Chapter 64: One Fish, Many Dishes
"When did Joe Hart change agents?"
Yang Cheng sat upright in his cramped office, calmly pouring tea for one of the most powerful men in English football—Jonathan Barnett, also known as The King of England in the world of agents.
He was one of the most influential football agents in the country.
Another was Paul Stretford, Rooney's agent.
Agents at their level were masters of diplomacy. They kept their calculations buried deep, always wearing a mask of warmth and cordiality.
Just like Jonathan Barnett at this very moment.
Chubby, balding, bespectacled—he exuded an air of affability, greeting everyone with a constant smile.
"He switched in the middle of last year. The kid's been in high demand lately. Promoted from England's U17s straight to U19s."
"David James is past it. Whether it's Robinson, Green, or others, no one's really convincing right now."
"A lot of people have high hopes for Joe Hart. He's not even 18 yet, but he's already performing at a very high level."
After speaking, Barnett lifted the teacup Yang Cheng had just poured for him and took a sip, complimenting the quality.
Whether he actually knew tea or not, who could tell.
Joe Hart still had plenty of weaknesses as a keeper.
But considering he wasn't even 18, he was well ahead of the curve.
And thanks to the last two seasons of first-team football, his development had skyrocketed.
Keepers, like defenders, only grow through mistakes and real match experience.
That's why you rarely see "prodigy goalkeepers"—the position demands patience.
But Joe Hart's career start had all the hallmarks of a future star.
As Yang Cheng sized up Barnett, the agent was also evaluating him.
Seeing that Yang Cheng didn't speak, Barnett understood.
He didn't want to sell Joe Hart.
"You know, Mr. Yang," Barnett said with a grin, "a lot of Premier League clubs are looking for goalkeepers right now."
"Liverpool are about to sign Scott Carson from Leeds. Dudek's still their number one, but Carson would be a strong backup."
"Then there's Fulham. They need cover too—Van der Sar's not getting any younger."
"In the Championship, Leeds are looking after offloading Carson. QPR also need a keeper. Plenty of others too. Good goalkeepers are in demand."
He smiled at Yang Cheng again.
The message couldn't be more obvious.
"But last I checked, Everton aren't lacking, are they?" Yang Cheng dropped the pretense.
Barnett was here on behalf of Everton.
He was trying to broker a deal, and Everton had promised him a commission.
More importantly, he believed Joe Hart was ready to step up to a higher stage.
Joining Everton wasn't a casual opportunity.
The Toffees were fourth in the Premier League.
"Everton currently have three keepers. Nigel Martyn is 38, but he's still played every match this season."
"Their number two is Richard Wright, 27 years old. Number three is Iain Turner, 21."
"On December 28th, against Charlton, Martyn was subbed off at halftime due to injury. Wright played the second half and conceded two goals in the 82nd and 85th minutes, blowing a good position."
"In Martyn's absence, Wright played four and a half matches: a 2–5 loss to Spurs, a narrow 2–1 win over Portsmouth, a 1–1 draw with Middlesbrough, and a 0–1 loss to Charlton."
"Across those games, he conceded 10 goals."
Barnett didn't need to say much more.
That stat line spoke for itself.
Even a neutral observer would lose faith in Wright after that. It wasn't just a bad run—it was a disaster.
"Before the Charlton game, Everton were third in the table—ahead of Manchester United. Now they're fourth and slipping."
"They can't afford another slip."
His tone was honest, open—a calculated display of sincerity.
Yang Cheng understood.
Everton had been watching Joe Hart for a while.
They hadn't expected to move in January, but Martyn's injury and Wright's implosion had forced their hand.
But it was already January 27th.
In any league, a club losing its starting goalkeeper this late in the window had no time to find a replacement—unless they'd planned for it in advance.
And no one plans to lose their keeper.
"Mr. Yang, Everton are genuinely serious," Barnett said, smiling again.
"They're offering £2.5 million."
"For a keeper who hasn't even turned 18—that's a strong offer."
"Impossible."
Yang Cheng shut it down the moment the words left Barnett's mouth.
He looked angry—even a little offended.
"You can go ask Moyes yourself—would he, in the middle of a great season, sell his starting goalkeeper in January?"
Barnett hadn't expected such a sharp reaction. Just moments ago, Yang Cheng had been polite and composed.
But this?
He already knew the answer to his own question.
No manager would say yes.
"Everton want Champions League. We want promotion," Yang Cheng said firmly. "Joe Hart is part of that. He's not for sale."
"I understand, Mr. Yang," Barnett said calmly. "But we both know… you're currently scraping for funds to build your training complex."
He paused, then smiled again.
"If it's about finding a new goalkeeper, I can help. At the very least, I can get you someone from a Premier League side on loan to fill in short-term."
"A backup from a Premier League club—or even a third-string—would easily be good enough to start in the Championship."
This was where an agent's shrewdness and cunning came into play.
One fish, many dishes.
They could clearly be maneuvering to make money and exploit a situation, but somehow they always made it sound like they were doing you a favor.
Sometimes, they even left the club feeling indebted.
And once you owe an agent a favor, it's never easy to pay back.
Yang Cheng had no intention of accepting Jonathan Barnett's "kindness" and remained firm on one stance: Joe Hart is not for sale.
From Yang Cheng's point of view, he truly didn't want to sell Joe Hart.
No club wants to see its roster disrupted during the January window.
But if Jonathan Barnett had come to visit personally, then things were no longer so simple.
…
Sure enough, that afternoon, after Barnett had been politely shown the door, Everton's official offer arrived at Yang Cheng's desk that very evening.
£3 million.
Everton were clearly in a hurry.
And who could blame them?
Nigel Martyn was 38. Even if he returned from injury, there was no telling how much he had left in the tank.
Joe Hart's recent performances in the League Cup—especially against Manchester United—had impressed David Moyes.
The Scottish manager had always considered himself Ferguson's protégé.
And Joe Hart came with a golden English passport.
So it was no surprise that Everton were so eager to make a move.
As for Bayswater Chinese's own promotion push?
Since when has a Premier League club ever cared about the ambitions of a Championship side?
Yang Cheng rejected the offer without hesitation.
And it didn't take long for the British media to catch wind of it.
The next morning, Charlton called to ask about Joe Hart's availability.
Bayswater Chinese refused to comment.
Shortly after, Everton sent in a second offer:
£3.5 million.
Yang Cheng turned them down again.
Then, Jonathan Barnett returned for a second visit.
This time, he brought Joe Hart's stance with him.
Everton were a top-four Premier League club and had promised to develop him as a key future player.
Understandably, Joe wanted the move.
"Of course, Joe is very grateful to you and to Bayswater Chinese for the trust and development you've given him over the past two seasons," Barnett said.
"But you know, Yang… it's hard for him to say no to Everton."
Yang Cheng sat silently, already calculating.
In the Premier League, clubs are subject to homegrown player quotas.
That's why English players are so expensive.
But Yang Cheng wasn't worried about that.
His concern was: should he sell Joe Hart or not?
And if he did—what next?
The first name that popped into his mind was Hugo Lloris.
If he remembered correctly, Lloris was still in the academy at Nice and hadn't broken into the first team yet.
Then there was Samir Handanović from Slovenia.
Last summer, Yang Cheng had considered signing him, but because Joe Hart was the priority and needed game time, there was no point in bringing in another young keeper who would end up on the bench. That wouldn't help his development.
But now, Handanović had gone to Udinese—and Joe Hart might be on his way out.
There was also Manuel Neuer at Schalke 04.
Soon to turn 19, the future "goalkeeping god" was still buried in Schalke's youth setup, probably still without a professional contract.
Thinking of all that, Yang Cheng suddenly felt reassured.
Fine. Let him go.
If signing a replacement proved tricky, he could ask Barnett to arrange a Premier League backup on loan.
Or just promote Danny Coyne, the veteran.
With that, Yang Cheng had made up his mind.
But when he turned back to Jonathan Barnett, his face was a picture of grief and indignation. He even clenched his jaw and put on a look of barely restrained fury.
"Fine. Since you've all made yourselves clear, there's nothing more to say."
The moment Yang Cheng softened, Barnett smiled broadly.
He had always believed in Joe Hart's potential.
"But remember your promise, Jonathan," Yang Cheng said coldly. "If I need help, you're going to help me poach someone from the Premier League."
A favor for a favor.
Barnett readily agreed. "No problem."
"Then go tell Everton—they can have Joe Hart, but £3.5 million is too low."
Barnett's heart skipped a beat.
"We want £7 million!" Yang Cheng said, without blinking.
Everton weren't exactly rolling in cash.
Last summer, when United were trying to buy Wayne Rooney, the player's rights were reportedly collateralized to the bank.
But things had changed.
After selling Rooney for £27 million, and letting go of Gravesen and others, Everton had brought in over £30 million in total.
They were flush with cash.
They were also reportedly looking to sign James Beattie from Southampton.
If Yang Cheng didn't squeeze them now, he'd be wasting the opportunity.
£7 million. In January 2005, that was a ludicrous fee for a teenage goalkeeper.
Chelsea had signed Petr Čech from Rennes the previous year for £7 million.
Čech was 22, had won Best Goalkeeper in Ligue 1, and starred at the U21 Euros.
On accolades and performance, Joe Hart wasn't close.
His only real edge?
That English passport.
When a player's registration says "England" as their birthplace, their value doubles automatically.
Now it was up to Everton.
If they balked at the price? All the better.
Yang Cheng didn't really want to sell anyway.
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