LRAB Chapter 51 Win-Win Situation
Chapter 51 Win-Win Situation
Ken Wright tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his gaze fixed on Ye Xian, his expression serious.
He is indeed considering the feasibility of this plan.
He glanced at Zhang Jilong again, then at Lin Bingsen, the marketing director of Kejian Group.
It seems there aren't any other options.
Judging from Lin Bingsen's expression, the Football Association must have already informed him about Ye Xian's concurrent appointment as assistant coach of the national team.
This is Everton's cash cow! They can't afford to offend him.
If this is not agreed upon, the subsequent recruitment of national team players may also be affected.
The bigger impact is that Kejian may withdraw its sponsorship, which will greatly affect Everton's signings for the new season!
In the fiercely competitive Premier League, if you don't make the right moves in the summer transfer window, relegation is really not far away...
"The Chinese team doesn't have many matches in the next two years," Ye Xian added.
"The World Cup has just ended, and there will be no World Cup qualifiers in the near future."
"And for the next Asian Cup in 2004, China is the host country and does not need to participate in the qualifiers."
"That means the Chinese team didn't have a formal match to play until July 2004."
"During this period, I can skip the friendly matches and warm-up games and only keep in touch with Mr. Milutinovic by phone..."
Ken Wright nodded repeatedly at these words.
From this perspective, Everton actually didn't lose out at all.
Some might even make a profit!
Over the two seasons, it's possible that Ye Xian was only slightly distracted, providing remote assistance to the national team.
Ye Xian's role as an assistant coach for the Chinese national team, along with one or two Chinese national team players, will undoubtedly strengthen the connection between Everton and Chinese fans.
With Ye Xian's current influence in China, he can indeed bring more market attention to Everton, which coincides with the club's original intention to expand into the Far East market.
After thinking for a moment, Kenwright asked Ye Xian, "Besides this, what is Mr. Ye's second request?"
Ye Xian also stated directly: "I hope to serve as the team's manager, not just the head coach. Simply put, I hope to have the decision-making power to participate in player recruitment, to bring in suitable players based on the team's tactical needs, and to build a lineup that fits my tactical philosophy."
These words instantly made the atmosphere in the meeting room heavy.
Here, Ye Xian uses the English terms "Manager" and "Head Coach" to refer to two different management models currently existing in Premier League clubs.
The manager has greater authority, holding sway over first-team coaching, player transfers, team budget, and youth development decisions; they are essentially the head of the club's football affairs.
The Head Coach is only responsible for training and matches, while the decision to recruit and buy players is made by the sporting director or senior management.
Managers like Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United and Arsène Wenger of Arsenal are typical examples.
Most other teams' head coaches are head coaches.
Winters immediately objected: "Mr. Ye Xian, I'm afraid that's a bit difficult. The decision-making power for player recruitment has always been made by the chairman and CEO. There has never been a situation where the head coach had the power to make player recruitment decisions. This is not in line with the club's normal operating model."
"I understand." Ye Xian's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness. "But the reason I made this request is because I firmly believe that only by selecting suitable players according to my tactical philosophy can Everton's performance be improved. If I can only be responsible for tactical training but cannot decide on player recruitment, then my tactical philosophy will be difficult to fully implement."
He paused, then added, "I don't want to monopolize the power of player recruitment, but rather I hope to be involved, discussing with the club's management and Coach Moyes to select the players best suited for the team. Moreover, I only want the authority; I don't need a salary increase due to the promotion."
The Ye Xian of today, besides possessing advanced tactical concepts from later generations, is more importantly a time traveler.
He knows that future stars will never take the wrong path!
However, if he cannot have significant decision-making power in buying players, then he is much worse off.
Therefore, Ye Xian is determined to fight for this right.
After hearing these words, Ken Wright remained silent for a long time.
His fingers traced the Everton crest on the document, his mind weighing the pros and cons repeatedly.
Actually, he wasn't unwilling to relinquish power.
In fact, in the original timeline, after Moyes established himself at Everton and achieved some success, Kenwright did indeed appoint Moyes as manager to oversee transfer matters.
But the problem is that Ye Xian is a coach who has never led a club team for even a single day. Can he really take on such a heavy responsibility right away?
Ken Wright looked at Ye Xian again, his eyes full of consideration.
From a competitive standpoint, Ye Xian's tactical talent is undeniable, and his performance at the World Cup has proven his ability.
Giving him the power to make transfer decisions might actually improve Everton's squad and help them achieve even better results.
From a market perspective, Ye Xian's enormous influence in China and even Asia can bring Everton a continuous stream of commercial value.
Sponsor Kejian had already put pressure on the club, hoping to leverage Ye Xian's influence to expand the brand's awareness in Asia.
If Ye Xian's request is rejected, the club may lose Kejian, an important sponsor, which would be a significant financial loss for the club.
More importantly, Kenwright knew that Ye Xian was a rare and talented coach—even Moyes, who should have been his rival, said so!
If we miss out on him due to licensing issues, he could very well be poached by other European clubs.
At that point, Everton will not only lose an excellent coach, but also their best opportunity to expand into the Chinese market...
After much deliberation, Ken Wright slowly raised his head, a determined smile appearing on his face:
"Mr. Ye Xian, I agree to both of your requests."
These words instantly eased the atmosphere in the meeting room.
Winters looked at Kenwright with some surprise, wanting to speak up and dissuade him, but Kenwright raised his hand to stop him.
Kenwright looked at Ye Xian, his tone sincere and firm: "We can reach a consensus on the matter of your part-time job with the national team. As long as it doesn't affect Everton's normal operations, we fully support you going back to assist Coach Milutinovic."
"Regarding the decision-making power for player recruitment, I also agree to appoint you as the team manager, sharing the decision-making power with the club's senior management and Coach Moyes. You can make recruitment suggestions based on tactical needs, participate in recruitment negotiations, and ensure that the team's lineup conforms to your tactical philosophy."
He added, "I believe in your abilities and your vision. Everton needs your talent and influence. We are willing to break with convention and give you sufficient trust and authority, hoping you can lead Everton to create a glorious future together!"
A relieved smile appeared on Ye Xian's face, and his worries completely disappeared.
In fact, besides Everton, several other clubs have also made offers to him recently, but most of them disagreed with his two "excessive" demands.
Occasionally, teams agree to further negotiations, but these are usually from lower-league teams.
It can be said that Ye Xian is still a "rookie coach" at present, and people still have doubts about whether he can shoulder the heavy responsibility of a club.
Therefore, it's unlikely that he would be given that much authority, let alone the additional responsibility of being a part-time assistant coach for the national football team!
But now that a Premier League club like Everton is willing to lower its standards and agree to anything, there's really nothing to complain about.
Well, even if it's because the Chinese Football Association and Kejian Group are standing behind him, that's pretty impressive!
Moreover, an annual salary of £50 is not high when compared with Ferguson and Wenger.
But that's equivalent to 650 million RMB...
650 million in 2002! That's instant wealth!
So Ye Xian stood up, extended his hand, and said to Kenwright, "Thank you for your trust and sincerity, Chairman Kenwright. I will certainly not let you down!"
Kenwright stood up, grasped Ye Xian's hand tightly, and said with anticipation, "I believe in you, Mr. Ye Xian. I can't wait to see your performance at Goodison Park!"
Seeing this, Winters could only suppress his objections and said, "Then I will draft another contract based on the latest negotiation results, and then give it to Mr. Ye Xian for review and formal signing..."
Zhang Jilong and Lin Bingsen exchanged a glance and nodded in satisfaction.
This is a win-win situation, and it's something they're happy to see.
The Chinese Football Association, Kejian Group, Everton Football Club, and Ye Xian are all satisfied!
Lin Bingsen also stepped forward:
"Or shall we talk about Li Tie and Li Weifeng directly? Let's see if Coach Ye is satisfied with these two candidates..."
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