The Chaos of the Transfer Market 2
The transfer market was in complete turmoil. And at the center of it all was Messi—the undisputed GOAT of football and the very symbol of Barcelona. The fact that even he had sent a fax to the club declaring his intention to leave was nothing short of shocking.
“This can’t be happening…”
Messi was the player who was supposed to retire at Barcelona. The fans found it nearly impossible to understand why someone with such deep affection for the team would make this decision.
“What’s wrong?”
“Uh… just a second…”
Clara hurriedly checked her messages and news alerts while sitting across from Ha Sunmoon.
Hmm~ Looks like something big just went down.
Harrison, watching Clara’s completely dazed expression, spoke up.
Ask her if there’s trouble at Barcelona. From the conversation earlier, it seems like she was about to bring them up anyway.
“Is… is there a problem at Barcelona?”
Clara flinched at Ha Sunmoon’s question.
“Yeah… but it’ll… it’ll work out. It has to work out…”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then I’ll go find the Barcelona president and hang him by the neck. Why did we even change presidents! The chaos last season already cost us any trophies, and now this? It’s insane!”
At her chilling statement, it was Ha Sunmoon’s turn to flinch.
“Uh… yeah…”
Whoa! She’s got quite the temper too.
He had originally planned to ask her which team she thought would be best for him, but given Clara’s sudden reaction to what seemed like a major crisis, Ha Sunmoon stayed quiet and merely picked at his food.
“Actually, I once met a famous manager at this very restaurant.”
“A famous manager?”
Worried that continuing the club talk would sink the mood completely, Ha Sunmoon changed the subject. Clara responded almost immediately.
“Yeah. I went into that private room over there. I was alone that day, so the table next to mine was empty. That’s when I saw Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, and his wife, Cristina Serra.”
“What?”
“It left quite an impression. His wife seems to know a lot about fashion. She complimented the outfit you picked out for me—said the design was excellent.”
Though it was an indirect compliment, to Clara it didn’t feel like much of one at all.
“That really happened?”
“It did. Thanks to that, we had a long conversation. It was similar to what you told me, but since he’s such an incredible manager, I guess you could call it the advanced version…”
“That’s good to hear… Are you thinking of going to Man City?”
“I haven’t decided anything yet. My top choice was Real Madrid, but for some reason they’re saying they don’t have the money to sign new players… Something about focusing on keeping their current squad?”
At the mention of money and keeping players, Clara’s eyebrows twitched noticeably.
Laporta: Barcelona is truly out of money.
Laporta: To keep Messi, we must sell surplus players like Dembele and Umtiti.
Laporta: To keep Messi, other players must accept salary cuts.
The previous president had been nothing but lies, and the new one’s statements were equally bleak. Still, all they could do now was believe Laporta when he said he could keep Messi.
“So which team do you want to go to?”
“Actually, I came here partly to get some advice from you. They’ve blocked me from moving to another La Liga team, which has made things much worse. Do you think there are options in other leagues?”
“Can I be completely honest?”
“Of course.”
“Man City… I like them. Go there.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You said you recently met… Pep Guardiola, right?”
“I did! But I don’t know if he’d actually want me.”
“Manchester City is a team weak at fullback. If you’re okay with being a rotation player, you could join them anytime.”
Then Clara’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
“But! If you go to Man City, you might even be able to return to La Liga later.”
“How would that be possible?”
“On loan. To Girona. They’re in the second division, but… if you joined them, they might be able to climb back up to the top flight?”
“Hmm…”
Ha Sunmoon gave a small nod at Clara’s suggestion.
“Wow~ I’m stuffed.”
“Then… let’s meet again next time. I don’t think I can focus on conversation today. All I keep getting is terrible news.”
“Haha… I understand.”
Ha Sunmoon agreed to meet again later and parted ways with Clara.
While Barcelona was in crisis, Ha Sunmoon had plenty of headaches of his own.
“It’s unfortunate news, Sunmoon. The market has frozen solid.”
Felipe had mobilized every contact he had, but no attractive clubs had emerged.
“Espanyol values you at no less than 30 million. Right now, there are almost no teams willing to pay that for a fullback. The biggest blow is La Liga itself. Even if Espanyol hadn’t blocked a move within the league, there probably wouldn’t have been any buyers anyway.”
“Is the situation really that bad?”
“Barcelona’s mess stems from their players’ massive wages. The second-biggest club in La Liga is scrambling to cut salaries, so the other clubs can’t be in great shape either. Espanyol wants to sell you so they can keep the rest of their squad. Real Madrid has also decided not to make an offer for you. So realistically, La Liga is finished for us.”
Ha Sunmoon let out a small sigh at Felipe’s words.
“Then what about other overseas leagues? Where do you think is possible?”
“If we lower the price a bit, both Munich and Dortmund in the Bundesliga could be options.”
“What about Serie A?”
“That’s not looking great either… If we drop the price, Juventus or Inter might be possible.”
With so many teams struggling, the answer was clear.
“Hoo… Then… what about Premier League teams?”
“There are at least six clubs that could afford you. Do you have any preferred ones?”
At Felipe’s question, Ha Sunmoon gave the answer he had already decided on.
“Manchester City and Liverpool.”
Yes! That’s exactly it!
Harrison was overjoyed at Ha Sunmoon’s choice.
“Manchester City and Liverpool? You know they’re currently the top two teams in the Premier League, right?”
“Yes, I know. But you said the only clubs with money right now are in the Premier League. So there’s still a chance, isn’t there?”
“Hmm…”
Felipe began looking into the possibilities.
“Your performances against Barcelona have definitely raised your stock. The only downside is that Liverpool already has established starters at both left-back and right-back. They also have a solid backup in Tsimikas at left-back, so you’d likely be moving to right-back.”
“Right-back?”
“Yes. They have Nico Williams as backup there too, but he hasn’t shown much. He’s expected to leave for more playing time, so that would be your spot.”
Whew… At least that’s a relief. Good thing you can play right-back too.
“Manchester City is similar. They have Zinchenko, Cancelo, and Walker. Cancelo and Walker are the clear starters, but they only have three fullbacks total. You’d be filling one of those gaps. Since you’re a multi-functional player like Cancelo, I don’t think Pep Guardiola would dislike the idea.”
“Then please focus on those two teams.”
“Should I inquire with other Premier League clubs as well?”
“Yes, please do. And if there are any teams where I could start, that would be even better.”
“How did it go?”
“Hmm? Well…”
When Clara asked, Ha Sunmoon was careful with his words.
“To be honest, I’m not sure how it will turn out.”
Seeing that he wasn’t showing much confidence, Clara didn’t press further.
“By the way, why did you recommend Manchester City last time?”
“You still don’t know my real name?”
“Huh? Your… fake name is Dior and your real name is Clara, right?”
“Clara is my first name. Dior comes from my last name.”
“Really? So Clara Dior?”
“No. Clara Guardiola.”
Huh?
“Guardiola?”
“Yeah. Doesn’t it ring a bell?”
“Uh… Pep Guardiola?”
“Correct. He’s my uncle. My dad works at Girona.”
So that’s what it was!! No wonder she kept recommending Barcelona.
Harrison nodded as if everything finally made sense.
“That’s also why you didn’t react much when I mentioned your aunt complimenting the clothes. She gives me a lot of fashion advice. So it must have been close to her taste.”
“Ah~ I see. Still, thanks to you I found some nice clothes, so it’s all good. I can finally wear normal outfits outside now… I’ve been walking around in training gear for way too long.”
“That’s why you stood out so much. You were basically advertising that you were a player.”
“Hmm… yeah…”
“So what did you decide? Even if you can’t tell me the details, you can at least give me the general idea.”
“Well…”
After a moment of hesitation, Ha Sunmoon spoke.
“It looks like I’ll be heading to a Premier League team.”
“The Manchester City you asked about last time?”
“They’re one of the options.”
“Go there.”
“Why? You’re not recommending Barcelona anymore?”
At Ha Sunmoon’s question, Clara gave a wry smile.
“Don’t come to Barcelona. It’s a bunch of idiots.”
The reason for her harsh words was simple.
It was because Messi had tearfully announced he was leaving for PSG.