Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

194 – Dominance

194

『(official) Jo Jae-shin signs 5-year contract with Manchester City』

『The return of Van Persie! The big gun of the armory is heading to Manchester City, not Manchester United』

『The transfer fee is a staggering 6000 million pounds? Arsenal is laughing all the way to the bank』

Jo Jae-shin’s transfer was confirmed just before the pre-season started.

The transfer fee was 6000 million pounds, which is approximately 7000 million euros or 900 billion won. Although it’s a massive amount, it’s actually considered cheap for a player like Jo Jae-shin.

It’s no wonder, given Jo Jae-shin’s skills. He’s a striker who has never scored less than 20 goals in a season since joining the EPL. He’s consistently shown growth every year, and last season, he scored 28 goals in the league, becoming the top scorer. He also achieved 12 assists, making it onto the 20-10 list.

In today’s transfer market, consistency is a given, and a 24-year-old top scorer who shows tremendous growth every season is worth more than 6000 million pounds. If his contract with Arsenal had only a year left, the price would have been unimaginable.

However, from an absolute standard, 6000 million pounds is not a small amount.

Even if they managed to sign him at a bargain price compared to his worth, 6000 million pounds is not equivalent to 3000 million pounds. With this transfer, Manchester City has spent a staggering 5 billion euros on two players in this transfer market alone.

It’s truly an unprecedented record.

Even if you dig through the long history of football, you won’t find a team that has spent as much as Manchester City did in a single season. Of course, it’s not just the highest transfer fee, but also the highest transfer fee for a defender, the highest transfer fee for a non-European player, and many other records have been broken.

Manchester City, known for their wealth, didn’t even flinch at the huge expenditure. Neither the club’s management nor the fans were worried.

Although the team’s finances took a hit, Manchester City is a team that doesn’t have financial problems, unlike others.

『UEFA Champions League winners Manchester City, taking a gamble with the signing of Juzi Tai, a UEFA powerhouse!』

『The two men who shine in the Champions League, Juzi Tai and Cho Jae-sin, form a duo, leading Manchester City to victory!』

The team has signed two players who will surely bring them the Champions League title they’ve been longing for.

* * *

Manchester City’s main striker, Jack Gabbert, had been feeling uneasy lately.

Even during his vacation, he couldn’t shake off the feeling, not even after a passionate night with a new Latin girlfriend.

He usually controlled his drinking, but he couldn’t help himself, and his face was distorted with frustration as he watched TV.

“Damn it. It’s all about that guy everywhere!’

The TV was discussing Manchester City’s changes with Juzi Tai’s joining.

Jack Gabbert didn’t like it.

Firstly, the guy is Asian. Jack Gabbert isn’t a racist, but somehow, he felt uncomfortable being beaten by an Asian.

“What? You’re saying he’s more charming than me? The world is crazy!”

The woman, who had been lying on the bed, suddenly sat up, her face flushed, making Jack Gabbert’s mood even worse. It’s not that he’s not good-looking; he’s confident in his rugged charm… maybe.

“What the hell? That Asian guy thinks he’s so great? A man should have a strong impression and a rough beard like me!”

With his jealousy and anger rising, Jack Gabbert attacked the woman again.

Unlike before, the woman’s expression was calm, but she didn’t resist Jack Gabbert’s passionate advances. So, even though her response was lukewarm, Jack Gabbert didn’t care. He’s a macho man who doesn’t bother with trivial things.

“…Fuck!”

After ending his unhappy vacation, Jack Gabbert returned to the team and had a gloomy reunion with his close friends.

“Hey, bro! Your face is really dark.”

“This is a real man’s face. What have you been doing to get so fat?”

“I had a party at home, and this is what happened. It’s okay, I guess.”

These are the “attackers” led by Manchester City’s main striker Jack Gabbert, including Nuredin Geye, Martin Gestad, Christian Dabi, and attacking midfielder Nathan Aland Der Lun and Luis Garcia.

Of course, there’s another faction that opposes them.

Originally, factions don’t exist if there’s no conflict, and it’s natural for them to form.

“Damn it. Those useless defenders are gathering.”

“If they had skills as flashy as their mouths, they would have won the championship.”

This is the “defenders’ faction” led by Manchester City’s main defender Brad Duff, including center-back duo Rudy Downing and Chris Hooper, and defensive midfielder Andre Nielsen.

The Manchester City locker room was divided into two large factions, which was the core reason for the team’s recent slump.

Generally, factions form based on nationality, race, or friendship, but in this case, it was divided into attacking and defensive positions.

The reason is simple: the team’s performance has been bad.

Originally, if the team performs well, small conflicts are buried. On the other hand, if the team performs poorly, small sparks can ignite conflicts. That’s what happened to Manchester City.

The spark that ignited the conflict was the Champions League quarterfinal match against Barcelona three years ago.

The Manchester City players, who used to have a good relationship, started blaming each other. The attackers blamed the defenders for not being able to stop the opponent’s attack, while the defenders blamed the attackers for not being able to score goals.

The conflict started when Juzi Tai single-handedly destroyed Manchester City’s mentality three years ago.

The first conflict ended in a trivial manner.

After the game, when emotions were running high, the players clashed, but soon they calmed down and apologized to each other, ending the dispute on a harmonious note.

However, once words are spoken, they can’t be taken back.

Even if they made amends, the hurtful words they hurled at each other lingered in their hearts, and it eventually boiled over in last year’s Champions League final.

Right in the Champions League final, where they lost to Joo Ji-tae and missed the championship.

This time, both sides blamed each other in a similar manner.

The offense accused the defense of not being able to stop the opponent’s attack, while the defense countered that the offense couldn’t score against the opponent’s defense.

And now, the conflict has escalated to an irreparable level.

The offense and defense have become divided, and their performance has suffered as a result. When they win, the offense takes credit for scoring, and the defense takes credit for not conceding. When they lose, the offense blames the defense for not defending well, and the defense blames the offense for not scoring. There’s no end to their bickering.

Originally, the coach or captain should have resolved this conflict, but Manchester City’s coach, Bruno Caso, lost control over the team after last year’s Champions League final, and captain Oliver Negredo, despite being an excellent player with great skills, was too kind-hearted.

If this conflict hadn’t occurred, Oliver Negredo would have become a great captain, mediating between the two factions, but his efforts were in vain, and even the vice-captain, who should have supported him, became the leader of one faction. As a result, Manchester City had their worst season last year.

Oliver Negredo, who had been worrying about what to do during the off-season, received a call for pre-season training and was under immense stress. Coach Bruno Caso, known for his excellent tactics, had already given up on the situation.

However, today, Coach Bruno Caso’s expression was different. He was smiling brightly, unlike his usual stoic self.

“I’m sorry to call you in early, but I have something important to discuss.”

“…If it’s about the factions, I’ll try to mediate again.”

Despite being under stress, Oliver Negredo, a professional with a strong sense of duty, wanted to do his best to fulfill his responsibilities.

But his prediction was wrong.

“I’m sorry. I’ve put too much burden on you. I know you’ve been struggling, and I’ve been ignoring it.”

“…Coach.”

“I’m going to ask for forgiveness again. This season, I’m going to take away your captaincy. You’ll be the vice-captain.”

“That’s okay, but…then who will be the captain? Perhaps Deufra—”

“No. It’s Joo Ji-tae. He’ll be the new captain this season.”

“…What?”

Even the gentle Oliver Negredo was taken aback, his voice rising.

“But he’s only just transferred—”

“Ah, that’s enough. It’s an order from above. The board of directors has directly instructed it.”

“…I understand. I’ll do my best to persuade the players.”

However, Oliver Negredo’s determination was ultimately unnecessary.

“So, are you unhappy that I’m becoming the captain?”

“…….”

The atmosphere in the locker room, where the coach and players had gathered, was tense.

It was as if Joo Ji-tae was at the center, surrounded by his followers, like a military squad…

“What am I thinking?!”

But Oliver Negredo’s thoughts weren’t entirely wrong.

“I’ve received a call from my country and fulfilled my military service. What’s wrong with you guys? You’re just a bunch of kids who can’t even get your minds straight. Do you want to party? Why? Are you unhappy?”

“…No.”

“That’s right. You shouldn’t be. Just follow me, and I’ll take care of everything. You know my reputation, right? I promised to win the treble at Barcelona’s locker room, and I actually did it. Just follow me, and I’ll promise you all the championships. We’ll win every competition!”

“Wow…! Winning every competition…!”

“The owner has promised to give us a generous reward if we win. What do you need? A car? A yacht? You guys are just kids. If we win, we’ll get incentives, and we’ll receive lavish gifts! Don’t you understand?”

“Wooo—!!!”

‘…What is this?’

Oliver Negredo’s head was spinning.