Betrayal or Misunderstanding?

Andrew walked into Aldrich's office, and after a long time without seeing each other, both brothers smiled at each other.

"You came at the right time. I was just about to look for you."

"I'm here because I need to talk to you."

Aldrich set aside his own matters and asked, "What is it?"

After Andrew sat down, he became silent. Aldrich, puzzled, asked, "What is it that makes you hesitant to speak?"

Andrew smiled helplessly and said, "Strictly speaking, it's not really my business—it's about Henry."

Aldrich's smile disappeared.

"Are you here as a mediator? Trying to persuade me to sell him? To make a profit? No, no, no, Andrew, this has nothing to do with money. He wants to leave, but he needs to stand in front of me, look me in the eye, and tell me clearly and firmly that he wants to go. Do you know? I've never hated anyone deep down. Stam, Helguera, Shevchenko, Trezeguet—all of them left when they were successful at Millwall. I was upset for a few days, but then I accepted it. It's normal, right? People criticize traitors every day, saying that you can share hardship but not wealth. We hear that all the time, and we go through it ourselves. You become resistant to it, and you can accept it. But do you know what I can't accept? When Henry came to Millwall, we were champions of Europe, and we also had a league title. Two years later, Millwall had risen to the status of a top club. He had everything here, everything was perfect! I trusted him, his teammates trusted him, and the fans supported him. What the hell does he still want? Don't tell me he can't get anything at Millwall. He has everything here, everything! Even if it's money, as long as he doesn't make mistakes, I can guarantee that when he retires, he'll have more money than he could ever spend! And he wants to go to Turin? To Juventus? For what? To rot? To fall into decline? To make his story more complicated? I can't understand what's going on in his head."

Aldrich wouldn't let Henry go. Even if things fell apart, he wouldn't let him go to Juventus.

When players left under his watch, Aldrich always felt responsible and would choose a club that matched the player's development. The only regret he had with a player was with Ballack—he sent him to Real Madrid, but Ballack wasn't able to make a name for himself there.

Henry going to Juventus?

Whether it's in the original history or the current reality, Aldrich believed this would be the worst decision for Henry.

Even though Millwall had defeated the Italian giants in European competitions, it didn't mean that Henry would thrive in Serie A. The style of the league and the Champions League were fundamentally different. The Champions League was all about winning. Serie A, to some extent, had many teams that were afraid to lose. Driven by interests, they played a more conservative style, and in the face of most teams' chain defenses, this was completely incompatible with Henry's technical style of combining dribbling and movement.

It was undeniable that, at that time, the overall tactical level in the Premier League wasn't very high, especially when compared to Serie A—it was clearly behind.

The Premier League's open style was perfect for a player like Henry to shine.

Seeing Aldrich's words go off course, Andrew sensed that Aldrich was about to explode. He sighed deeply.

In his heart, he knew that where there was love, there was also hate.

If Aldrich had sent Van Nistelrooy, who had been with him for five years, away for Henry, it might seem exaggerated, but in fact, Henry was the direct reason Van Nistelrooy left. Since Henry arrived at the club and started recovering from his injury, Aldrich had coached him from the sidelines, training him through matches, step by step shaping him into the European goal-scoring king he was today.

If this were three or four years ago, Aldrich wouldn't have gotten upset if Henry wanted to leave. He would have been a bit disappointed for a few days, then wished the player well. Back then, Millwall wasn't quite on the level of attracting world-class players, and Aldrich knew his place.

But today, Millwall still had players who could leave, and that was fine. However, if the reason for leaving was based on honor, Aldrich couldn't accept it.

Andrew, his expression calm, gazed at Aldrich, whose face showed no emotion. He spoke softly, "I need to confirm something with you."

"What?"

"What Adam said at the press conference, that Millwall had offered Henry a new contract with a £50,000 weekly wage, is that true?"

Andrew came to ask this question first.

Even though Adam had said those words in front of everyone without changing his expression, Andrew still had his doubts. As an agent, having been in the business for so long, he never easily believed what clubs said in public statements.

Sometimes, it was just a way of shirking responsibility.

Aldrich shrugged and said, "Of course it's true. I believe Henry deserves to be placed in the club's second pay tier. Above him, there are only the three captains. Based on their performance and seniority, Nedvěd and Larsson absolutely deserve to earn more than Henry. Southgate is 30, and by the time he fulfills his current five-year contract, he'll likely step into a less active role.Within those five years, Henry might have a chance to move up and become one of the club's highest earners. But his agent is asking for £75,000 a week. Do you think Millwall should agree to that?"

Andrew fell silent again. Aldrich was a bit confused by his reaction, but then he thought, since Andrew was asking about this, there must be something behind it.

"Andrew, what do you know?"

After a brief pause, Andrew replied, "The whole thing with Henry has blown up. The entire football world is watching. After today's press conference, I was curious to learn more, so I reached out through my channels. I have a version of the story from Henry's side. Do you want to hear it?"

Aldrich raised his hand. "First, tell me what your sources are. Please don't tell me it's from a reporter."

Andrew scoffed and said, "David. David Trezeguet. Henry talked to him about the contract renewal. David told me that Henry said he only wanted a £40,000-a-week deal. But Henry's agent told him Millwall was offering £30,000, while also mentioning that Pavel and the others are getting £100,000 a week now. In fact, £100,000 isn't far off, but it's conditional."

The weekly salary, loyalty bonuses, appearance fees, and winning bonuses—all these combined make £100,000 for players like Nedved quite accurate.

Aldrich's eyes narrowed slightly as he furrowed his brow. "When did this happen? It can't have been today, right?"

Andrew shook his head and smiled. "I know what you're thinking. You're wondering if Henry is trying to mend things with the club and has sacrificed his agent to get his message across through David. I can vouch with my integrity that David heard this from Henry two weeks ago, while they were both in France celebrating France's Euro 2000 win. After that, there was no further contact, even though Juventus' higher-ups asked David to try to convince Henry to join them. David agreed on the surface, but took no action."

Aldrich closed his eyes, thinking for a moment. When he opened them again, he seemed uninterested. "So, it's the agent causing trouble, preventing Henry from renewing with Millwall, and trying to push him to transfer away?"

Andrew gave a self-deprecating smile. "The evil agents, right? Yes, it's all our fault. We're the vampires."

Aldrich nodded and walked back behind his desk, as if the conversation had already ended.

"Hey, knowing all this, why are you reacting like this?"

Andrew looked confused.

Aldrich retorted, "What reaction should I have? Should I cry tears of joy? Should I pound my chest and cheer?"

"Henry…"

"Let's talk about him when he returns to the club."

"Aren't you going to contact him now?"

"Why should I contact him? And tell him that his agent was bought off? From start to finish, I, Millwall Football Club, didn't do anything wrong! The problem is with him—his agent is the one serving him! He hired the agent! Millwall has no responsibility in this!"

The office fell into silence. Andrew looked calmly at Aldrich, who, after a few seconds, was the first to look away.

After a long silence, Andrew spoke gently, "Aldrich, you've changed."

Aldrich, sounding like a headstrong child, declared, "Why shouldn't I change? Should I just sit here like before, letting the big clubs flash their checks and take away our best players? Millwall is changing, and so must I!"

Andrew smiled and said, "No, that's not it. You were half right earlier. Yes, Henry is responsible. His agent is his choice, and if his agent messes up, Henry has to take responsibility. But what about the club? Isn't it our job to help the players sort out their problems? In this case, sure, Henry's at fault, but he's also a victim. You're the one who decides his future, who can shape his career. Maybe all it takes is one word, one smile, one handshake, and you could turn Henry's whole world upside down.

"Think back six years, Aldrich. You were running all over Europe, not just showing sincerity but genuinely looking out for the players. You let go of stars with grace, even took the heat in the press to protect them. And what did that bring you? Loyalty from guys like Gareth who've never wavered. Respect from names like Solskjær and Vieira, who came to The Den just to pay their respects to you. Yeah, I get it, you need to change—but being tough on your own people? Does it really have to be that way?"

Aldrich's expression shifted through several emotions, before he suddenly kicked the corner of his desk in frustration.

Being the head coach is sometimes just like this!

You can choose to not tolerate any dirt, or you can choose to be magnanimous and forgiving.

You can choose to turn a blind eye, or you can choose to offer a helping hand within your ability.

Andrew walked over and placed a hand on Aldrich's shoulder, speaking softly, "What you're really struggling with is your pride. I don't blame you, I wouldn't be able to do it either. Let me handle this. I'll sort it out for you."

Aldrich sighed and nodded.

To be honest, he couldn't let go of his pride.

He had just spoken harshly to Henry on the phone, and now, would he suddenly do a complete 180 and change his attitude?

Sorry, people have emotions too.

So what if Henry was the victim?

Aldrich still felt like his authority had been challenged, and this whole mess was damaging Millwall's image. Millwall had just risen to the ranks of the big clubs; they couldn't afford to take a step back now.

After Andrew said goodbye and left the office, he pulled out his phone and called Trezeguet, asking him to set up a meeting with Henry in London.

Long after Andrew had left, Aldrich suddenly yelled in his office, "WTF! Andrew, you've really grown up! Scheming against your own brother now, huh?"