Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

193 – The Big Kid Next to Me

193

The team founded in 1880 as St. Mark’s West Gorton in Manchester, England, has now become Manchester City, representing England in the 2030s.

Of course, Manchester City’s rise to prominence as England’s representative didn’t happen overnight. Although the team has a long history, it was only after Mansour’s takeover that Manchester City was able to transform itself into its current form.

Mansour, a member of the UAE royal family and the vice president, as well as the president of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, declared, “I’ll show you what it means to be rich,” and poured an enormous amount of money into Manchester City, completely rebuilding the team from scratch and leading it to its current position.

It’s not just about throwing money around as a rich owner from the Middle East.

He’s done it well.

In today’s highly commercialized football world, financial power is crucial, but it’s not the only factor. Mansour’s takeover was not just about spending money; it was about investing in the team’s future.

There have been many owners who have simply thrown money around, like Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich, Manchester City’s previous owner, Thailand’s Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and Qatar’s Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, who triggered the FFP crisis at Malaga.

Among them, some owners have successfully led their teams to become big clubs, while others have driven their teams to ruin. However, there hasn’t been an owner who has earned the long-term love and admiration of their fans.

It’s not easy to gain fans’ genuine love and admiration just by throwing money around. Mansour and PSG’s Tamim are among the few owners who have achieved this.

Now, it’s an era where you need to do more than just spend money to gain love and admiration.

Mansour’s and Tamim’s investments are different from those of other sugar daddy owners. They’re not just interested in the team’s current situation; they’re also investing in its future.

In that sense, Manchester City has grown to become a leading club not just in England but in the world.

And the man who made it possible had a weighty presence.

“Nice to meet you, Joo Ji-tae. I’m glad to finally meet you.”

The man, who was familiar from videos, smiled brightly and extended his hand.

Joo Ji-tae shook Mansour’s hand. The hand of a billionaire, who possessed tens of trillions of won, was no different from that of an ordinary person.

“I expect you to showcase your impressive skills, which you’ve demonstrated at Barcelona, here as well. Especially your leadership, which is what our team lacks. We have high expectations for you, Joo Ji-tae.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Leadership… yeah, Manchester City’s current situation is a bit of a mess.

As he thought this, Mansour continued, “I promise you, no matter what happens, I’ll actively support and back you up. And my support means the support of the entire Manchester City organization.”

“That’s quite an impressive welcome.”

“I have high expectations for you, Joo Ji-tae. Ma’a salaama.”

The meeting with the owner ended there.

The brief encounter, which lasted only about five minutes, was filled with greetings, small talk, expectations, and a subtle promise of support. However, Mansour’s words left a strong impression on Joo Ji-tae.

It wasn’t because the other person was a billionaire or a vice president of a country.

“It’s not just about me supporting you; it’s about Manchester City supporting you… The person who has led Manchester City to where it is today.”

Mansour’s confidence, which bordered on arrogance, was impressive. He seemed to be saying that his will was Manchester City’s will.

Joo Ji-tae, who had never been envious of others’ wealth or status, felt a twinge of envy towards Mansour’s absolute confidence.

He thought to himself, “I want to be like that too.”

As a player, how could he develop such confidence? A player who earns the absolute support of the fans, like Lionel Messi during his Barcelona days, perhaps?

To become such a player, he needed achievements, and those achievements came from absolute skill.

But, anyway, his skills were already prepared.

Then,

“What’s with the locker room situation that you’re talking like that?”

First, let’s solve the problem in front of us.

After parting ways with Mansour, Joo Ji-tae found Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

The chairman of Mubadala Development Company, the parent company of International Petroleum Investment Company, the national fund of the United Arab Emirates, and the CEO of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC), as well as the mayor of Abu Dhabi and the chairman of Melbourne City.

However, what was more important to Joo Ji-tae was something else.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

The right-hand man of Mansour.

This man was the de facto chairman of Manchester City, leading the team on behalf of Mansour.

“Nice to meet you, Joo Ji-tae. Did you have a good conversation with His Highness?”

“Yes, it was good. He just asked me to take care of it.”

“Ha ha. His Highness has an excellent eye for talent. He assigns suitable roles to suitable people.”

Unlike Mansour, who was born with a gentle face, Khaldoon, with his stern expression, surprisingly showed a soft smile and led the way.

“So, what’s the situation here…?”

After a brief small talk, Khaldoon directly asked Joo Ji-tae about the main issue.

“I’d like to request a player transfer.”

Originally, it was an absurd thing to do.

A player getting involved in a player transfer? And even asking for it openly? But Khaldoon just smiled calmly.

“A transfer, you say. Will that help with His Highness’s request?”

“Of course.”

Without a hint of hesitation, Khaldoon nodded his head.

“Alright. However, I can’t guarantee success. As you know, we’ve invested a lot this time. We don’t have much room to maneuver to comply with FFP.”

“That’s okay. The player I’m requesting won’t require a large transfer fee.”

“Just to be sure, it has to be a verified player.”

“Of course. It’s a player who’s already been verified.”

“Alright. Who is it?”

“Arsenal’s Cho Jae-shin.”

There was a brief silence.

Cho Jae-shin. Khaldoon repeated the familiar name in his head. He definitely knew the player. A player who had been verified.

However,

“It’s going to be tough. We can’t meet Arsenal’s asking price. At least not this season.”

“I don’t think so.”

But Joo Ji-tae smiled calmly.

“He’s got one year left on his contract and isn’t renewing it, so…”

“But isn’t it true that the player’s side has a strong intention to renew the contract due to their loyalty to the club?”

“I don’t think so?”

Khaldoon’s eyes widened as he caught Joo Ji-tae’s meaningful smile.

“The transfer fee will be manageable since he’s got one year left on his contract. And we can negotiate the salary and options… That’s okay, considering we’re getting the EPL’s top scorer.”

The transfer of Cho Jae-shin, who won the EPL’s top scorer last season while playing for Arsenal.

Is he really holding out with one year left on his contract? And is another player actively recommending him to the club?

Caldeen thought about the fact that they shared the same nationality, were teammates on the same representative team, and were even childhood friends tied together by marriage, and smiled slyly.

“That’s right. It’s worth a try.”

“Exactly. It’s worth a try.”

The two exchanged meaningful glances.

There was no tempering. Absolutely not.

* * *

The Arsenal board was furious.

“Why do you keep delaying the contract renewal! You clearly said you were positive about it!!”

“That’s… I don’t know. Until recently, the atmosphere was good, and the player had strong loyalty, but suddenly, they’re saying it’s difficult to renew the contract…”

“Is the agent playing tricks? The player was extremely loyal! I checked it thoroughly!”

“I had a direct conversation with the player…”

“So, what’s going on? What’s going on! Are they really going to transfer? Has the Korean player really made up their mind to leave?”

“It seems so… They’ve made up their mind to transfer.”

“This is ridiculous…!! We made them the top scorer, and now they’re refusing to renew the contract with only a year left!! It’s been 20 years since Obaem Yang, and we finally made them the top scorer, and now they’re doing this!!”

The board was furious, but there was nothing they could do.

They hadn’t even signed the contract, nor had they given a clear answer verbally. It was just a positive atmosphere, but in the transfer market, this was an ambiguous situation with no binding power. Moreover, it wasn’t a morally problematic issue.

—What’s going on, even Jo Jae-shin is transferring?

—They said they’d renew their contract with Arsenal after becoming the top scorer, but what’s this?

—Real Madrid and Munich are linked to them too!!

—Wow, Real Madrid’s attack is unstoppable

—Meanwhile, Manchester United is being ridiculousㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

—???? : “I heard the little kid in my heart shouting that it’s Manchester United”

Jo Jae-shin, who was reading the community comments, muttered to himself unintentionally.

“It’s not the little kid in my heart, but the big kid next to me shouting that it’s Manchester City…”

“So, what’s wrong?”

“…No, it’s fine. Good luck, uncle.”

“Ah, of course, uncle.”