Midfield core

Title: Midfield core

Two days later, in a barbecue restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, Levi met the long-cherished football king Juninho and his agent, Fao, the fifteen-year-old newspaper editor.

Joining Levi at the meeting were Jim Cassel and Old De Rossi, both of whom were very interested in Brazilian barbecue.

In these two days, Levi walked around Rio de Janeiro and observed the situation of the Brazilian football club. He also gained some knowledge of Brazilian football.

As a well-known tourist city in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro boasts four renowned Brazilian clubs. In addition to Dajama, there are Flamengo, Fluminense, and Botafogo. These four teams are currently competing in the Brazilian First Division and the Rio Champions League.

Levi originally planned to go to Flamengo to find Adriano. Although the future Inter King did not succeed in Europe for various reasons, he still possessed strength.

However, Levi later reconsidered. Adriano's self-control and professional ethics were indeed concerning. Moreover, Levi already had enough candidates for the forward position. In addition to Crouch and Kitson, he had also initiated two other operations that were progressing smoothly.

With the striker positions sufficiently covered, and considering Adriano's difficulty in passing the labor certification audit, Levi questioned the sense in buying a 17-year-old to sit on the bench in the UK.

"Ribeiro, I heard that you are very resistant to the transfer to New Manchester United, is it true?" Levi asked with a smile.

Juninho looked at the young man, who appeared to be about the same age as him, with a kind smile that was easy to trust. Nevertheless, he nodded stubbornly and frankly said, "Please forgive me, sir, but I don't think going to a fifth-level team in England will help my ability!"

"That's right, a fifth-level team might not help you. After all, you were once a Brazilian international. But what if it is a motivated team?" Levi asked with a smile.

"I don't understand what you mean," replied Juninho.

"If I tell you that I aim to be promoted to the Premier League within five years, do you think that sounds like a fairy tale from the thousand and one nights?"

"Five years? Is this possible?" Juninho smiled bitterly.

"I don't know, but I'm willing to take a bet. So you see, I've paid you 800,000 pounds, and then my club staff in Manchester, who come from France, Belarus, Poland, Denmark, Iceland, and other countries, are all trying to introduce stars. Although we've only been established for one year and have just entered the national league, our goal this year is to continue to upgrade!"

"I paid three million pounds for a training base in Manchester, and now I am planning to spend a lot of money to negotiate with the city government to acquire a stadium. So far this year, I have hired more than one million pounds. Although money doesn't mean everything, it at least proves that we have the determination and strength to upgrade as soon as possible!"

"In addition, I can also guarantee that my investment in the next few years will never be less than this year. My goal is to make New Manchester United the top team in England and even Europe, and you will be an important part of this team. I always believe that you are a buried genius!"

Levi spoke his mind in one breath, his tone so sincere it was hard to believe he was lying.

Cassel secretly gave a thumbs up to Levi. When it came to convincing, Levi was the best in the whole club. Bruce scolded the players, but when it came to persuasive methods, he was far behind Levi.

Juninho hesitated and looked at Fao, who obviously couldn't give him much advice.

"Perhaps you are still a bit worried, but I think you can talk to the coach of our team. Have you heard of Manchester United?"

"Of course, sir!" Juninho nodded.

"I was also a loyal Manchester United fan, but last year I set up New Manchester United myself, and our team's head coach is the legendary central defender in Manchester United history, former captain Steve Bruce. I think you should talk to him."

Juninho thought for a while and nodded, "Okay, sir!"

Levi took out his phone with a smile, dialed Bruce's number, and handed it to Juninho. Bruce's voice came immediately.

Juninho listened, and it was clear Bruce was also doing his best to persuade him.

Initially, when Levi talked to Bruce about it, Bruce was unwilling. He didn't think a Brazilian international would come to New Manchester United, and Brazilian players generally had difficulty adapting to England's playing style. With a transfer fee of up to 800,000 pounds, Bruce was hesitant.

You know, the price of Gilberto Silva's transfer to Arsenal in 2002 when he was the main force in Brazil's World Cup win was only 4.5 million US dollars. Some of this was taken away by the agent. Now Levi directly offered the Dagama Club a starting price of 800,000 pounds, totaling about 1.5 million US dollars. This price was not low at all.

However, under Levi's continuous encouragement and assurance, Levi even convinced Bruce that this Brazilian was different. He could attack, connect the front line, assist the defensive midfielder, participate in steals and disruptions, and had excellent personal skills, being able to shoot and pass—an all-rounder.

And the most important thing was that he was only 24 years old. Once on the team, he could play for another 10 years.

With Levi's persistent support, Bruce finally agreed to help. After all, Levi had a good eye for talent, such as Evra and Messi, and Juninho was also a Brazilian international. Although only selected once, he was strong.

The whole phone conversation lasted more than half an hour. Basically, Bruce was talking, and Juninho was listening. In the end, Juninho nodded.

Seeing this, Levi secretly celebrated.

Sure enough, after hanging up the phone, Juninho seemed washed of his doubts and regained some spirit.

"By the way, Mr. Levi, if Ribeiro transfers to New Manchester United, how will England's labor certificate be resolved?" Fao asked, knowing Juninho was convinced.

"Only professional leagues require a labor certificate. We're at the fifth level, so for now, I have a way to bypass the labor certificate. You can first apply for a visit to England. If questioned upon entry, say you are visiting. Our club will arrange to pick you up. As for the future, leave that to us."

For future Premier League teams dealing with labor certification, Levi knew that once Juninho entered England, it wouldn't be hard to apply for a labor certificate as a former Brazil international.

Essien and Montari were also given tourist visas to enter England. Levi was still figuring out how to handle their labor certificates. If necessary, he would rent them out.

"In short, when you go to England, just focus on winning games for the team. We'll handle everything else," Levi said with a smile.

Although he was a former Brazil international, this would be New Manchester United's first international player.

"Rest assured, Ribeiro. By joining New Manchester United, you won't be obscure. You'll have a vast stage to display your talents and become a Brazilian superstar praised by fans worldwide, because you are a genius!"

This is what Levi told Juninho as they said goodbye.

The latter listened, visibly moved.

After transferring to Lyon, Juninho performed very well, especially with his all-around offensive and defensive skills and his sharp free kick, but such a player remained largely unknown.

Levi admired this Brazilian star, considering him one of the most underrated Brazilian players. He had the professional ethics and self-discipline many Brazilian players lacked. Players like him might not be famous, but their contribution to a team was immense.

Because of this, Levi refused to let the star slip away.

Walking out of the barbecue restaurant, Levi felt good.

"At least until the Premier League, we don't need to worry about the core of the midfield!" Levi told Cassel.

With De Rossi, Essien, and Montari, New Manchester United wouldn't worry about midfield defense in the coming years.

Although three midfielders might seem excessive, they were just enough. European teams were becoming more tactical. Rossi, Essien, and Montari were all fierce, defensively strong players with excellent running abilities and decent attacking skills.

With these three players in place, New Manchester United's midfield would be solid.

Of course, for the time being, these three players couldn't be relied upon entirely, so Levi had asked Walsh to help contact a strong midfielder. He would be Markinson's main rival in the new season.

In addition to a midfielder, two wing players, two forwards, and three defenders were needed.

It could be said that after entering the national league, New Manchester United would undergo a complete transformation!

With the money invested, Levi believed New Manchester United's strength would greatly improve because he was not content with mere relegation; he wanted to upgrade and be promoted to the English Premier League next season.

Not only that, but Levi also hoped that in the next few years, the team could upgrade every year until they reached the Premier League. This was why he was determined to introduce Essien and De Rossi this summer.

Only by continuously winning and upgrading could he retain these talented stars. Otherwise, they would just be training players for other teams.

Levi was not a philanthropist. He would not train players for other teams. New Manchester United would not be the kind of club that survived by selling players.

Either do nothing or do your best!

This was Levi's style of doing things!