First Signing

"So, Michael what do you think about Leicester's situation right now?" asked John while observing him.

"Well, to be honest, Leicester are a mess right now." Michael replied somewhat apprehensively.

"Go ahead, speak freely." John assured him.

After gathering his thoughts, Michael spoke up, "Leicester has no long term strategy in place. They have been making short sighted decisions since they were relegated. They change managers regularly and because of this their transfer strategy is all over the place. They recruit players with different playing style that don't belong in the same squad for a premium and give them huge salaries. Right now, they have a larger wage bill than most championship teams but are just above the relegation spots. Then to get rid of those players, they accept lower than expected transfer fee. This has them spending a princely sum on a squad that isn't even mediocre acc. to Championship standards." Michael pointed out the crux of problems in transfer strategy of Leicester of seasons past.

"That is true." John said while looking at Sean who was finally taking Michael seriously. They have been talking about Leicester's problems and their on field struggles could be attributed to the holes in their transfer strategy.

"So, what do you think could be done to rectify the situation?" John asked Michael with anticipation.

"The most important thing Leicester need is stability and decisiveness. The club needs to set up long and short term goals and work as one from top to bottom to achieve those goals. The transfers strategy needs to be uniform and the club needs a football ideology to find players that fit in that mould, whether you want to play counterattacking football like Man Utd or possession game like Barcelona." Michael told them confidently.

Seeing John listening intently, he continued, "To rectify the current squad and to set the club on the right track, you have to be ruthless. The players who do not fit need to be cut and money needs to be invested to rebuild the squad. The club needs to recruit young players who fit the club's tactics and can grow alongside the club."

John felt happy. Even though he knew about Michael's future achievements, he didn't know what his current abilities were. But after listening to him dissecting the club's difficulties and the possible solutions, John felt that his choice was absolutely correct. Even though it was only a rough plan, but he felt that together they could create a team that would be among the best.

"I have to ask you something John. What is your ambition for the club?" asked Michael after contemplating something.

"Do you want to know the truth?" John asked Michael.

"Yes", replied Michael looking curious.

"I want to win Premier league in the next five years."replied John in all seriousness.

The look in the Michael's eyes said that he thought that was ludicrous.

"Don't you think it's possible?" questioned John.

"It's possible if you are Roman Abramovich. But I don't think it is for clubs without that kind of financial power." replied Michael truthfully what he thought.

"There's not even a little bit of possibility?" asked John while observing Michael.

"Well there is if every transfer you make is a home run and you have an outstanding manager but everyone makes mistake. Even with all the data I have at my disposal, I still can't predict the future of a player. I don't think you can find talented players on cheap either. And even if you do, they will be poached by bigger teams. I can't guarantee that I won't be making mistakes." Michael replied honestly.

Even though he wanted this move to Leicester, he didn't want to do it by lying blatantly. Maybe it was foolish, but Michael didn't care, he was still young, he was confident he will have more opportunities in the future.

"At Leicester, you won't be making mistakes" Michael didn't understand what John was trying to say.

"That's because you won't be making transfers single handedly. You will have to earn that right with your performance in due time. Until then, every transfer will go through me, so that means if there is a mistake, it will also be mine." John said while giving Michael the idea of what to expect. Michael will get his support while he goes through the learning process, but John would still be in charge.

Michael looked grateful. Even though he knew he was capable, he wasn't arrogant enough to think that he won't make any mistakes. He didn't have any experience or the responsibility of making decisions before. So he felt happy that he will have a support system at the club.

"And there will be many successful signings in the years to come, starting with you." John said to Michael.

John looked at Sean who looked slightly impressed. He may still have doubts but he was atleast willing to give Michael a chance.

John gestured to Sean who took out a contract.

Sean then spoke to Michael, "We have prepared this contract for you. Even though you won't take your position until May 7, when the seaon ends, we want to confirm the signing. Go ahead, read it."

Michael just sat there in surprise.

"What, are you not sure of this? If you want some more time to think about it, we will be willing to wait." John said to Michael in a slightly glum tone when he felt Sean's shut up gaze on him.

"No, I was just surprised. I thought it was an interview and you guys will contact me afterwards." Michael said as he started reading contract.

He further felt surprised when he saw that the salary was 150,000 pounds annually. It was higher than Michael was expecting, only Premier League directors were paid that much. The contract length was also five years. That was a show of trust. Michael didn't know what John was thinking, even he didn't have that much confidence in himself.

After reading the contract, Michael didn't hesitate and put his name on the paper.

"Welcome to the club. I believe this will be start of a successful co-operation." John said to Michael feeling excited about the future.