Manchester United - Once Again

Reaching France

As I stepped out of Marseille airport, a hoard of reporters and cameramen stood outside, shouting out questions about signings, preseason, Rooney and, in particular, Azpiliceuta. Looks like Biscotti had not been successful in avoiding a leak about our potential signing. The sheer size of the crowd assembled didn't bother me; but this indicated that every club monitoring the Spanish defender would now be contacting Olympique de Marseille and agreeing a deal. Although I was managing a very big club, there were some clubs we just couldn't compete with. Thankfully, Real Madrid and Manchester City had not shown too much interest in the player.

Carrying nothing but a suitcase, I enter a stationary taxi and tell the driver to quickly drive to Stade Velodrome, while shielding my eyes from the constant flashes of the dozen cameras swarming around the vehicle. Initially, 'Rien de Rien' by Edith Piaf had the cab driver distracted, but once we hit the highway, he attempted to start a conversation with me in very refined English, almost as if he was English, minus the accent obviously.

"You are here for Cesar, no?". His words had caught me off-guard. I knew Azpiliceuta was famous amongst the fans, but if they talked about him on a first-name basis, it would be difficult to come back here when we sign him.

"Is it all over the news already?", I asked him, curious to know how these things worked in France. If this was England, the newspapers would have linked us with most of the French national side by now.

"No, it was because the Cesar's representative had a press conference about it.", said the driver, with a giggle. "Stupid man, that will just make it harder for you to sign Cesar". Was he stupid though or was it masterstroke by Juan Lavin? With interest from Barcelona and Liverpool as well, he could easily get more than double if the teams got into a bidding war, when it came to wages.

The talking and information extraction continued as the taxi stopped for one last time, a couple of minutes away from the stadium. This was a cab, after all, and they wouldn't let him go in without proper authorization.

Face-To-Face with the Devil

I might have seen France as free, open and devoid of craziness, but the heat here was immense. I realized very soon that wearing a light coloured shirt was probably a bad idea. Thankfully, out of habit, I was carrying an extra shirt, which I wanted to change into before I met Cesar Azpiliceuta's representative. Unfortunately, with Gian Nicola Biscotti walking towards me at a brisk pace, it became clear that I wasn't going to be given that opportunity. He was clearly in a hurry, and righty so - we were fighting for the right-defender's signature and being first was as important as offering the most lucrative contract. Of course, in today's game, money seems to dominate most young minds, but on the rare occasion, the promises you make also impacts the player's decision.

Biscotti leads me to a massive conference room - with a number of individuals in their suits - already seated there. I, for one, felt way under-dressed and thought twice before entering, but I had no choice. As soon as we enter, all eyes were on us. I expected this to be a straight negotiation between Cesar's agent and Biscotti and I. All subtlety was forgotten as I started this negotiation with, "Who are these people?"

A man, I recognized to be Juan Lavin, got up from his seat and said, "I am Juan Lavin, Cesar Azpiliceuta's lead representative." "Lead representative?!", I exclaimed, looking at my coach, Biscotti, expecting an answer. "This is the first I'm hearing of this, boss.", was his unconvincing reply.

Lavin quickly walked towards us and extended his hand for a handshake. "Cesar is one of the brightest prospect to come out of France in a long time, and all of us have been employed to make sure he gets through his career, living up to his potential. Thomas Orar and Jim Lager, here, look after his training schedules when he is away from his club, while Van Pelt and I take care of his contracts."

I was dumbfounded. I have known of established players having separate agents for sponsors, teams and media, but having multiple representatives while a club like Manchester United was looking for his signature was unacceptable in my book. I had to lay the law down so I could dictate the terms. "I would like to discuss terms with the agent and the player. This isn't the training field so I expect Orar and Lager to leave the room". While I saw those two, seemingly dejected, walking out of the room on the approval of Lavin, I also noticed the client, Cesar Azpiliceuta, being extremely quiet, not saying a word. He wasn't going to be given an opportunity any time soon, as Lavin starts dictating terms even before we can take a seat.

"My client demands £35,000 per week, with the appearance fee depending on what squad status you give him. If you promise to place him in the first team and give him opportunities in the first season, we won't be looking for a high appearance bonus..", Lavin spoke, without wasting a breath, but he is stopped by Biscotti. "Hold on there, we are here to talk about a player's future, and we can't even sit? It is insulting for the manager of such a reputable club, and also to the player." "That's alright, Gian. I'm sure we'll reach an agreement really quickly anyway", was my reply.

My counter offer to Lavin was more than just a counter offer, it was a speech. "Obviously, a club like Manchester United has state of the art training facilities, and best of the best players challenging for positions in the starting eleven. Your client will not be featured in the starting lineup, unless we are resting our first-choice players until he learns to play our way, but once he does and he impresses my coaches enough during practice, he will be my first-choice right defender, even if it means replacing my best player. Performance means everything - holding the manager and club ransom doesn't. We can offer £23,000 per week, which is substantially less than what you want. He will receive a fee of £6000 every time he plays, and until his contract runs out, he will get a 10% pay rise every year. By the fourth year of his contract, if he decides to sign and stay on, he will receive your desired amount, that is £35,000 per week."

My coach, Biscotti, looks a little amazed at the long statement I just made, because it was not what we normally do. Signing a player includes a long decision between both parties until an acceptable offer for everyone involved is achieved. With me doing all the talking, he was nothing more than a statue in this situation, which I'm sure he didn't appreciate.

"We accept your demands, only because my client is being offered less than this at Olympique de Marseille, and he will be happy playing for your side but there is more to discuss! Cesar is twenty-one and will hit his prime in the next four to five years. I'm sure you would like to sign him on a contract when he is at his best, and in this fickle world where players move from club to club because of money, I expected my client to be rewarded for his loyalty. £1 Million is where I stand", he said casually.

I wasn't unfamiliar with the concept of loyalty bonuses, but the way Lavin put it was hilarious to me. Here he was, shamelessly asking me to put a price on loyalty to avoid Cesar from running after money. Couldn't say he was asking for something exorbitant though. In four years, he would be more than worth a one-time payment of £1 Million. I accepted with a nod, but he wasn't done.

"And finally, I'm guessing you haven't forgotten the middle-man in this deal. I was in contact with your coach, Biscotti, and made him aware of my client's availability. Also, if you want to ward off challenges from Liverpool and Barcelona, even that can be bought. £3.3 Million is what I want."

I thought he was being funny. That was way too much, and had I just not made the 'I won't be held for ransom' speech?

"That is totally unacceptable. Even if I were to comply with your demands, which I won't, the club has rules. We cannot offer an agent a sum over £1.5 Million, unless the player is a key member of the squad, and to be honest, Cesar won't even feature in the first team until he is ready. You can ask for money then, not now".

"No deal" were Lavin's last words, before leaving the room along with his client.

I saw the deal slipping through our fingers just because a money-hungry agent couldn't survive with a pay-cut. To be fair to him, this is how he earns his living, and who in this world can live with anything less than £3.3 Million? The deal was done, and we left the room, still without Cesar Azpilicueta saying a word.