Zlatan never does tryouts

After the match, Aldrich hurriedly shook hands with Houllier, exchanging no words. He merely patted Houllier's arm before turning to leave. Houllier had begun the season with a tough win against Sheffield Wednesday, but to face a 4-0 humiliation at home, especially with a player sent off, was an unexpected blow.

In the post-match interview, Aldrich appeared somewhat impatient. Faced with questions from reporters, he brushed them off quickly, favoring brevity, and then headed to the locker room to praise his team's performance. The entire squad boarded the bus back to London, but he chose to stay in Liverpool to enjoy some time with his children.

Millwall has truly evolved this season, especially with experienced stalwarts like 27-year-old Nedved, 28-year-old Larsson, and 29-year-old Southgate, and with the solid support of 26-year-old Schneider. This blend has made Millwall a more stable and mature team than ever.

Just three days later, they marched into Villa Park, with Henry scoring twice and Larsson icing the cake in a straightforward 3-0 away win.

With a string of three consecutive league victories and 11 goals scored without conceding, Millwall lived up to the expectations of fans who had fancied them title contenders before the season. Their unstoppable momentum left others in the league wary!

As they prepared for their fourth league match, Aldrich received shocking news!

"Anelka Transfers to Real Madrid for £22.9 Million!"

By late August, the soap opera around Anelka's transfer from Arsenal to Real Madrid had finally concluded, with last season's standout player joining the La Liga giants.

This transfer news didn't surprise Aldrich in the slightest.

But the following day, an official transfer announcement from Arsenal caught Aldrich's attention, causing him to momentarily lose focus in front of the TV.

Wenger handed the number nine jersey to the tall, poised young man standing beside him.

Above the number on the back, the player's name was emblazoned: Ibrahimović.

Ibrahimović has officially joined Arsenal with a transfer fee of £3.5 million.

While this transfer fee seemed modest, considering Ibrahimovic's move from Malmö to Arsenal, it made sense. 

The Nordic leagues had a hard time retaining stars or even promising talents. Within six months of Ibrahimovic joining Malmö, the club had made a £3.5 million profit—a financial boon that likely left the Malmö officials overjoyed.

And this figure does not even reach 20% of Anelka's transfer fee to Real Madrid!

How on earth had Ibrahimovic ended up with the Gunners?

Aldrich fell into a pensive state.

Suddenly, his expression softened.

Historically, Ibrahimovic had revealed that before moving to Ajax, Arsenal had indeed expressed interest in him. He was prepared to join Arsenal, but he felt disrespected by Wenger's attitude, leading him to refuse Arsenal's offer before swiftly moving on to Ajax.

At that time, Wenger already had Bergkamp in his squad, and the funds from Anelka's transfer allowed him to use half of it to bring in Henry.

But now, Wenger wouldn't have any thoughts of signing Henry; even if he wanted to, Aldrich would never sell. What reason would Henry have to join Arsenal? He thrived at Millwall, had a starting position, and was enjoying success. Why would he leave to readjust at Arsenal? Just to rekindle an old mentor-student relationship?

Wenger found himself grappling with his search for a striker. Grateful as George Weah was, he offered to join Arsenal, but Wenger had to graciously decline. The truth was that Weah's age clashed with the club's vision of a young, dynamic squad.

With plans to announce a new stadium project by the end of the year, the club was preparing for a period of frugality. Wenger needed to stretch every penny and still had to invest in forward players.

In this timeline, Wenger couldn't possibly say, 'We're interested, but come for a trial.' Ibrahimović had famously taken offense at the trial request in the original history, rejecting the chance to join Arsenal outright.

Now, however, Wenger showed due respect, making an official offer to Malmö to secure Ibrahimović's transfer. With this offer, Ibrahimović wouldn't just be joining a top European league but the Premier League giant Arsenal itself. He flew to London immediately for his medical, swiftly finalizing the transfer.

At that moment, Yvonne knocked on the door, curiously asking, "What are you thinking about?"

Aldrich cracked a grin; he'd just thought of a great joke, though it'd probably fly over most heads.

Wasn't it something like, Whoever gets Zlatan, gets the league title?

Hmm... So, Arsenal just bought themselves a title guardian, yeah?

Seeing the odd smile on Aldrich's face, Yvonne stepped in and looked up at the TV, realizing, "Oh, he... Isn't he the player you wanted to bring in before? Why didn't you get him?"

Aldrich looked at her with surprise, "How did you know I wanted him?"

Yvonne replied with a raised eyebrow, "It's all in the papers! Haven't you read them?"

Aldrich shook his head, "Haven't had the time lately."

She began to fill him in.

Speaking of which, there has been a peculiar phenomenon emerging in European football lately.

Many moderately famous or self-proclaimed talented young players had their agents leaking false news: "Millwall's young coach Aldrich is interested in my player!"

Some of those rumors were true, like Ibrahimovic, but when Aldrich reached out to invite him, hoping he might join Millwall's youth team, the proud player declined outright.

Others however were entirely fabricated; take Gareth Barry, who is now 18 and playing for Aston Villa. His agent once claimed that Aldrich wanted to bring Barry to Millwall to fill the void left by Helguera's departure—a center-back!

Now, Barry played as a center-back at Aston Villa. Even if Aldrich had genuinely wanted Barry, he wouldn't have brought him in as a defender. Since Barry got involved in a transfer dispute upon leaving, Aldrich had zero interest in the troublesome situation.

This common tactic among agents to leverage other clubs' interest to peddle their players was widespread. Aldrich thought the story with Ibrahimovic was real. So when he heard Ibrahimovic's agent mentioning him to drum up interest, he didn't see any issue with it. The fact remained that Ibrahimovic was a good player, and Aldrich's invitation didn't change that.

"How's everything lately?" 

Yvonne smiled as she asked.

Aldrich chuckled, "I'm a bit tired."

"But feeling sweet on the inside?"

"Yeah, I've leveled up my diaper-changing skills."

"Haha, make sure to rest and don't overdo it."

With that, Yvonne turned and left.

In the press conference before Round 4 of the league, the topic dominating questions directed at Aldrich was Arsenal's transfers.

Particularly regarding his views on Ibrahimovic, as perhaps people wanted to verify the rumors they had read in the newspapers.

"I know what you want to ask. Yes, I once extended an invitation to Ibrahimovic, but he turned me down. There's nothing to hide. I respect a player's choices and am not heartbroken about his rejection. Life goes on, and our focus is forward. My club has hundreds of players, from the first team to the youth squad. We don't rely on any single player to become powerful. Nor do we collapse in performance if we lose someone. We are a cohesive unit, a team. The players currently united in our squad are the ones I believe are best suited for Millwall. We'll prove this with our performance on the pitch. As for Ibrahimovic, he has great talent and potential to become a top player, but he is not one just yet."

"Will Millwall consider signing Ibrahimovic in the future? For instance, if he enhances his skills at Arsenal?"

"Who knows what the future holds? But I doubt it will be an issue. We are neither short of experienced strikers nor lacking in talent reserves. I value players who can grasp the tactical system of the team and develop a rapport with their teammates, but that requires time. Take Henry, for example; he took about six months to fully integrate after joining the team, and now he's performing even better than last season. However, if another player were to suddenly join Millwall, I'm not sure how long it would take for them to adapt."

"After signing Ibrahimovic, has Arsenal risen or fallen in strength compared to last year?"

"They didn't just bring in Ibrahimović; they also acquired many other players. Each season, pundits critique the transfer activities of every club, and while some clubs do spend money, their performance seems to decline. However, I believe Arsenal's signing of Ibrahimović is a tremendous value. If it weren't, I wouldn't have invited him to join Millwall back then. Just look at his physique—Premier League defenders will have their work cut out for them."

"Ibrahimovic..."

"Gentlemen, can we please steer the conversation back on topic? Let's offer Leicester City the respect they deserve, alright? Today is Millwall's pre-match press conference against Leicester City, not a discussion forum regarding Arsenal's transfer dealings."

Aldrich had to tap the table to urge the reporters to focus on relevant topics.

However, the reporters below seemed disheartened.

Leicester City?

What the heck is that news?!

Right now, the most exciting talk was about Ibrahimovic! Not only had he been under Wenger's wing, but he had also previously been on Aldrich's radar. That was newsworthy!

They hoped to see the scenario where Ibrahimovic shone at Arsenal and then faced off against Millwall!

That, my friends, is what real news looks like!

The reporters flipped through their notes; Leicester City had, in fact, been surprising enough. They'd only lost to Arsenal on the road this season, won two home matches against Coventry, and drawn with Chelsea. But the previous season's mid-table finish didn't seem shocking considering their performance.

However, Fleet Street's evaluation of Martin O'Neill's Leicester City over the years has been: creating miracles, continually creating miracles!

Leicester City's budget is among the lowest in the Premier League, encompassing not only transfer spending but also operational costs and wage budgets. As a result, they are unable to attract more high-quality players, and they may soon struggle to retain Tony and Gudjohnsen due to wage constraints.

Martin O'Neill has done an exceptional job, not only keeping the team from relegation but also consistently securing a mid-table position and occasionally winning a League Cup to delight the fans. In the increasingly competitive Premier League environment, his coaching abilities are no longer questioned; instead, everyone is left wondering how long Leicester City's miracle can last.