The Drama
The Drama
On June 11th, the England team would play a friendly match at home with the South American powerhouse, Uruguay. Four days later, they would face their competitor in the qualifier, Serbia, at Wembley Stadium.
After playing that game, those national footballers were finally able to go on their holiday.
In the game against Uruguay, England won with a score of 2:1. Gerrard and Rooney contributed goals. The Uruguayans relied on the Palermo striker, Cavani, to score one goal in the 90th minute.
England played a rather difficult game against Serbia during the home match. After Mitchell scored the first goal in the opening eleven minutes, Serbia launched a frantic counterattack. The tired England team was barely able to ward off the attacks, without any strength to strike back for some time. The 1:0 lead gave the Serbians hope, so they kept launching attacks for a while.
It was not until the last minute of injury stoppage time that Agbonlahor, who came on as a substitute in the second half, made use of the gaps left by the Serbians pressing ahead in hopes of equalizing the score. He dribbled the ball over a long distance to wage a long-range raid, scoring the decisive winning goal. The England team would hold onto its top spot in the group with a solid 2:0 victory over Serbia at its home ground, taking another firm step toward Spain.
Next, the European football world entered the summer transfer period.
The countless exciting scenes to which the fans looked forward played out in front of everyone's eyes.
But for the Nottingham Forest fans, there were not many good memories to be made this summer.
No matter what kind of banners they put up outside the football club, no matter how much they protested, they could not manage to make the team's main goalkeeper, Akinfeev, stay in the team. Akinfeev, the Russian national goalkeeper who once earned a lot of glory for the team with his own two hands, was deemed the best successor to Peter Shilton in the Forest team, and he had gone to Manchester United for a fee of twenty-five million pounds.
Mourinho finally got the stable goalkeeper he had dreamed of, and the Forest fans once again staged a protest against the club's top brass.
Although the club subsequently signed on Schmeichel Jr., Kasper Schmeichel did not compared with Igor Akinfeev in terms of either strength or fame.
After that, it was not long before Woodgate left the Forest team and returned to Middlesbrough for a transfer fee of thirteen million pounds.
Of course, the most popular Forest players in the transfer market were still the trio of George Wood, Gareth Bale, and Aaron Mitchell. If Evan Doughty was willing, these three players could have brought him a transfer fee revenue of at least one hundred and thirty million pounds.
But Evan Doughty was a little more rational. He had indicated more than once that George Wood was not for sale; he was a standard-bearer that no amount of money could buy.
As for the other players... as long as the other party could make him an offer he couldn't refuse, then they could all go, as far as he was concerned.
Of course, some people also suspected if there was a club that would make an offer that drove the world crazy for George Wood, then Evan Doughty would not hesitate to push the Forest team's standard-bearer into the transfer market.
Unfortunately, Wood was a defensive midfielder. Clubs that were willing to spend big money on the attacking players were not willing to waste too many euros on a defender.
Instead, Mitchell and Bale were the ones to receive a number of tempting offers.
Barcelona had made a bid for Mitchell for a fee of thirty million pounds, and they threw in the German "Super Mario" Gomez, which enticed the Forest team.
Even Mitchell wondered if he should move to a different environment to play. The sale of Akinfeev by the top brass had made him unhappy. Moreover, Barcelona was a powerhouse club, so it was not a step down for him to go there.
But Twain did not want the team, which he had personally built, to fall apart so soon. He indirectly told the tentative Mitchell in his column that he was considering only players who mainly competed in the domestic leagues. After all, the foreign leagues were too far away. He could not determine the condition of the players playing abroad in time. He used Lennon as an example, telling Mitchell that going abroad to play for a powerhouse club might not really be so easy.
The people at Barcelona must have hated Twain to the core because even if he no longer held the position of Forest team manager, he was still trying to go against Barcelona.
No one could have more influence and status than Twain in the minds of the Forest team's old players.
Now that Twain had indirectly expressed that he did not want Mitchell to play abroad, Mitchell listened and chose to stay. His agent was very disappointed, but powerless, because the player's personal will was the final word. Even if the Forest team had agreed to Barcelona's offer, the transfer would not have been possible unless he could persuade Mitchell to accept. But it was clear that Mitchell's agent, who had been with him for a long time, did not hold more sway than Mitchell's mentor, Tony Twain.
Thanks to this huge loss of income, Mitchell's agent must have hated Twain so much that he might have even cursed Twain in his heart during sex.
Gareth Bale's situation was more complicated.
Like his teammates, he had received a number of offers from numerous football clubs. But he was not an English national footballer, so Twain had no right to mess him around and interfere with his going or staying.
Only he himself could decide whether to leave or stay.
Bale was a left-back who was very good in offense and defense, extremely popular, and good at positional play.
Bayern Munich, Juventus, and AC Milan were hoping to get such a good left-back.
But none of the three teams could be considered generous clubs. The highest offer was from Bayern Munich for eighteen million pounds.
For Evan Doughty and Allan Adams, that highest offer was simply an insult to them. They turned down the offers from all three clubs but did not close the door to any further transfer negotiations. They kept the same stance--if there was a crazy offer that would satisfy them, they would not be above selling.
While Gareth Bale still did not know where he would play in the future, another familiar Forest player chose to leave.
Matías Fernández had left the Forest team for a fee of twenty million pounds. He was heading to Atlético Madrid in La Liga.
Evan Doughty was not worried that his departure would affect the strength of the team because he still had Nicolás Millán, who had grown up well. But for the fans who followed the team through its golden years, every player's departure was like bidding an old friend farewell, and they were reluctant to part.
There were also angry fans in Wilford with protest signs that said, "Mr. Doughty, how many more talents do you have to sell?"
Their protesting voices were not yet silenced when Jonjo Shelvey was sold for eight million pounds.
Until the start of the new English Premier League season, Gareth Bale was still embroiled in the transfer maelstrom.
Although Bayern and Juventus, as well as AC Mila,n chose to step back in the face of Evan Doughty's demand for an exorbitant fee, a new buyer came in to fill the void they left.
The rich and imposing Real Madrid, the best club in the last century, which had traditionally spent any money it had to repeatedly break world records in transfer fees, had made an offer of twenty-seven million pounds for Bale.
Evan Doughty was keen to build a good relationship with Real Madrid through the deal, but Allan told him that if they were to accept the offer of twenty-seven million, it would make them feel that they were too easy to deal with and the other party would lose interest. As a result, the Forest team countered with an asking price of thirty-four million pounds.
The asking price was not low for a defender... But it was not a shocking sky-high price. This amount of money was nothing to Real Madrid's overbearing wealth.
Therefore, the Forest fans panicked. They knew they might lose another favorite player. They recognized that going to the club to demonstrate no longer worked because no one cared about the fans' protests, especially when Evan was still the sole owner of the club.
This time, they turned to entreating the player himself.
Outside the apartment where Bale lived, the football fans began to gather on their own. Then, they sang the Forest team's song and songs of praise they had written for Bale. They held up signs and posters of Bale, asking him to stay.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid had already accepted the Forest team's asking price.
It was a bad sign.
It meant that Real Madrid could begin talks with Bale's agent about the contract. As soon as Bale signed the contract, he would leave Nottingham Forest forever, abandoning the team he had been with for twelve years.
The pleas for Bale not to go became even louder. Many Forest fans used various methods in hopes that their favorite "little monkey" would listen to the fans' voices and not choose to leave, even though they were aware that the current Nottingham Forest team held no appeal to make someone stay.
"The document for the contract came from Real Madrid," Bale's agent, who was also his father, told him.
In the past, Bale lived alone in Nottingham, with his father and mother living together. But throughout the summer, his father had been living with him.
The sound of the fans singing and shouting continued to be heard outside the tightly closed window.
"Gareth! Gareth! Gareth!"
Bale sat on the couch, listening to those voices and feeling somewhat lost.
"The terms offered by Real Madrid are very attractive." As a father and an agent, he always put his son first. He looked over the contract.
His father turned to look at his son, and saw that he wasn't listening. He let out a sigh and said, "If you can't make a decision, I think you can give Mr. Twain a call first."
Bale finally looked up at his father.
"Well... I think maybe he'll have some better advice than your old man." He winked at his son.
An idea seemed to spark in Gareth Bale's mind as well. Previously, when the boss was still with the team, he would always ask Twain when he had anything that he could not make up his mind about. Why had he forgotten now?
Twain was sitting on the side of the bed, reading a book by the light of a lamp on his bedside table. He wore black-rimmed glasses and a slight frown on his face. That combination made him look much older than he actual was.
At this time, he and Bale were in the same city. He had heard a lot of rumors about Bale's transfer, but he did not expect that he would receive a phone call from Bale.
"Boss, I need help." That was the first sentence that Bale spoke after the phone call was picked up.
"What's the matter, Gareth?" Twain asked, despite knowing what it was about.
"I'm very confused right now... I don't know what choice I should make." Bale's voice sounded low, and his mood was depressed.
Twain was not in a hurry to answer. He cocked his ear to listen and heard a faint noise coming from the other end of the line.
"Haven't the fans left yet?" He turned to pick up his watch from the bedside table. It was almost eleven o'clock at night.
Apparently, Bale was also looking at the time, and he replied, "They'll disperse in another half an hour." It had been like this the past few days, and Bale was used to it.
Twain smiled quietly and said, "Gareth, would you like to stay with the Forest team?"
Bale shook his head and replied, "I don't know. I used to be very determined to stay on... But after a season, I'm undecided..."
"Do you want to hear my opinion?"
"Yes, I suppose."
Twain was silent for a moment as he removed his glasses from the bridge of his nose and put them aside. Then he closed his eyes.
He seemed to be reminiscing about his time with Bale, how he had a chance encounter with the Welsh kid, and how he brought him to Nottingham... And his interesting and nagging father.
"Gareth..."
"I'm listening, boss."
"If I were an ordinary Forest fan, I think maybe I'd sing by your window tonight to try to make you stay..."
"So, are you saying you want me to stay?" Bale's asked with a hint of anticipation.
"Listen and let me finish, Gareth. However, I'm a football manager, and some things can't be completely decided based on emotions. Of course, it stands to reason that it will not necessarily be better than in the Forest team if you go to Real Madrid. It's possible things may be better, but it's also possible they may be worse. There are many possibilities ahead in the future, and I can't tell you which one might be better. If I ask you to stay, and the Forest team does badly, then I will be doing you harm. If I let you go, and you lose yourself in the locker room of a powerhouse club, I will also be hurting you."
Bale listened patiently.
"So, I think you should follow your original thinking. But you're only twenty-five years old. It's normal to want to go and experience what's out there."
Twain did not give his opinion because it was not any of his business.
After listening to him, Bale asked, "Boss, in terms of feelings, you don't want me to leave, do you?"
The remark touched on what Twain had in mind. Truthfully, his heart had refused to accept reality since the first Forest player he knew was sold. So, he was trying not to pay attention to the transfer rumors associated with the Forest team.
Kompany, Pepe, Akinfeev... These were the players who had helped him forge his legacy. As a manager who had devoted all his energy to the team, he valued the attachment.
"If it were possible, Gareth, I mean if it were possible... I'd rather you all don't go." Twain said these words with deep emotions. It was not fake at all, because that was what he really thought, deep inside. "But..." He emphasized his tone and made a turn in the conversation.
Just as he was about to go on, he was interrupted by Bale quickly saying, "No more buts, boss, I know what I should choose!"
Then he hung up.
Twain stared blankly at the phone in his hand. He thought he had already guessed what Bale would do. Although he felt a little selfish, he was also very happy.
Indeed, he was very happy.
He laughed.
※※※
One day later, in the same place, at twilight, when the night wind had not yet blown away the heat of the day, no less than a hundred people had gathered. They held up banners and portraits of Bale, singing and shouting to touch Bale's heart with the feelings of the fans.
The day's daytime sports news and media reported that Real Madrid's negotiations with Bale had reached a critical stage. Perhaps it might be possible to announce the matter of Bale's signing to the team by the end of the week.
As the current vice-captain of the Forest team, Gareth Bale enjoyed a high level of prestige among the fans. He came out of the Forest's youth camp and was an iconic figure like George Wood. He was optimistic and cheerful. Even when he was seriously injured, he did not give up football. He was the main player during Tony Twain's brilliant era. The "little monkey" moniker reflected everyone's love for him. If such a player were to leave the Forest team, then what kind of confidence could the Forest team give the fans?
As more and more fans gathered, and their singing grew increasingly louder, some people noticed that the window, which had been closed for the past several days, had been opened.
More and more people noticed this change, and they stopped their singing and shouting as they looked up at the window.
"Are you certain, son?" Bale's father asked, standing inside the house, holding his cell phone.
Bale was standing at the window. The night breeze blew and flapped the curtains. It fluttered his hair and his heart. The black figures of the crows below made it look like there were even more people than there were yesterday. They all lifted their heads to look up at him.
"Yeah, Dad. I've made my decision." Bale nodded.
He walked to the window and shook out the item he was holding in his hand. A wave of cheers erupted below.
What he held in his hand was the Nottingham Forest red jersey.
Behind him, his father dialed Valdano's number and said, "... Mr. Valdano? I am... Yes, I have his answer... My son..." He turned toward Bale standing at the window. He was waving to the fans below, and there was another burst of cheers.
"He is very grateful to Real Madrid for their interest in him. It is the dream of any professional player to play for a great team like Real Madrid... But my son has reiterated his love for Nottingham Forest. He will not sign the contract and will remain at Nottingham Forest."
Bale put the team emblem on the Forest jersey to his lips and kissed it. The cheers below became even louder.
"Gareth! Gareth! Gareth!"
"Forest, Forest, Nottingham Forest!!"
※※※
The next day, Bale's father contacted the media to announce Bale's decision to stay with the team, which finally put the Nottingham Forest fans' minds at ease.
Perhaps the most disappointed person was the Real Madrid president, Florentino, because the player he wanted had turned down his offer.
The most unhappy person was probably Evan Doughty.
Bale pledged his allegiance to the Forest team, and the Forest team's first-in-command did not appreciate the kindness in his heart. Bale's rebuff had cost him the chance to build a good relationship with Real Madrid and also lost him a lot of money...
But for the public, he issued a statement saying he was very pleased that Bale had finally chosen to stay, proving that loyalty was priceless. He assured them that Bale would bring glory back to the Forest team.
But perhaps everyone was hissing at him in their hearts...
Kerslake later said he was pleased to see Gareth Bale's name on the new season's roster. The manager's delight came from the heart, compared with the chairman's hypocritical show of affection. Bale was definitely an irreplaceable player on the team. With him around, they did not have to worry about the left side of the field.
The Forest team's most dynamic transfer drama of the summer was over, and the new season had begun...