The anger of the Dutch giants

Millwall's preseason training was progressing smoothly, and by the end of July, they kicked off their series of friendly matches.

Last summer, they had invited the Scottish giants Celtic, and this summer, it was Glasgow Rangers.

In the first match, Millwall comfortably defeated their opponent at home, as players returning from vacation quickly regained their competitive form.

The second friendly was also held at home, where Aldrich had invited last season's Ligue 1 champions, Monaco, to London.

On the eve of the match, Aldrich personally welcomed Monaco's head coach, Tigana, at the club's entrance. Tigana, who led Monaco to the French championship, gained widespread acclaim following Wenger's departure.

In the new season, Monaco would also participate in the Champions League, and like Millwall, they were unfamiliar with the competition, so it was essential for both teams to familiarize themselves with different styles of play.

Tigana was very interested in Millwall, who had unexpectedly beaten Paris Saint-Germain in the previous season. Without hesitation, he accepted Aldrich's invitation.

Outside the club, Tigana looked up at the massive promotional poster hanging on the main building with keen interest.

"Millwall really is a collection of stars now," he remarked sincerely.

The poster featured The Lions' emblem as the background, enhanced by a fiery effect, showcasing upper-body images of Larsson, Nedvěd, Makélélé, Southgate, and Lampard.

This was a typical promotional strategy for the football club.

They rarely highlighted a single player in the promotional images; instead, they creatively showcased club culture from multiple perspectives.

For instance, among these five, Southgate and Lampard represented local talent; Lampard symbolized youth, Makélélé stood for diversity, Larsson was the hotshot striker, and Nedvěd the spiritual leader.

Aldrich invited Tigana to share drinks in his office. At only 42, Tigana was a young coach, having started coaching a year before Aldrich. He had achieved a remarkable height last season with Lyon, securing the championship with a significant 12-point lead.

Both shared high expectations for the upcoming Champions League, analyzing the current conditions of various European clubs while reminiscing about the time they had watched matches with Fernandez, who had been let go due to their partnership.

Monaco had beaten Paris Saint-Germain, and Millwall had also knocked out the UEFA Cup defending champions.

The next day at The Den, the stadium was packed with fans who came with a relaxed attitude to enjoy the match. Television stations covered the friendly between the Premier League champions and the Ligue 1 champions, depicting it as a prelude for two teams that would grace the Champions League next season.

Aldrich took a rather casual approach to friendly matches. They functioned mainly as a way to train the players and adjust their fitness, rather than a genuine attempt to measure the team's strength, especially since rival teams might not be giving their all.

However, these matches were essential; they provided players with the psychological preparation for the competitive season ahead.

Both teams played with an open style. French teams had established a Latin style since the Platini era, while Millwall had adopted a more European style of play, showing a trend of excellence. When such teams clashed, the result was bound to be an exciting match, unless they engaged in a fierce, uncompromising battle.

Goals flowed back and forth as the match progressed.

Aldrich sat on the sidelines in sports attire, and his relaxed demeanor was evident as he chatted and joked with the other coaches.

"Aldrich, let's buy that young winger across the field! I feel he would definitely contribute more than Van der Meyde in the new season," Benítez suddenly said seriously.

Aldrich didn't even need to look to know who he was referring to.

The future king of Highbury: Henry!

Even though Henry was still playing as a winger, he had already shown outstanding potential.

Strictly speaking, Wenger didn't provide much assistance to Henry during his tenure at Monaco, but he had discovered Henry's exceptional talent. Under Tigana, Henry blossomed into a key player for the team and made it to the national team, boarding the train for the World Cup.

Aldrich smiled wryly, "I wanted to sign him three years ago, but they wouldn't sell. Just a month ago, when I was in France, I asked Tigana specifically: Petit was sold for less than three million pounds, what about Henry? I offered four million pounds. But they still rejected me."

Benítez glanced at Tigana on the adjacent bench, puzzled. "Aren't you familiar with him? He sold a key player from the French national team, why can't he cut you a deal for Henry? Four million pounds isn't trivial; I'm sure you could add a bit more."

Aldrich shrugged and shook his head, deciding not to say more.

Four million pounds was indeed a large sum for the now 25-year-old Henry.

While Henry would undoubtedly be a world-class forward like Ronaldo, the two players at 25 had considerable differences when it came to fame and ability. This summer, Ronaldo could be valued at twenty million pounds, while Aldrich believed Henry's worth wouldn't exceed six million pounds.

To be fair, it wasn't a matter of money; it was Tigana refusing to sell.

It wasn't that Aldrich had poor connections; it was just that their relationship hadn't reached that point, and Aldrich didn't want to owe anyone a favor.

Wenger's circle in France is so wide that Aldridge's casual drinking and game watching can't compare.

Fernandez is no fool. But Anelka only spent 500,000 pounds to join Arsenal.

Petit also wasn't an unknown; since his debut, he had been a promising talent in France, starting to play for the national team at 19. He was now on the verge of his golden years, crowned with the previous season's Ligue 1 title, yet Monaco had sent him to Arsenal for less than three million pounds.

What's even more surprising was Guy Roux, who not only promised Wenger talent development but also established a football academy in Africa after retirement, helping Wenger scout for young talents.

It's clear why Arsenal under Wenger bore a distinct French flavor. It wasn't surprising that he had a soft spot for French players. Given that quality players on the transfer market were expensive, the cost-conscious Wenger preferred to source quality players from France instead of overpaying.

This showcased the power of connections in the industry. Aldrich, a newcomer, had yet to establish his reputation or player connections in his lengthy career. He could only build friendships with compatible coaches gradually, hoping that one day an accumulation of these relationships could lead to significant opportunities, allowing him to become a well-connected manager.

As the friendly came to an end, the satisfied fans cheered and applauded both teams.

The score was 4:4.

With eight goals and a back-and-forth display of attacking football, the fans enjoyed a feast of goals.

As the new season drew closer, the excitement that had built up over the summer began to be released—full stands for a friendly were the best testament to this.

Aldrich and Tigana chatted for a bit longer. Aldrich was quite sincere; he had pursued Henry twice. Failing the first time was due to Wenger's rejection, and the second time was Tigana's.

After the match, with no further games planned for the upcoming week, they awaited the Community Shield before the league opener to fine-tune their condition.

However, Aldrich didn't anticipate that unforeseen circumstances would come crashing in.

On the very night they bid farewell to Monaco, Adam rushed to his home with a grave expression and solemnly informed him: Ajax was furious!

With Van Gaal departing for Barcelona, Ajax was experiencing significant turmoil, having spent six years there while developing numerous stars from the Ajax system.

Ajax have been grappling with the departure of their legendary coach all summer, which has led to them slacking off on signing professional contracts with their youth teams. Once Olsen took over and put things in order, he was surprised to find that the much-anticipated Van der Meyde seemed to disappear. It's clear that not only has Van der Meyde not signed anything, but he's already headed to London, where he's getting on well with his new teammates at Millwall.

After two consecutive seasons of losing key players for free, the thought of losing another promising youth player was intolerable for Ajax!

This was unacceptable!

That was their lifeline!

They informed Millwall: Provide a solution or we will report you to UEFA and FIFA!

Hearing this, Aldrich felt a pang of regret.

In contractual terms, Van der Meyde's contract with Ajax had expired, allowing Millwall to sign him afterwards, so the timelines matched up perfectly.

But the mistake was that Aldrich had approached Van der Meyde while his apprenticeship contract with Ajax hadn't yet expired.

Although there weren't any witnesses or material proof, the timelines indicated that Aldrich went to Amsterdam while Van der Meyde was packing his bags for London, making it evident that Van der Meyde had indeed left for London before the end of June.

At that time, international transfer regulations weren't particularly detailed. In fact, especially following the impact of the Bosman ruling, FIFA and UEFA were distressed by the lack of detailed regulations concerning transfers of young players, and the ban on international transfers for players under 18 would be implemented only a decade later.

Nevertheless, Ajax certainly had grounds to be irate; they were on the receiving end of the situation and would be perceived as victims if they didn't even get training compensation, which could tarnish Millwall's image.

Aldrich sat across from Adam at his home. He held his forehead and closed his eyes, asking, "What do they propose? It should just be about money, right? Tell them Millwall will offer three hundred thousand pounds as compensation."

Adam replied quietly, "Boss, while it's about money, Ajax doesn't want a direct payout."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I guess they want to avoid public outcry. If this issue blows up, other top European clubs might swoop in and tempt their young talents. They would prefer to handle this discreetly without announcing it, but we still need to provide some form of compensation."

Aldrich scratched his head, unable to come up with a solution.

Transactions between clubs have accounting records, and international exchanges bring the risk of scrutiny; failing to clarify can become a hidden danger.

Aldrich was relieved that Ajax didn't wish to go public with this issue; he too wanted to protect Millwall's reputation.

"Wait, let me consult a professional."

When it comes to financial matters, Aldrich thought the most knowledgeable person was Andrew.

Sure enough, when he called Andrew, explained the situation, Andrew quickly proposed a solution.

After hanging up, Aldrich was all smiles as he said to Adam, "Tell Ajax we'll come to Amsterdam for a friendly match. They keep all the ticket sales—no share for us. If they feel one match isn't enough, we'll commit to another within the next two years under the same conditions."

Understanding Aldrich's intention, Adam's eyes lit up.

Based on Millwall's stature as a treble-winning club, inviting them for a friendly match was no trivial matter.

A few years later, this would be normal. Major clubs' friendlies carried specified appearance fees.