Save 26. Pre-season
Sin Uison was bewildered.
A perspective he had never considered until now was pounding through his head.
In a way, it was the violence of a football philosophy completed by an individual.
‘Ah.’
Realizing something, Sin Uison looked at Raiola.
Who knew when he had put away several glasses of beer; his face was flushed red.
“Unlike coffee, this is fine.”
Aware of that gaze, Raiola lightly shook his empty glass.
Someone seeing that figure might think of an indolent pig, but not to Sin Uison.
He realized why Raiola had come all the way to Germany with him—more precisely, why he had arranged a meeting with Oliver Kahn.
This kind of advice.
Unless it came from Oliver Kahn, he would not have listened so carefully.
‘No, it had to be this person.’
Oliver Kahn had been famous for an extremely volatile temper even during his playing days.
The reason his words were not dismissed as mere drunken rambling was the same.
Because he was a legend who had been called the world's best goalkeeper.
It was advice coming from such a person.
There was no way Sin Uison would let it go in one ear and out the other.
[That is tremendous initiative.]
‘Tell me about it.’
Even so, who would have imagined he would bring him all the way to Germany?
The scale was simply different.
It seemed he was not called a big shot for nothing.
Sin Uison talked a bit more with Oliver Kahn after that.
It was a new, wondrous feeling.
But something felt like it was within reach yet remained elusive.
Like a chick trying to break out of its egg, but instead of hatching, only leaving a fine crack across the shell.
[There is no need to take it all in at once. If you force it, it may end up harming your true self.]
‘Whew.’
To cool his overheated head, Sin Uison sipped his cold coffee.
The legendary goalkeeper's words were steeped in experiences from his long playing career.
It would be strange indeed for a rookie who had only just debuted to understand it all immediately.
“It has been quite some time since I have had this much fun.”
Oliver Kahn smiled, patting Sin Uison on the shoulder. Having exchanged contact information, he told him to call anytime if he needed advice.
“I would like to take you to Bayern if I could, but that would be a misfortune for everyone. Munich has a madman in goal right now.”
“Haha.”
Sin Uison smiled bitterly at those words.
Manuel Neuer.
The world-class goalkeeper currently guarding Bayern Munich's net.
Despite being young for a goalkeeper, he was highly likely to soon break Oliver Kahn's Bundesliga clean sheet record; the support from Bayern's board and fans was absolute.
‘If I went now, I'd only be warming the bench.’
“Come to think of it, you are quite good at passing too. That is a rather special option for a goalkeeper. But if there is one thing that is unfortunate, it is the coaching.”
Oliver Kahn scratched his chin.
For a promising player with much to learn, coaching was just as important as a mentor.
Even though Leeds had returned to the Premier League, they could not compare to top-class coaches.
“I will have a word with a man I know. I can vouch for his ability.”
As for his personality... Kahn trailed off, then grabbed his smartphone as if it were truly time to leave.
“Then do well in England as well.”
“Yes. Thank you for the advice today.”
“Don't mention it.”
Kahn waved his hand and left.
Just that was enough to leave a void behind; such was his considerable presence.
Now only Sin Uison and Raiola remained.
Raiola wiped his mouth with a napkin and spoke.
“Shall we be on our way too?”
Even though they had come all the way to Germany, neither seemed to have any intention of resting there.
Sin Uison was headed to England.
Raiola was headed to Italy.
They were together until the airport, but their return flights were different.
“Raiola, thank you for today.”
“What for.”
Raiola, who had somehow bought a pretzel and was chewing on it, shrugged.
“Because you are a client worth this level of investment.”
“......”
Sin Uison partly understood why Raiola was such a popular agent among players.
Who could fail to be won over after an event like this?
Having finished his pretzel and crumpled the wrapper, Raiola stood up.
“It is about time I went.”
“Take care.”
“Oh, by the way. You might hear some rather interesting news.”
“Interesting news?”
“It is not certain yet. Let's leave it as a pleasure for then.”
Raiola left behind those meaningful words.
Left alone, Sin Uison checked his watch.
There was still some time before his flight.
Sin Uison quietly closed his eyes and replayed the day's events.
Truly.
It had been an unforgettable day.
***
July.
It was the time when clubs were slowly beginning their pre-season schedules.
But even though the World Cup had ended, Leeds had still not appointed a new manager.
Thanks to that, the fans' anxiety showed no signs of subsiding. Even Tony Pulis, who had been strongly linked to the job, had gone quiet lately.
-What the hell is the board doing?
-We've got the same bastard of an owner again.
-Is that crazy bastard Massimo Cellino aiming for Mourinho or something?
At this rate, they were on the verge of going through pre-season without a manager.
Generally, clubs in that situation often ruined their season.
At a time when anxiety and discontent were steadily building.
News that would shock English football arrived.
[BBC] Leeds' new manager is Fabio Capello.
News that Fabio Capello, who had stepped down as Russia manager after the World Cup, might take the helm at Leeds.
The Italian Fabio Capello was a legendary manager who represented the nineties.
Even if he was now treated as washed-up, his reputation remained tremendous.
[Sky Sports] The prospects Leeds are targeting.
Meanwhile, as if the lack of transfer news until now had all been for this moment, numerous rumors heated up the press following Capello.
Leeds fans looked through the list of articles with bewildered faces.
Was it a dream, or had the alcohol from the night before not yet worn off?
It was too big a story to be treated as mere rumor given the prestige of the outlets confirming it. In particular, if the BBC was covering it, it could be taken as meaning the deal was very close.
[Leeds Live] An aged Capello, is he okay?
[Yorkshire Evening Post] Capello's temperament could be poison for Leeds!
Not everyone welcomed Capello. Quite a few expressed negative opinions, meaning precisely that he was a manager behind the times.
Football's trends are constantly changing.
No matter how legendary a manager of the nineties, if he could not keep up with the trends, he was nothing but a has-been.
Look at this very World Cup—had he not led Russia to a disappointing group stage elimination? Considering the salary he had received, it was a result where he could not complain about being called a fraud.
[Official] Leeds appoint Fabio Capello.
The new manager appointment proceeded very quickly, unlike the silence until now.
Still, that reputation did not simply vanish; the consensus was that for a newly promoted Leeds, this was the best possible coup.
Even the skeptics acknowledged that Fabio Capello was better than Tony Pulis.
“Why did you choose Leeds, a promoted team?”
“Because their project was not bad.”
“There are many people concerned after the failure at this World Cup. What do you think about that?”
“Needless worry.”
Fabio Capello's interview was somewhat sharp.
It was in his nature to be sharp, but as his words indicated, he had been deeply shamed at the recent World Cup.
“What is the goal for this season?”
“First, survival. Then a higher position.”
It was a realistic statement. Truthfully, if he had said the Champions League, the next day's headlines would have read "Senile Capello."
“To what extent did agent Mino Raiola influence this move to Leeds?”
“Not zero, but he is not in a position to give me orders.”
It meant that taking the helm at Leeds had been his own choice.
“Are there any positions you are thinking of strengthening?”
At that moment, a reporter raised a hand and asked.
Capello pondered briefly before answering.
“There are players I have in mind, but first I must assess the squad. Ah, but I can tell you this.”
Capello continued with absolute certainty.
“There will be no goalkeeper reinforcements.”
***
Indeed, Raiola had been behind Capello taking the helm at Leeds.
Raiola, who had built close connections in Italian football and was personally acquainted with Capello, had pulled the strings.
But.
Why had Raiola connected Capello with Leeds when Capello was not even his client?
A simple act of charity?
No.
Raiola had gained clear benefits.
[Official] Leeds United renew contract with Sin Uison!
In exchange for connecting Fabio Capello with Leeds, he had secured the contract renewal he wanted for Sin Uison.
The fact that the owner was Italian had also played its part.
Massimo Cellino, an Italian himself, had taken great interest in a fellow Italian manager, and a legendary one at that.
Moreover, that was not the only benefit Raiola had secured.
[BBC] Leeds bring in Italian prospects!
He had even managed to insert prospects he personally represented into the team.
“He is called a super agent for a reason.”
[He really is a frightening person.]
Even Sin Uison clicked his tongue at that competence.
It was certainly to the point of being fearsome.
‘The new players, huh.’
Not one, but several players had come to Leeds. And they were promising prospects who were considered quite highly rated.
One might wonder how such players were brought in, but it was possible because they were loan transfers rather than permanent moves.
From Leeds' perspective, they spent less money, which was good; from the prospects' perspective, they would get plenty of opportunities, which was good. Of course, it was a signing only possible because Raiola was involved.
[Won't such indiscriminate signings have a negative effect on the team?]
“That may be true.”
He had no choice but to trust Capello on that front.
Given Fabio Capello's personality, he was not the type of manager to force players he disliked into the lineup; if pressured over player selection, he would fly into a rage instead.
“I suppose it is time to head out.”
A new manager had been appointed, so now it was time for Leeds to prepare for pre-season as well.
Sin Uison put his things in his bag and left the house.
‘What kind of manager will he be?’
Sin Uison was inwardly looking forward to meeting Capello.
No matter how much people said he had been left behind by the trends.
He was quite curious what the guidance of a man once called the world's best manager would be like.
‘Big Sam shattered that prejudice for me.’
The training of Sam Allardyce, who had been mocked as old-fashioned, had been beyond imagination. It had been systematic and modern.
So what would the guidance of a manager who once stood at the very pinnacle be like?
His hand gripping the bag tightened.
“Oh, Shin. You're here.”
“Hello. Did you have a good holiday?”
As he entered the training ground, the caretaker greeted him familiarly. He was an affable man who had greeted Sin Uison warmly when he had transferred in the winter.
“Mine was not bad. How about you, Shin?”
“Mine was good.”
Sin Uison smiled slightly.
The meeting with Oliver Kahn had been so intense that it still vividly came to mind.
It had certainly been a valuable experience.
“Is that a car I haven't seen before?”
“Ah, that's the manager Capello's and the new players' cars.”
“Is that so?”
Sin Uison's eyes sparkled with interest.
Until now, Sin Uison had always been the first to arrive at the training ground.
Even before the former manager, McDermott.
After changing in the locker room, Sin Uison walked deeper into the training ground. As the caretaker had said, he saw several people gathered.
The new manager.
Fabio Capello.
And the loan players who had come with him.
‘So those are the ones.’
Sin Uison briefly glanced over the unfamiliar faces.
And among them, the player Sin Uison especially needed to pay attention to was—
“Who's that bastard?”
—the one pointing at Sin Uison with awkward English pronunciation.
The prospect who had come on loan to Leeds this season.
Emmanuel Maily.
His position was center-back.