the price.
Regrettably, ethnic sentiments could spiral out of control if mishandled.
I decided to leave the negotiations entirely to the club and focus on preparing for next season.
Sticking around might tempt me into some reckless stunt.
***
[Willem II prospect Virgil van Dijk transfers to Union Berlin.]
[Union Berlin signs only unproven talents from minor leagues.]
[Anonymous top-flight director: ‘Park Chan-hyuk will suffer a painful lesson this season.’]
[Experts criticize Union Berlin’s transfer window. “Top flight and second division are worlds apart. Union Berlin likely to collapse mid-to-late season….”]
[Bild subtly slams Park Chan-hyuk as ‘typical rookie manager mistake.’]
***
Virgil van Dijk joined Union Berlin’s youth team.
Showing him the youth facilities and the upcoming training center upgrades had helped seal the deal.
I placed Virgil van Dijk in the youth team, not the first team.
It would be great to throw him straight into the seniors, but for a position where stability is key, he needed some polishing in the youth setup first.
‘For now… learning the language comes first.’
I slowly toured the training ground.
Union Berlin’s Iron and Blood training ground had been completely reborn through major renovations.
The youth system had gotten the same treatment. We’d adopted Spain’s model.
After discovering my cheat skill, Scouter, the second thing I did was study Spain’s youth system.
For the record, the first was people-watching. Seeing their stats pop up was so fascinating, time flew by.
Anyway.
Seeing Leon Han and Virgil van Dijk diligently training with the youth team filled me with reassurance.
Just looking at those two made Union Berlin’s future feel rock-solid.
That day.
I watched Leon Han play in a youth match.
He was the first potential 6-star talent I’d scouted.
Leon Han, who had nearly quit football due to racism, had unlocked his potential and skyrocketed through the age groups.
‘If he trains under Modrić, he’ll grow even faster.’
I asked the board to pursue Modrić. With the naming rights money coming in, we could go aggressive.
A few days later.
Thanks to persistent persuasion from Croatian Ivan Petrović, Union Berlin successfully signed Luka Modrić.
***
The confirmed transfers started trickling in, one by one.
Union Berlin had landed most of our target players.
Having snagged Modrić, I tried dipping my spoon into Gareth Bale too.
But Tottenham, still fuming from the Modrić deal, shut it down cold.
‘……Well, next season’s their legendary “Gaffe-il” season anyway. I can target him after that.’
Anyway, our current focus was Thiago Silva.
[Union Berlin offers Fluminense FC 15M for Thiago Silva.]
[AC Milan to abandon Thiago Silva amid soaring transfer fee?]
With the Northeast Asia preseason tour looming.
We needed to wrap up transfer talks fast.
‘That said, the squad’s awfully young.’
Was this how Cao Cao felt about talent?
No matter how I looked at the roster, it felt lacking.
With defense sorted, the squad’s youthfulness jumped out.
‘A veteran center-back to lead them would be perfect….’
As I pondered.
[Cafu bids emotional farewell to AC Milan.]
What caught my eye.
Was Brazil’s legendary right-back Cafu, who had announced his retirement from AC Milan last season.