Part 3 – Preseason: The story of a Transfer
http://drupal-images.tv2.dk/sites/images.tv2.dk/files/t2img/2012/07/27/988x555/322041-bashkim_kadrii.pngBashkim Kadrii - The Danish international is the newest man in the Hertha BSC Squad
“There are some managers who believe that the key phrase in preseason training is conditioning, conditioning, conditioning. This is not true! This is about fundamentals; this is about going back to basics. Learning our skills all over so that when the new season starts we will not miss a pass, we will not miss a tackle, we will not miss a chest trap. There is no excuse for lacking the fundamental skills of football, especially at this level!”
This was the opening statement of Ernst Mertens to his team the first day of practice. A lot of the players looked bewildered but somehow encouraged. Everyone in the team would get the chance to show that they possessed the necessary skills to make the first team. There was going to be some inevitable changes made, the first was Peter Niemeyer who had left the club earlier in the morning. The day after the club announced, just before the daily training started, that they have signed the Croatian winger Stiven Rivic. This was the first signing to come into the first team.
A few days later I was asked to fly to Denmark with Michael Preetz, so I had to leave the daily preseason training and have a few days in my home country. On the plane ride to Copenhagen Michael told me that we were going there to see if we could sign a winger from my hometown of Odense. He had acquired a DVD from a friend a week before and we were now going to Denmark to negotiate a fee and a contract as well as having a look at the player in the preseason training. I got no name, but knowing my home team there could be only two options, we were going there to sign either Icelandic international Rurik Gislason or the Danish international Bashkim Kadrii. We landed in Copenhagen airport and picked up an Audi, provided by the club’s exclusive partners, and started our drive to Odense. I was driving the car when Michael picked up the phone and spoke for a few minutes about a maximum fee and how badly they wanted him. Within minutes everything was agreed and Michael was quiet the rest of the way, checking his emails. We arrived in Odense just before the morning training session where we met up with the Odense Boldklub CEO Thomas Christensen and Head Coach Henrik Clausen. We stood there and talked for a minute and a young man came up and greeted us, I instantly recognised the Danish international, he came up and greeted us and said that he was pleased we had come. He was followed by a short stocky man with most of his hair shaved off; he introduced himself as Morten Harbo, mr. Kadrii’s agent. Bashkim Kadrii turned about and joined the rest of the squad for training.
Michael Preetz didn’t speak during the entire training session and I only opened my mouth to tell the local sports press who the man looking on were and where he came from. The local reporter was quick to deduce which player we were looking at, despite the fact he hadn’t seen the encounter between us and Bashkim Kadrii. After the training session we were invited up to the Sports Director office, which had been vacant since the sacking of Kim Brink. We were offered coffee and ten minutes later Bashkim Kadrii and his agent walked through the door, followed shortly after by Henrik Clausen. All four sat opposite me and Preetz, who had told me to keep quiet and not utter a single word during the negotiations. The entire conversation was conducted in English and they agreed that the currency dealt in would be euros. It was fun to observe the formalities that went on and I was getting more and more excited by being put in this situation. Preetz started out by saying that he was interested in Bashkim Kadrii and wanted him to join Hertha BSC, both he and the head coach wanted him. Preetz offered 1.5 million €, and Thomas Christensen considered this and quickly rejected. Preetz asked what would work instead and Christensen answered that they wanted 3 million €. Preetz considered this and it left me thinking whether we now were inside the maximum margin agreed with whoever he was on the phone with in the car. Preetz then said, we will be willing to make a deal that gives you 2.5 million € over 2 years. We will also be willing to provide you with 25% of any profit made from a future sale. Thomas Christensen leaned back in his office chair and Bashkim Kadrii looked hopeful at him, he then said that they would have to think about it and they would have their answer tomorrow. Preetz was allowed to continue talking to Bashkim and see if they could agree on a contract. At this point Morten Harbo looked at me and said that he would prefer it that we didn’t talk about his client’s contract in front of a journalist. Without any arguments, I got up and walked out the door. It must have been easy negotiations because five minutes later the door opened and it seemed like a deal was done.
