Chapter 194: Salah

Chapter 194: Salah

Bruno first learned about Jassim before he time-traveled. At that time, rumors of the Qatari prince's attempt to buy Manchester United were all over the internet. Bruno naturally paid attention and came to know this football-loving prince of Qatar.

From a young age, Jassim was deeply loved by his father, King Hamad. During his childhood, the king often discussed state affairs with him and imparted the principles of governance. After becoming the crown prince, Jassim began to shoulder the responsibilities of a future leader. He went to the Sherborne School in the UK and graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, one of the world's four major military academies.

However, becoming a king with immense power was not Jassim's life's pursuit. Instead, he loved football and art and yearned for a free life. He once wrote to his father, "As I've always told you, I do not wish to be appointed as the crown prince."

Jassim had served as the former chairman of the Qatari domestic team Al-Sadd Club, and his love for football further contributed to the establishment of the Qatari Golden League.

During the 2004 Asian Cup, he visited Beijing and told reporters, "Beijing is beautiful, not as crowded as imagined, and much safer than expected..."

Moreover, the Qatari prince is a die-hard Manchester United fan, which is why he has always wanted to buy Manchester United.

It was for this reason that Bruno was interested in befriending him, as Jassim might become his boss in the future.

Of course, Bruno didn't know that after he time-traveled, Jassim was unable to successfully buy Manchester United because the Glazer family, the current vampire-like owners of Manchester United, demanded an exorbitant price. This made Jassim give up the idea.

Even as a Manchester United fan, Jassim could not let himself be taken advantage of.

In the afternoon, Jassim used his contacts to learn more about Bruno and was surprised to find out that he was currently one of the hottest superstars in the football world.

In fact, Jassim had the chance to meet Bruno earlier. After all, Udinese and Juventus had just played an Italian Super Cup match in Qatar. Being a football enthusiast, Jassim had planned to watch the game live but was delayed by other matters.

Jassim held high regard for Bruno, a football prodigy with exceptional talent. Hence, he was even more enthusiastic towards Bruno during the evening barbecue party.

They discussed a lot about football, and Jassim even talked about the upcoming Qatar World Cup. Although the Brazilian World Cup had ended only a few months ago, and the Russian World Cup was just beginning its cycle, Qatar being the host of the 2022 World Cup had been decided shortly after the end of the South African World Cup four years earlier.

However, Qatar's securing of the 2022 World Cup hosting rights was controversial since they had never made it to the World Cup finals.

Recently, the British media outlet The Times used ten pages to report that Qatar bought the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup. Qatari football official Hamad reportedly paid $5 million to some FIFA officials around 2011, providing them with free travel, top-tier accommodation, champagne, and beautiful women, along with luxury cars, to snatch the hosting rights from the US and Australia.

These reports severely tarnished Qatar's international reputation.

As a key member of the Qatar World Cup organizing committee, Jassim was troubled by this.

Bruno suggested that Qatar's football should go global. For instance, naturalizing some strong players to boost the national team's strength or acquiring teams from the top European leagues to enhance Qatar's international football influence.

In fact, these were measures Qatar had already been implementing. They had acquired Paris Saint-Germain three years earlier.

However, Bruno felt that Paris Saint-Germain's influence in European football was still too small. While it had some impact on promoting Qatar abroad, it wasn't significant enough.

Bruno also mentioned that he was a Manchester United fan, which delighted Jassim, as they now shared a common identity.

Bruno's subtle hints were aimed at encouraging Jassim to consider buying Manchester United sooner to rescue the club from the Glazers' clutches and prevent its prolonged decline.

Though European countries often criticized "money football," numerous examples had already proven that in today's world, a team cannot succeed without financial backing.

After the barbecue, Bruno flew from Dubai back to Porto the next morning, as it was already the 24th, and Christmas was the next day.

Vanessa also didn't stay in Qatar longer. She flew back to Milan.

Bruno spent Christmas with his family in Porto. Before the New Year, he flew back to Udine to prepare for the second half of the season.

Since he had promised Guidolin that he would lead the team to challenge for the Serie A title this season, Bruno naturally had to show his commitment.

Guidolin was pleased with Bruno's early return to the team for extra training and, along with the coaching staff, created a five-day short-term training plan for him.

Although Bruno found this a bit redundant, considering his training regimen was already meticulously crafted by his system, he couldn't refuse the gesture. It was a sign of Guidolin's appreciation.

Thus, Bruno decided to follow the coaching staff's plan while also sticking to his own system's tailored training regimen.

As 2015 began, the winter transfer window officially opened.

As one of Europe's most famous "player supermarkets," and with Udinese performing exceptionally well this season—leading the Serie A standings by 4 points and topping their Champions League group ahead of Real Madrid—Europe's major clubs were eyeing Udinese's players like hungry wolves.

In the past, the Pozzo family would have opened the doors to the club, ready to sell any player for the right price.

But this winter, the Pozzo family was unusually firm, rejecting offers for almost all of Udinese's key players.

This change was because the Pozzo family, through Guidolin, had learned about Bruno's ambition to lead the team to the Serie A title.

The primary reason, however, was Udinese's current 4-point lead in the standings, even keeping the mighty Juventus at bay.

This gave the shrewd Giampaolo Pozzo hope for Udinese to win the Serie A title.

Using these players for half a season to win a Serie A title would be a valuable trade!

Moreover, if Udinese did win the Serie A title, the players' value would undoubtedly increase with the championship aura.

Selling them after the season would fetch even more money.

Additionally, in the football world, major transfers rarely happen during the winter break. Most significant transfers occur during the summer transfer window.

In Udinese, Bruno's status was unique.

Because of his outstanding performance, coach Guidolin often sought Bruno's opinion on setting team goals and even some match tactics.

And because Bruno had helped Udinese sign potential stars like Kanté, Cancelo, and Mahrez, and last summer he brought in Harry Maguire from Sheffield United, who also showed great promise at Udinese, the club's general manager, Giaretta, would also seek Bruno's input on some transfers.

For instance, during this winter transfer window, Giaretta, on behalf of the Pozzo family, rejected almost all offers for Udinese's key players but made a deal with Chelsea on Bruno's suggestion.

Due to Udinese's impressive performance, Mourinho was interested in several of their players, specifically midfielders Kanté and Allan.

Bruno didn't want the club to sell both, but after some consideration, he suggested to Giaretta that they trade Allan for a young winger at Chelsea who barely played under Mourinho: Mohamed Salah.

Last winter, the 21-year-old Basel forward transferred to Chelsea for £15 million. However, in the past year, the Egyptian had limited playing time, mostly warming the bench, making only 19 appearances in all competitions and scoring 2 goals.

British media labeled Salah as a flop.

However, as someone who knew the future, Bruno was aware of Salah's potential for success.

Moreover, it was in Serie A where Salah transformed from a struggling player to a star.

So, when the opportunity arose to bring Salah to Udinese, Bruno was thrilled. He believed Salah would significantly contribute to their title challenge this season.

Although Giaretta was puzzled by Bruno's interest in a player considered a flop, he trusted Bruno's judgment and negotiated with Chelsea, eventually succeeding.

Thus, on the third day of the winter transfer window, Udinese announced their first winter transfer: a swap deal with Chelsea, trading Brazilian midfielder Allan Marques Loureiro for Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah.

(End of Chapter)