Piccadilly, Mayfair, London.
Green Park Underground Station faces Stratton Street. Heading southwest, the next intersection is Bolton Street.
At the corner stands Henry's Coffee Shop.
Walk about 40 meters down and you'll see an arcade. There's a door next to it.
It looks completely ordinary, no different from most of the other row houses on the street.
But those who know the area are aware that behind that door lies Manchester United's London headquarters.
Manchester United's London office wasn't originally located here, but as many companies and agencies gradually moved south, the club rented this entire building in this prime location.
Outside is the busy Piccadilly Avenue, filled with traffic and tourists. Across the street are Green Park and St. James's Park, and to the northwest is Hyde Park. Nearby are Knightsbridge and Harrods.
Who would have thought that Manchester United would base its headquarters here?
Even more unexpectedly, at this very moment, in the second-floor conference room facing the street, Manchester United's top management was holding a special meeting.
Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward sat with his two closest associates: Matt Judge, Head of Corporate Development and responsible for football negotiations, and John Murtough, Head of Football Development. These three essentially controlled Manchester United's football operations.
But today, they were not alone. Also present were Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson, who had come all the way from Cheshire, and former club CEO David Gill.
Though both had retired, they still held honorary consultant positions at the club.
A heavy silence hung in the meeting room as they discussed an unrealistic and controversial idea.
Buying Haaland from Leeds United.
...
Manchester United's current situation was far from ideal.
Thirteen rounds into the Premier League season, they sat 10th in the table, a result that could only be described as disappointing.
Ed Woodward, however, didn't seem too bothered. In his mind, he had done his job perfectly.
Last season, Manchester United achieved record-breaking revenue, which sent their stock price soaring on the Nasdaq. Following the financial report, the club's total market value rose by $1.4 billion.
The Glazer family was thrilled with Woodward's work.
Titles? Championships?
Who cares?
The Glazers had bought Manchester United using Manchester United's own money with one simple goal: grow the company, raise its value, and sell it for profit. Nothing mattered more than boosting the stock price.
Many people in the football world still used old-fashioned logic to judge football investments. They thought clubs should focus on winning trophies, but they didn't understand that, like Borussia Dortmund and Ajax, many publicly traded clubs' shares were essentially worthless.
So what if Manchester United weren't winning?
The stock price was rising, and that was all that mattered.
Ed Woodward, a financial expert, understood perfectly the art of generating traffic.
Many mocked Manchester United for being a "price-inflating club," but few realized that this strategy made them the center of every transfer window. Year after year, the global media and fans gave them free advertising. It was the best kind of marketing imaginable.
If there's a better way to make money, let someone show it.
However, the team's recent performances had become a problem.
Several of Manchester United's major sponsors were growing impatient with the club's continued failure to qualify for the Champions League. Some even threatened to reconsider their contracts.
This finally made Woodward take notice.
After all, the stock market thrives on expectations. If sponsors start to pull out, the stock price will fall, which would anger the Glazers. And if that happened, Woodward's own position would become unstable.
So he called Ferguson and David Gill for advice.
...
"Earlier, we deliberately leaked news that we were offering Haaland a huge weekly wage and agent commission. Leeds United were very unhappy, and now they're not responding to us at all," Woodward said awkwardly.
Damn it, he thought. Leeds United were acting like a nouveau riche family.
Two Premier League titles and one Champions League, and suddenly they were full of themselves.
Ferguson and Gill exchanged glances, both exasperated.
The three executives opposite them looked equally uncomfortable, but Woodward and Judge were clearly irritated, while Murtough seemed helpless.
This was the difference between professionals and amateurs.
Those who truly understood football knew there were unspoken rules in this business.
Manchester United's approach was unethical and broke those rules.
Even Championship clubs wouldn't deal with a team behaving like this.
Poaching talent was one thing, but doing it this way was another matter entirely.
When everyone starts breaking the rules, the whole transfer market collapses.
"Haaland's popularity is skyrocketing. Our data shows he's trending globally on social media, along with Mbappé in La Liga," Woodward said with a grin. "I heard this slogan somewhere: 'Haaland in the Premier League, Mbappé in La Liga.' It's catchy. Can we bring him to Manchester United?"
He turned toward Ferguson and Gill, clearly hoping for guidance—especially from Ferguson.
Everyone knew about his good relationship with Gao Shen. If Ferguson were willing to help mediate, maybe there was a chance.
Ferguson, knowing exactly why he had been invited, was reluctant but remained patient.
"Recently, Leeds United have been promoting Haaland heavily," he began. "They've built a massive online presence and are centering their tactics around him. Right now, he's in fantastic form."
Cristiano Ronaldo and Messi had been able to score so many goals because Real Madrid and Barcelona built their systems around them.
The same was true for Haaland now.
But there was one major difference: both Haaland and Mbappé were extremely efficient.
That efficiency came from the number of chances they received inside the penalty area.
"Real Madrid are developing Mbappé, and Leeds United are doing the same with Haaland. Although the two clubs don't have a formal agreement, there's a mutual understanding. This kind of relationship benefits both sides," Ferguson explained.
It was similar to how Real Madrid once cultivated Cristiano Ronaldo and Barcelona developed Messi.
There had been no agreement between them either, but they fed off each other's success in business terms.
Even defeats could become valuable publicity.
Like celebrities, even their haters added to their fame.
"Whether it's possible to sign Haaland or not, money is not the issue," Woodward declared confidently.
Matt Judge quickly added, "Given the current situation, I personally think paying more than €150 million isn't worth it, because after signing him, we'll need to spend a fortune on promotion."
"Leeds United and Real Madrid have already built the hype for us," he continued. "If we bring Haaland in, our promotional impact will be incredible. More importantly, it will please our sponsors. If we pull off a blockbuster transfer in the winter window, the media will explode over Christmas."
Manchester United had always excelled at stirring up media frenzy.
Ferguson and Gill exchanged another look.
They knew exactly what was happening.
Woodward was playing the generous businessman, while Judge revealed the real bottom line: €150 million.
"From what I've heard, he'll play in the final round of the Champions League group stage, and he's very likely to score," Ferguson said with a faint smile.
He had already understood everything.
Manchester United's management wasn't thinking about football or tactics. They were thinking about money.
Whoever was trending online, they chased after.
Dele Alli had enormous talent, yet he failed to develop at Manchester United. Martial, Zaha, Schneiderlin, Maguire, De Vrij—so many players had been signed from Leeds United over the years. They all had potential. What happened to them?
But Woodward didn't catch Ferguson's meaning. Instead, he clapped his hands excitedly.
"If he scores again and breaks Ronaldo's record, he'll be the greatest of all time! Just imagine, he's only 19! God, there's so much we can do with that!"
He was practically trembling with excitement.
Ferguson could only sit there speechless.
As a consultant for Gao Shen, he had recently been involved in projects at Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, and he knew that several Premier League clubs—Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham, and Chelsea—were exploring collaborations with Gao Shen's company.
They all recognized the commercial power of Advanced Technology.
Of course, they wouldn't hire Gao Shen as a technical director, but they were eager to cooperate through consultancy or staffing agreements.
And Manchester United?
They were still stuck chasing headlines.
What the club truly needed was investment in training facilities and youth development.
For more than a decade, Manchester United hadn't invested a single penny in the Carrington Training Centre. Its infrastructure was practically the same as it had been ten years ago.
How were they supposed to compete with the rest of the Premier League?
There were also issues with team structure, coaching staff, first-team management, and medical facilities.
All of these were areas worth investing in—far more valuable than spending a fortune on Haaland.
Ferguson sighed inwardly.
Manchester United had become so poor that money was all they had left.
(To be continued.)