Chapter 365: Top of the Table Clash: Manchester City vs. Chelsea

Chapter 365: Top of the Table Clash: Manchester City vs. Chelsea

Life at Chelsea had not been easy for the Egyptian Pharaoh. Since joining Chelsea in the winter transfer window last year, Salah's time at the club had become increasingly difficult. Initially, Mourinho was very interested in him. Salah had left a deep impression on Mourinho by leading Basel to defeat Chelsea in the Champions League.

Because of this, Mourinho decided to bring him to Chelsea to solve their attacking problems. However, Salah, who performed outstandingly at Basel, struggled to adapt at Chelsea. During the 2013-2014 season, Salah still had some opportunities, appearing in 10 Premier League matches and scoring two goals. But this season, after Chelsea bought Diego Costa, Salah completely lost his place in the team. So far this season, he had only played in three Premier League matches, all as a substitute during garbage time, without scoring or assisting.

The lack of playing time left Salah disheartened. He realized he had no future at Chelsea and started seeking a loan move or even a transfer away. Just as Mourinho was eyeing Fiorentina's Cuadrado, he planned to use Salah as part of the deal by loaning him to Fiorentina.

The transfer negotiations were going smoothly until Manchester City intervened. Receiving a £12 million bid from Manchester City, Chelsea was taken aback. Were they genuinely interested in buying Salah, or were they just trying to disrupt the transfer negotiations with Fiorentina?

There were rumors that Manchester City was desperately looking for defenders, and Cuadrado's performance in Serie A was well recognized. Could it be that Guardiola was also interested in him? Mourinho found it hard to discern Guardiola's intentions.

Chelsea had bought Salah for £15 million, but his performance over the past two seasons had declined, dropping his market value. Therefore, Manchester City's £12 million offer was not too low, and there was room for negotiation. The final deal would likely settle around £15 million, a price Chelsea could accept if Manchester City was sincere.

However, selling a promising player to a direct league rival was something most clubs were unwilling to do. They would rather sell to clubs in other leagues, even for a lower price. Last winter, Manchester City had snatched up De Bruyne for a low price after he was sidelined at Chelsea. It turned out Chelsea had misjudged, suffering a significant loss.

Seeing De Bruyne's growing success at Manchester City, Chelsea fans deeply regretted the sale. If only they had known De Bruyne was this good, they wouldn't have sold him. If they had to sell, they shouldn't have sold him to Manchester City! For just €20 million, they gave Manchester City a midfield core, a deal that was a massive loss for Chelsea.

Learning from last year's lesson, Chelsea was very cautious when they received Manchester City's bid for Salah.

"Negotiate with Fiorentina again. We'll offer up to €30 million; if it's more than that, we won't buy," Mourinho decided.

Mourinho hadn't been too focused on Salah, nearly forgetting about him. But Manchester City's bid made him cautious, wondering if he had misjudged Salah. Guardiola, known for his sharp eye for talent, must have seen something special in Salah to bid for him.

However, if they kept Salah, the transfer fee negotiations with Fiorentina might fail. Fiorentina's asking price was €35 million, and Chelsea's offer was €5 million lower. Adding to this, Chelsea had pulled Salah from the agreed loan move, making Fiorentina quite unhappy. They felt Chelsea was insincere. Cuadrado's performances in Serie A and last year's World Cup were impressive, making €35 million a fair price for him.

Negotiations were stalling, so Chelsea had to increase their offer by €2 million. Fiorentina was reluctant but Cuadrado's desire to join Chelsea made them accept to avoid conflict with the player. As for Salah, his move was blocked by Chelsea after Manchester City's bid. This wasn't good news for the Egyptian Pharaoh, as he was unlikely to get playing time at Chelsea during their title chase. Lack of playing time was detrimental for a young player in a crucial development phase. Thus, Salah's attitude towards Mourinho shifted from respect to distance.

After Chelsea's refusal, Guardiola wasn't too upset. Salah's style was similar to Messi and Lin Quan. With Lin Quan already in the team, Salah would only serve as his backup. But Lin Quan's attendance rate was very high, with few injuries and excellent stamina, making a backup almost unnecessary.

So Chelsea's rejection didn't bother Guardiola much. Lin Quan, however, felt it was a missed opportunity. Salah was a key player at Liverpool, and getting him early could weaken Liverpool significantly. Unfortunately, the plan didn't work out, and it remained uncertain if Salah would join Liverpool when Klopp arrived in the Premier League.

This winter, Manchester City made four transfers: sold one player and bought three, with a net spend of just €5 million. Such a low spending amount could be mistaken for a small team in the top five leagues! Used to their club's lavish spending, Manchester City fans found the sudden frugality hard to accept. Last winter, they had made headlines with the €50 million signing of Kroos, making him the top transfer of the window. Now, their total spend was just one-tenth of what they had spent on a single player last year. This was too thrifty!

Upon hearing this, the club's chairman, Al-Fahim, spoke with Guardiola:

"Mr. Guardiola, the club's finances are fine, and the transfer budget is ample. You don't need to save money."

He gently reminded Guardiola that Manchester City's financial backer, the Abu Dhabi Group, was not an ordinary club and did not need to save money.

"Mr. Al-Fahim, you misunderstood," Guardiola smiled. "I'm not trying to save money. I'm just spending where it's needed. I'm very satisfied with these signings."

With Guardiola's assurance, Al-Fahim had nothing more to say. He couldn't force Guardiola to spend money. Besides, the winter transfer window was short and restricted. Perhaps Guardiola would make significant moves in the summer.

After Al-Fahim left, Guardiola reflected. Manchester City and Bayern Munich felt completely different. At Bayern, his annual transfer budget was a mere €30 million, and to get suitable players, he had to sell to buy. At Manchester City, there were no budget limits, and spending less made the chairman worried. This was unheard of. Manchester City was indeed different from other clubs, making Guardiola feel he had made the right choice.

...

Since it was the first winter transfer window after the World Cup, there weren't many transfers in the top five European leagues this winter. Most major transfers had already been completed during the summer, leaving only minor adjustments for the winter window.

Among the Premier League's big clubs, Chelsea was the most active in the transfer market. They sold André Schürrle to Wolfsburg for €32 million and then bought Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina for the same price. These two transfers were the highest of this winter window, making Schürrle and Cuadrado the joint record signings of the period.

Besides selling Schürrle, Mourinho also sold Bertrand, who had no place in the team, to Southampton for €13 million. In total, Chelsea not only didn't spend any money but actually made a profit of €13 million. If they had sold Salah to Manchester City, they could have made around €30 million this winter.

Arsenal, under Wenger, continued their tradition of getting the most value for their money by buying two players for €2.5 million and €15 million respectively—Bielik and Gabriel. Bielik, at 17 years old, was a young prospect for the midfield, while Gabriel was a needed reinforcement for the defense. It seemed Wenger still couldn't resist buying young talents.

Liverpool had no major moves, leading to speculation about whether they were saving money for a big summer move or simply out of ideas. With their current poor performance, they were the team most in need of reinforcements.

Manchester City's neighbor, Manchester United, also had a quiet winter transfer window, not signing anyone. There were rumors that United were interested in Juventus' midfield star Pogba, but nothing materialized. Van Gaal's tenure at Manchester United was tough. Despite spending heavily in the summer, their performance was poor. Consequently, the board was likely hesitant to give him more money to spend recklessly.

While spending in the top five leagues was modest, the Chinese Super League was quite the opposite. This winter, Guangzhou Evergrande spent heavily on Goulart and Alan, spending a total of €26 million. This expenditure would rank them third in Europe, just behind Wolfsburg and Valencia. It seemed the financial power of the Chinese Super League was growing stronger.

As the transfer window was closing, Lin Quan received a call from his old teammate from Werder Bremen, the towering striker Marko Arnautović.

"Hey, Lin, did you see the news?" Arnautović's voice was excited on the other end of the line.

"What news?" Lin Quan was confused.

"Well, I've been chased by several Premier League teams and have finally joined Stoke City for £5.5 million! How's that? Pretty impressive, right?"

"Very impressive!" Lin Quan paused and then complimented him with a smile.

"Hey, you know it! I've checked the schedule, and next month our teams will play against each other. I'll treat you to dinner then. Make sure to bring De Bruyne along. That guy hasn't contacted me since leaving Bremen."

"Sure, I'll let De Bruyne know. If he doesn't want to come, I'll drag him off the team bus!"

"Deal!"

After hanging up, Lin Quan couldn't help but feel a bit nostalgic. Arnautović joining the Premier League a season and a half later than expected might have been influenced by his own career trajectory. Given Arnautović's physical attributes and mental toughness, adapting to the Premier League shouldn't be too difficult for him. The pace of the Premier League might be perfect for his style. He just wondered if Arnautović would eventually go to China to cash in on a payday.

Time flew by, and January quickly came to an end. On February 1st, the Premier League resumed. This round featured a top-of-the-table clash between Chelsea and Manchester City, a match that drew immense attention.

Due to the importance of the game, the Premier League scheduled it for the last day in a prime time slot, separating it from other matches to maximize viewership. Chelsea and Manchester City were first and second in the standings, and this match could significantly impact the title race.

If Chelsea could defend their home turf and beat Manchester City, they would extend their lead to six points. With only 15 rounds left and no more head-to-head encounters, this lead would be substantial, making it difficult for Manchester City to catch up unless Chelsea made multiple errors.

Conversely, if Manchester City managed to win at Stamford Bridge, the two teams would be level on points, making the title race even more unpredictable.

Given the stakes, the match attracted immense attention even before it started. Media outlets interviewed numerous football legends and experts to get their predictions. Most of them believed Chelsea had a better chance of winning or at least drawing. Less than 30% thought Manchester City could win at Chelsea's infamous Stamford Bridge, known for being a formidable fortress.

(End of Chapter)