Chapter 504: Chapter 504
Commercial Director Belada pushed the gold-rimmed glasses up on his nose, a glimmer of light flashing in the lenses.
"6 million British Pounds, what are you dreaming about, Nasri? We’re not only going to terminate your contract, but also demand 10 million British Pounds for the club’s reputation damage. Rest assured, we’ll send the best legal team in Europe to deal with you. Do you think you have any chance of winning?"
Upon hearing this, Nasri wilted instantly, plopping down onto the floor.
How could he manage against the legal team of the Abu Dhabi Consortium, what a dream.
It seems situation is far worse than he imagined; he didn’t expect this Belada to be so ruthless, even more savage than CEO Belgistan!
"There’s some good news too, tell me." Nasri said weakly, looking up from the floor.
It was nighttime, and Manchester’s nights were bustling with lights;
occasionally, helicopters patrolled in the sky, flying through heavy gray clouds, kicking up a whirlwind.
Belada, wearing a grin, changed his demeanor as he squatted down and said kindly to Nasri:
"The good news is although we will immediately terminate your contract and refuse to pay your salary for the remaining two years, we will not add 10 million British Pounds for reputation damage. Instead, we found a new club for you."
"A new club? Where are you sending me?" Nasri was startled.
"Tottenham needs a creative attacking midfield substitute. I contacted them, and they are very satisfied with you, offering a six-month short-term contract totaling 150,000 British Pounds. Of course, if you perform well, you can renew it."
"I’ve already negotiated everything, just waiting for your signature on the contract. Once you’re released from your contract, when the winter transfer window opens, you can immediately join Tottenham and start a brand-new life in London."
"Oh, and," Belada added, "in the termination confirmation, there’s a clause that you must not disclose any details related to this incident after you leave Manchester City, or we’ll reserve the right to pursue further legal action."
Nasri’s eyes widened like a bull.
150,000 British Pounds for half a year, that’s 300,000 British Pounds a year?
My salary at Manchester City was 3 million British Pounds, and you’re directly cutting a zero off it!?
Without hesitation, Nasri waved his hand, righteously refusing.
"Impossible! With this salary, not even a dog would go!"
Although Tottenham’s players don’t earn as much as those at Manchester City, Nasri has been in the Premier League for many years, and he knows a 300,000 British Pound annual salary, calculated as a weekly wage, is how much?
Let alone at Tottenham; even in a Premier League relegation team, this surely is the lowest of low salaries, typically the small contracts signed by youth players first being promoted to the first team.
How could Nasri, the top among France’s four young swans at one point, whose fame was much greater than Benzema’s back then!
Giving me a salary meant for kids, isn’t this deliberately insulting me!
Exactly, it’s to deliberately mess with you, who told you to intentionally mess with Tang Long?
"If you don’t go, then sorry, we’ll claim the first condition, immediately terminate your contract, and charge you 10 million British Pounds for reputation damage." Belada said coldly.
Facing Belada’s threat, Nasri suddenly became tough.
He stood up, kicked the sofa angrily to vent his rage!
"Then let’s try it, dragging the lawsuit for three or four years. I don’t believe you can get any money. By then, I’ll have transferred all the assets; huh, let’s see what you can take!"
Belada seemingly foresaw that Nasri would say this; he smiled and said:
"Sure, then prepare for three or four years without playing football in Europe. Let me see which club would dare sign a player embroiled in lawsuits with the Abu Dhabi Consortium. You’re nothing but trouble and a burden!"
After some verbal skirmishes, Nasri eventually admitted defeat.
He was forced to accept the contract with a 90% pay cut.
Looking at the downtrodden Frenchman, Belada secretly cursed "serves you right," while being secretly pleased that he managed to solve this issue for merely 150,000 British Pounds and also sold a favor to Tottenham, feeling very happy.
"Do a good job at Tottenham, next year is the European Cup, if you perform well, Deschamps certainly won’t overlook you, young man."
Nasri was so angry his eyes and ears smoked but could do nothing.
He regretted deeply, should never have offended Tang Long, stole a chicken but lost the rice, ending up evicted and destitute; his hatred for Manchester City flared up rapidly!
He laid down some harsh words at the scene.
"Just wait, after the winter break, Tottenham plays Manchester City in the first game. Watch how I give you guys a beating!" After signing, Nasri stormed out of Belada’s office angrily.
Belada held back his laughter until Nasri’s footsteps completely disappeared in the hallway, then he slapped the desk while laughing loudly.
"And you think you can beat Manchester City; once at Tottenham, watch out for Gualin beating you up!"
Tang Long was the player Belada personally advocated bringing in during the summer transfer market as Commercial Director. From this angle, the better Tang Long performs at Manchester City and the more stable his position in the team is, the better Belada’s work looks!
His relationship with Tang Long is closely tied.
So regarding the issue of how to deal with Nasri, Belada asked Tang Long for his opinion.
After much thought, Tang Long felt that simply terminating Nasri’s contract seemed too harsh. The right-wing conservative media, the Daily Telegraph, might blow it out of proportion. No matter what, Nasri had played for Manchester City for five years and was still a teammate. To just end it like that seemed inhumane. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel·fıre·net
Am I being too harsh!
So when Belada suggested that Tottenham was interested in bringing in a backup attacking midfielder, Tang Long didn’t hesitate to nod.
"That would be fine, Mr. Belada. My good buddy Gualin from Inter is at Tottenham. He’s really loyal and will definitely take good care of Nasri!"
After saying that, Tang Long deliberately showed him a message Gualin had sent him on his phone.
[That Nasri guy from your team is really something, utterly despicable. If he falls into my hands, I’d break his skull with two punches!]
The two of them exchanged smiles~
Back to the match, the second half was still Manchester City’s slaughter time.
Hull City was like a lamb pinned to the chopping block, being slashed left and right, howling in agony;
while the 60,000 fans at the Etihad Stadium were like bloodthirsty spectators, drooling one by one, anticipating a grand feast.
Tang Long was the butcher wielding the knife, skillfully and calmly dismembering Hull City.
In the short span of two minutes, at the 63rd and 65th minutes, Manchester City once again showcased the spectacle of scoring two goals in quick succession!
The first assist, Tang Long made a standard direct pass through the middle, helping the cutting-in Bony to chip and score.
"Haha, I learned it!" Bony exclaimed excitedly at the camera.
"Damn, he actually learned to chip!" Agüero was taken aback!
"Playing with Tang for a long time, what can’t you learn?" Ranocchia chuckled sitting beside him.
If the first assist could only be seen as standard, then Tang Long’s second assist was truly a stroke of genius.
Kolarov’s cross from the wing was off, originally intended for the front Bony, but it accidentally landed at Tang Long’s position at the far post.
The ball came straight at Tang Long, and just when everyone thought he would calmly trap it with his foot, Tang Long suddenly stepped back, spun in place with his back to the ball, and surprisingly used the outside of his right foot to flick the ball up!
He fired off an outside-foot curve ball!
Kolarov’s unsuccessful pass to Bony, after rebounding off Tang Long, finally landed back where Bony was!
Bony leaped high, and a powerful header bounced into the goal after hitting the ground, 5:0!
Seeing their opponent crumble. Although Tang Long and Bony were still eager, they were both substituted by Pellegrini in the 70th minute.
In this match, Tang Long achieved a goal and three assists, while Bony scored an impressive four goals!
All his goals came from Tang Long’s assists.
No wonder Agüero, sitting in front of the TV, felt both happy and upset.
He was happy that Manchester City, amidst the storm of The Sun incident, was in the eye of the hurricane, and promptly responded to those false claims with a major victory.
But he was upset because, sigh, when will his leg recover? If he couldn’t play on the field, he could only sit in front of the TV and watch Bony gobble up goal after goal served by Tang Long.
"Bony, your appetite is huge! Aren’t you afraid of being stuffed to death?"
Ranocchia chimed in unexpectedly, almost gloating.
"Sergio Bony scored a hat-trick in this match, and it seems like he’s already surpassed your goal count in the team. You better hurry up and recover~"
The substitute Iheanacho, who came on the field, also scored a one-on-one goal in the 82nd minute, ultimately leading Manchester City to a 6:0 home victory over Hull City!
-[Wonderful! Manchester City just needed a big win!]
-[This 6-nil came just in time, giving a hard slap to certain peoples’ faces!]
-[After the incident, they immediately scored a big victory, you call that an ununited team?]
-[If an ununited team can win , does unity even matter?]
-[Haha, Manchester United’s match is over too, and they lost to Liverpool!]
-[Competitors are starting to fall apart towards the end of the year, Manchester City’s Christmas championship is just around the corner!]
-[Sigh, strange, have you noticed something? Manchester City seems stronger without Agüero?]
-[It’s mainly Bony, he’s playing better and better, can fully replace Agüero’s position!]
-[I really wonder what Agüero feels watching the match from the TV. He must be anxious, right?]
-[Could it be that Bony will snatch the Premier League Golden Boot in the end? It’s such a pity for Agüero, I thought with Tang Long, he could get his second Golden Boot!]