Back in London, late May, the Premier League has just finished its final round, with Gunners Arsenal winning the Premier League title with a 38-game unbeaten run, with Roman Abramovich's Chelsea in second place and Premier League giants Manchester United in third.

On the day Ronan arrived in London, a huge championship parade was taking place in the North London area, and Arsenal were at their highest level since the team was founded.

"Actually, this team is not bad either. ”

Inside the Ritz-Carlton, Will Smith watched the crowds of people parade of champions on live TV and seemed to be moved: "Why don't we buy it?"

Ronan shook his head slowly: "The team that has just won the double may not be cheaper than our goal. In addition, it is not financially healthy, and Arsenal is in debt for building a new stadium. ”

Will Smith also didn't want to buy a team with bad debts, thinking about the good performance of the target club, or even the few teams in the professional football world that can make big profits every year, and said: "Forget it, let's go ahead with the goal." ”

Ronan saw Thierry Henry, who was holding the trophy high in the close-up, and said: "It's going to be a very interesting team. ”

Ball protector is a lot like Henry?

No, this is a famous quote from the Great on the other side of the Pacific.

In the future, Arsenal should be "fighting for the four", "thermos cup", "the strongest man is in the formation" and so on.

There used to be so many jokes about the Arsenal Arsenal.

There are even a lot of ridicules for manager Arsène Wenger.

However, Ronan always believed at that time that some things were not the responsibility of the manager, and Wenger, as the manager of the romantic technical school, must have certain problems in his own right, but it is not easy to fight for the fourth every year when Arsenal is getting more and more picky.

In professional leagues, especially commercial football, performance is directly linked to the amount of investment.

If you want the club to produce results quickly, Roman Abramovich's approach is the most straightforward and effective.

There was a knock on the door, Connie went over to open the door, and Korver, who had been sent by Netflix to negotiate with the Premier League, walked in with a middle-aged Englishman.

This man is called Jefferson and he bought Chelsea for the Roman Abramovich operation.

Korver made introductions for both sides and quickly got to the point.

"Tell us about the situation. Ronan said directly.

Jefferson coughed lightly and said: "So far, we have not had any kind of contact with Manchester United, and no one will know about our potential acquirer for the time being. ”

Ronan nodded, someone actually knew that he had greeted William a few months ago.

"Manchester United is a listed club and we have already taken 4.85% of Manchester United's outstanding shares in the secondary market. In addition, there is a portion of outstanding shares that can be eaten at any time. Jefferson continued: "Under English law, once we hold more than 5 percent of our shares, we must make it public, so that we can no longer conceal our intentions. ”

Ronan said: "From tomorrow onwards, we will fully eat the outstanding shares and engage with the shareholders of Manchester United FC. ”

Jefferson, Korver, and others had done a lot of preparation, and immediately responded, "Okay, we're ready." ”

Ronan asked again: "What's going on with Manchester United?" ”

Jefferson didn't answer, but looked at Korver, who elaborated: "Many of Manchester United's major shareholders are not die-hard fans, but more investors, so the shares in their hands are investment commodities, as long as the price is right, it is not a problem to impress them." ”

In addition, there are many contradictions between Manchester United's shareholders, between shareholders and club management, and between shareholders and manager Alex Ferguson, and Manchester United's poor record of only ranking third this year is not only the result of the team's tactical and personnel adjustments, but also the manifestation of the team's internal contradictions. ”

Ronan has read a lot of preliminary research and knows that compared to membership-based clubs such as Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as typical giant clubs such as AC Milan and Inter Milan, Manchester United's shareholding composition is more complex and more commercial.

Korver added: "At present, Manchester United has three major shareholders, namely Irish horse racing tycoons Maunier and McManus, and Manchester United's well-known director Watkins, the former two have a total of 29.9 percent of the shares, and the latter holds more than 10 percent, as long as we can get these three shareholders, plus the potential gains in the secondary market and other small shareholders, we will hold more than 50 percent." ”

"In this way, we can forcibly dissolve the board of directors and launch a compulsory takeover of the remaining shares, and no matter how the other shareholders of the club and the fans resist, the whole situation is settled!"

Will Smith suddenly interjected: "It's best to have a smooth acquisition." ”

Ronan agreed: "It's better not to cause too much backlash from the fans. ”

"Understood. Jefferson answered: "What I just said is a last resort. ”

Korver added: "The first plan is to exploit the tension between Manchester United's shareholders and the club's management, and last year Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and Maunier had gone through the legal process over the ownership of a thoroughbred racehorse, and Manier wanted to sell his stake in Manchester United. ”

Ronan asked: "Does Alex Ferguson also have a stake in Manchester United?"

"Yes. Korver is sure: "But not too many, just one of many small shareholders." ”

Will Smith has also done some preparation recently, saying: "Alex Ferguson has a huge impact on Manchester United, can we do something about him?"

Jefferson knows Ferguson well: "Ferguson doesn't really care who is the owner of Manchester United, if he can sit in his current position, this old Scottish man is ambitious and wants to pull Arsenal off the altar like Liverpool and lead Manchester United to a second Champions League title. Also, Ferguson has fallen out with Mannier and McManus, and he would certainly love to see them kicked out of the club. ”

Ronan walked back and forth slowly, saying as he walked: "According to the plan, we will officially launch the acquisition, contact Ferguson, and enlist Ferguson's support." ”

"Okay. Jefferson replied.

His team was ready to wait for the acquisition to take off.

But Jefferson also had concerns: "In 1999, Rupert Murdoch of News Corp. and a prince of the Abu Dhabi consortium wanted to buy Manchester United, and the two sides fought so fiercely that News Corp. was very close to Manchester United for a time, but eventually the official called for the deal to be halted. ”

He emphatically reminded: "Mr Anderson, although the Russians managed to buy Chelsea Football Club last year, we also need to be prepared for possible official intervention. ”

Ronan nodded and said, "The official factor can be removed, and I will take care of the official agency." ”

Jefferson didn't say anything more, continuing the topic just now: "If it can be successfully passed on the official side, there are only two major difficulties for us to buy Manchester United. ”

Will Smith asked curiously, "What two?"

"The first is the Manchester United fans!" said Jefferson, "There are a lot of fans at Manchester United who are very traditional and conservative, and they are very reluctant to get involved in the club, and they are very likely to have a big protest. ”

Ronan also thought about this aspect, so he brought in Will Smith and Tom Cruise, who are huge in prestige and fame, to strengthen their own momentum.

Will Smith wondered: "Fans do matter, but fans can't directly interfere with the decisions of the entertainment department and shareholders, right?"

Jefferson smiled wryly: "I can intervene because Manchester United's largest fan group is also a shareholder, and at present, Manchester United's largest fan organization is called the 'Shareholders League', which has more than 15,000 members, and they are closely linked to many small shareholders, and Manchester United's well-known director Watkins is also a member of the 'Shareholders Alliance'." ”

Ronan sensed trouble and asked, "What is the maximum number of shares they can gather?"

Jefferson said directly: "Probably forty percent, maybe even more than fifty." ”

Will Smith, though not particularly proficient in business, understood what this meant, and frowned and said, "If they really join forces, we may be out!" He asked, "Are you ready for the plan?"

"Many of the members of the Shareholder League are fans, but more often than not, they are investors. "As long as investors pursue commercial profits, we have the opportunity to dismantle their alliances from within, and I have people on my team who are very familiar with Watkins," Jefferson said. ”

Ronan nodded and asked, "Another big obstacle is the Abu Dhabi consortium?"

"Yes, Abu Dhabi Consortium!" Jefferson said briefly: "The Abu Dhabi Consortium has not given up since the last failed takeover, and has been in contact with Manchester United shareholders in the past few months, but many people have doubts about their Arab identity and the fans are far more resistant to them than we are. ”

Ronan asked, "Do they have a stake in their hands?"

"There may have been some outstanding shares in the secondary market, but not more than five percent," Jefferson said. He cautioned: "One thing to note is that after the end of the Premier League, the Abu Dhabi consortium has become more active, and with Prince Mansour, who controls the consortium on behalf of the Abu Dhabi royal family, in London three days ago, I suspect that the Abu Dhabi consortium will also want to launch a new offensive against Manchester United during the season's probationary period." ”

"This is England, your home turf, keep an eye on the Arabs. Ronan thought of the old acquaintance and said, "If I have the chance, I will go and see Lord Mansour myself." ”

Back then, the two were also partners for a time.

After meeting with Jefferson and Korver, Ronan went to the bank again to buy Manchester United and solve the financial problem.