The Club's Crisis
Espanyol had been relegated to the second division. Along with Mallorca and Leganes, the club was now headed for the Segunda Division, and the atmosphere inside Espanyol was one of pure chaos. Led by vice-president Carlos, the club immediately began reorganizing its squad.
“We need to quickly sort out who we can keep and who we can’t. Once we’ve roughly figured it out, call in the managers for a meeting. You know what I mean, right?”
“Yes, sir. If we prepare now, we should be able to hold the meeting around three this afternoon.”
“Good. Let me know the moment you’re ready.”
“Understood.”
Vice-president Carlos nodded at his secretary’s reply. This was the period when most players were enjoying their vacations with no matches scheduled, yet for the board members and club staff, it was an incredibly busy time. Especially now that the club had been relegated and revenue was about to plummet, they would be twice—no, three times as busy.
The worsening cash flow, the players planning to leave… Reports from the people in charge kept arriving one after another, and nearly all of them were filled with negative news.
“Fucking hell… those bastards.”
Carlos crumpled the paper in his hand and spat out a curse. He wasn’t swearing at the staff or the players. His gaze fell on the miniature football sitting on his desk. The Mingxing Group. A massive Chinese toy company that had acquired Espanyol. When the takeover was first announced, Carlos had hoped for an owner who would spend generously. But Mingxing was nothing like that.
They barely injected any money into the club and interfered in every little thing. The stress was especially severe because of their blatant favoritism toward Wu Lei, China’s top player. How many times had he been forced to tell the manager that the owner demanded Wu Lei play? Those moments had been utterly humiliating. If they at least paid well, he could have endured it, but Mingxing had never been generous with money.
Even after finishing seventh last season, there had been no sign of increased funding, and now that they had been relegated, the silence from the owners was deafening. In short, there would be no support. They would have to survive on their own.
“We were already drying up… This is a real headache. Those greedy pigs aren’t going to offer any help this time either…”
Still, he had to ask. They needed some form of support if they wanted to return to La Liga quickly.
“Huu…”
Carlos reached for the phone installed in his office.
“Son of a bitch!”
The phone flew across the room and smashed against the wall.
Creak… Bang!
“Whoa! You scared me!”
The secretary who had been about to enter jumped in fright as the phone sailed past.
“Ah! Come in. Sorry about that…”
“The meeting… is ready. The managers have all arrived as well.”
“Huu… Let’s go.”
Carlos headed to the conference room with the club staff and managers. Everyone was already waiting inside.
“You’ve all seen the documents that were handed out, yes?”
Abelardo Fernández, David, and the rest of Espanyol’s coaching staff quickly scanned the current situation.
“The club has no money. The owner has zero intention of providing support, so he says we should figure it out ourselves.”
At Carlos’s words, the expressions of the staff and managers darkened.
“Oh, right! He did say they would at least cover Wu Lei’s salary, so we have to keep him. At least we saved a tiny bit of money there.”
“Then we’ll need to sort out our priorities first. After all, the players with high transfer values are the biggest issue.”
“Exactly. And the position that will take the hardest hit is…”
“The first team, obviously,” Abelardo answered.
“We spent heavily to chase good results, and now there’s a mountain of things we have to let go.”
“We’ve checked all the players who have already decided to leave. We’ve also identified those who must leave.”
There were quite a few players set to depart from Espanyol.
“Naldo, Ander, Caicedo. All the ones with decent market value are leaving. If we send back the loanees—Gorčić, Bernard, and Pereyra—we’ll be able to breathe a little easier.”
Once the major categories became clear, everyone felt some relief. But there were still painful spots.
“We can’t keep both Ha Sunmoon and Lopez.”
“Ah… Those two have the highest values. That’s the problem.”
Yet there were reasons those players commanded such high fees. They couldn’t simply be sold off without consequences. Lopez, who had performed brilliantly for Espanyol over many years, and Ha Sunmoon, the future of the new era, were both players that fans would lose their minds over if the club tried to offload them.
“So… have either of them said they want to leave?”
“We haven’t received any detailed statements from either. The one more likely to leave is Ha… but we can’t be sure yet.”
“For now, we need to respect both of them, so we’ll approach slowly. Let’s look at the other areas first.”
After checking the team’s finances several times, David finally spoke as if he had reached a decision.
“This… it looks like making any signings this season will be difficult, doesn’t it?”
The finance manager nodded.
“There are plenty of assets we need to sell… but there’s almost nothing we can cut back on.”
“We’ll fill the first-team vacancies by promoting players from the B team. They’ve gained decent experience by now, so they should be able to compete in the second division.”
“Which positions are we short on right now?”
“Assuming all the players who’ve chosen to stay actually remain… Fortunately, we can immediately use the two young players returning from loan…”
Espanyol had to squeeze every possible resource. Javi Puado and Alex, who were returning from loan, would cover the midfield and striker positions. For center-back, right-back, and defensive midfield, they planned to promote from the B team.
“Even so, the money…”
They had assembled the most cost-effective squad possible while maintaining strength. Yet the wage budget was still insufficient.
“In that case… we’ll ultimately have to sell Lopez.”
Just then, an employee burst into the room in a hurry.
“Good news, everyone!”
Felipe was not entirely pleased with the current situation.
“So… you’re saying you want to slightly revise the contract?”
“Yes. That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Felipe had seen Espanyol’s relegation as a golden opportunity handed down from heaven. This was the perfect moment to activate the now-lowered buyout clause and move Ha Sunmoon to a stronger team. He had planned to persuade the young player along those lines.
After all, Ha Sunmoon had already done more than enough by signing a new contract with Espanyol. The club’s relegation was simply the team’s own problem.
“Hmm… I see things differently. There are plenty of big clubs that would want you.”
“Why? Would a big club really take someone as young as me?”
“They will. Without question. Fullbacks are a rare breed these days.”
Felipe spoke as if it were obvious.
“The game has changed a lot, Sunmoon.”
“Changed how?”
“Exactly. Of course, fullback is still seen as a position for players who are somewhat lacking in other areas. But at the end of the day, football is still a sport played by eleven people, isn’t it?”
The shifting trends of the football market. As an agent who represented many Brazilian players, Felipe had a sharp understanding of the current landscape.
“The way to climb higher is simple. All eleven players just need to be good. Conversely, the higher a team’s ambitions, the greater their thirst for quality fullbacks. And Sunmoon, do you really think no one would call a young player who has already shown such outstanding ability?”
Felipe was confident. The so-called Big Four leagues and their prestigious clubs would go crazy the moment Ha Sunmoon’s name became available. Especially after that match against Barcelona. His excellent defending against Messi, the astonishing goal and assist, and his mature attitude had announced his name to the world. Inquiries had flooded Felipe’s inbox after that single game.
Naturally, among them were clubs from big teams who were at least testing the waters. Knowing how much interest there was in Ha Sunmoon, Felipe had been preparing for an exit at any time.
“We’ve entered an era where every position matters. To win titles, you ultimately need quality fullbacks too.”
“Hmm… Even so, I want to stay at Espanyol.”
But Ha Sunmoon’s decision was firm.
“Hmm… Back to square one, then. I want you to take a step up by joining a better team rather than staying at a second-division side… So convince me why you need to stay here.”
What was the better path? Felipe posed the question, and Ha Sunmoon glanced slightly toward Harrison as if seeking help.
Harrison, who had come through Liverpool’s youth system, pointed out a crucial factor based on his own experience.
“I want to stay at Espanyol where I can play many games. I’ve already established myself in the team, so if I stay, I’ll definitely be a starter. There’s no experience more valuable than actually playing real matches.”
This was indeed one of the most important considerations for young players, so Felipe nodded in understanding.
“Anything else?”
“Hmm… I just don’t like the idea of it feeling like I’m running away. Leaving like this would leave a bad taste in my mouth.”
“Running away?”
“Yes. Even if I do leave… I think it would feel better to get the team back to La Liga first and then go. That way I could leave with a clear conscience. And even in the second division, I’m confident I can improve my skills further as long as I keep playing regularly.”
It felt emotionally uncomfortable. And he was sure he could develop enough even in the second tier.
“Hmm…”
This was a moment when many interests had aligned perfectly. Yet here was someone kicking away a stroke of good fortune with his own foot. Felipe felt a twinge of regret, but there was nothing he could do.
“I understand your feelings. After all, if the player himself has no desire to move, no other team can take him. Let’s find a way for you to stay at Espanyol.”
Having been persuaded, Felipe ultimately decided to take Ha Sunmoon’s side.