Snap!
In his London mansion, James Ratcliffe, the wealthy businessman who had just completed the acquisition of Manchester United, angrily slammed the newspaper in his hand onto the coffee table.
This sudden outburst startled the assistant standing across from him into silence.
The servants who had been working in the kitchen came out after hearing the sound, but when they noticed the tension in the living room, they quietly returned to their duties.
This boss has a terrible temper. Not just the staff, even the housekeeping companies have changed several times. No one dares cross him.
"What do they mean by this?" Ratcliffe shouted, pointing at the freshly printed Times.
In fact, not just The Times, but The Guardian had also published Leeds United's response to Ratcliffe's offer, which was a very simple two-word reply: Get out!
Fernando Lucas, in a phone interview with the media, expressed shock at Ratcliffe's offer.
The Spaniard stated that he never expected such a proposal from Manchester United's future ownership, calling it not only disrespectful to Leeds United but also to their players.
"I now seriously question whether he is truly, as he claims, a lifelong Manchester United supporter."
The Times analyzed Ratcliffe's offer and concluded it was full of disdain toward Leeds United.
A fixed transfer fee with performance-based variables is standard in European football transfers.
But no club has ever offered such a high variable fee when attempting to sign a player from another club.
Even the fixed fee Ratcliffe proposed included an installment plan that was discriminatory.
The Times cited an economist, Fernando Lucas, who suggested that if Ratcliffe's approach became common, player transfers would turn into purely financial transactions, allowing Manchester United to acquire top stars at minimal actual cost.
"This is unfair to the selling club!"
The Times agreed with this, stating that if Manchester United were to sell the player at a high price before triggering the performance clauses, Leeds United would suffer losses.
Even if Leeds United inserted strict conditions, the current proposal was still highly unfair.
"Our players are not necessarily for sale, and certainly not to Manchester United!" Fernando Lucas said with indignation, before making a clear announcement.
"We now seriously doubt the operational capability of Ratcliffe and his team. Therefore, if Manchester United wish to sign a player from Leeds United, they must pay the full amount upfront!"
Lucas also took the opportunity to accuse Ratcliffe of not intending to invest in Manchester United at all, but instead aiming to make quick profits.
"This reminds me of the Glazer family in 2003," Lucas said with concern.
The Times not only published the full interview with Lucas but also expressed doubts over Ratcliffe's management capabilities.
"Before even completing any transfers, he's already offended the biggest player market in the Premier League."
The Guardian also gave the incident wide coverage.
After all, Ratcliffe's acquisition of Manchester United and his attempted poaching of Leeds United stars had become breaking news in European football, attracting global attention from media and fans alike, and naturally drawing sharp focus from the British press.
Ratcliffe's offer was indeed strange. The Guardian believed he was attempting to use financial and capital leverage to complete the deal, but this approach simply wouldn't work in football.
"Players are living, breathing individuals, not cold assets, let alone machines."
The Guardian warned Ratcliffe that he must abandon his INEOS-style methods and manage Manchester United, and relationships with other clubs, more professionally.
Manchester United's management in recent years had been far from professional.
Take Ed Woodward, for example. He was known for his money-making abilities, but his football decisions were a disaster. During his tenure, United was even mocked as "Price-Inflating United."
Now, with Ratcliffe just taking over the club, his very first offer had offended Leeds United, drawing heavy criticism from Leeds fans and even from the Yorkshire Post. This was regrettable.
When financial experts run clubs, they often attract others with similar approaches.
From Woodward to Ratcliffe, not much had changed in the leadership style at Manchester United.
Some media outlets even mocked Ratcliffe's lowball offer to Leeds United, comparing it to his poor decision to move INEOS Group's headquarters to Switzerland.
"In fact, he quickly regretted that move and brought the headquarters back to London."
"The same thing might happen here."
"He will soon regret offering that deal to Leeds United. I'm very curious to see whether he can come up with the full amount to sign a Leeds player."
Everyone knows how the British media works.
When it doesn't concern you, it's all good fun. But when you become the story, it's not so amusing anymore.
That's exactly how Ratcliffe felt right now.
He hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Leeds United.
...
"What do we do now?" Ratcliffe asked his assistant coldly.
He had come up with the idea and made the final decision on the pricing, but now that it had backfired, he was unwilling to take responsibility.
"For now, we can only avoid dealing with Leeds United. We don't have the ability to pay in full, unless..." The assistant paused but didn't finish his sentence.
Unless Ratcliffe was willing to inject real cash into Manchester United for transfers.
But that's something British tycoons are generally unwilling to do.
"Do we have alternatives?" Ratcliffe asked.
Hearing this, the assistant quickly pulled out a document and handed it over.
They had already prepared backup plans.
For instance, if they failed to sign Bruno Fernandes, they could consider bringing in Coutinho from Barcelona. However, the Brazilian midfielder was also once a Leeds player, and after the decline of Barcelona, his influence had waned significantly.
Moreover, Coutinho did not fit the traditional mold of a Manchester United player that Ratcliffe valued.
Another option was James Maddison, now playing for St. Louis.
The English midfielder, from Coventry, had a solid season in the Premier League, though still slightly behind Bruno Fernandes in all respects, and thus carried a lower transfer fee.
Currently, Maddison's market value was estimated between 75 and 80 million euros.
Manchester United's midfield lacked creativity. Solskjaer's attempt to implement a technical playing style had failed, largely due to the lack of a true playmaker in midfield. Maddison would be a good option.
However, the report also highlighted another name — Leeds United's Grealish.
While Bruno Fernandes was the more popular target, Grealish had also delivered a brilliant campaign last season.
According to the report in Ratcliffe's hands, Grealish had better physical qualities than Maddison. He could receive the ball deep, turn, and drive forward. Although not particularly fast, his footwork was excellent.
In contrast, the evaluation of Maddison was more worrying.
The report suggested that Leicester's midfielders had little ability to receive the ball with their backs to goal, and couldn't rely on physical strength to force breakthroughs. Maddison's standout performances at Leicester came from a counter-attacking system that allowed him to make the most of his passing range.
But once he joined a top club like Manchester United, he would face tougher matches and more defensive pressure. Whether he could maintain consistent output remained uncertain.
Ratcliffe sighed as he read, but just then, he noticed a line of text at the end of the report.
All data and analysis in the report came from Leeds United's Big Data Center.
What did that mean?
Ratcliffe was completely dumbfounded.
The report on Maddison came from Leeds United?
"What's going on?" Ratcliffe asked his assistant directly.
The assistant hesitated for a moment, then answered, "I asked around. They said many organizations purchase scouting and analysis reports directly from Leeds United's Big Data Center, including Sky Sports."
Is it reliable?
"There shouldn't be a problem."
"Shouldn't be? Aren't there any others?"
"Yes, but Leeds United's center has the best reputation, the most comprehensive data, and the most accurate analysis, so..."
Ratcliffe was speechless.
He had just offended Leeds United, and now he discovered that even the reports he relied on came from them.
How was he supposed to accept that?
"Boss, I actually mentioned this before. Leeds United is really ahead in these areas. Just look at this season's Champions League semi-finals — three of the four teams were led by Gao Shen. I think maybe we could..."
The assistant stopped mid-sentence.
Because Ratcliffe was glaring at him with a hostile and threatening look.
He had been deeply humiliated by Gao Shen.
And it had happened right after acquiring Manchester United. He had been embarrassed in front of the world and in the British media.
Now, you expect him to turn around and work with Leeds United?
Forget it!
You're not selling, are you?
Then I'll force you to sell!
"I remember you said that Vardy's wages at Leeds weren't high, and that he's getting old, right?" Ratcliffe found a potential breakthrough.
The 33-year-old veteran, winner of last season's Premier League Golden Boot, was currently in England's squad preparing for the Euros.
"Yes."
"Then talk to his agent. Tell them we're offering double his salary, as long as he's willing to come to Manchester United!" Ratcliffe said with force.
(To be continued.)