Chapter 591: Guardiola Protects His Young Players!
At 17, Haaland hadn't yet evolved into the terrifying "Majin Buu" he would later become. Right now, he wasn't eating kids.
When he smiled, he looked like a simple, shy big boy—not nearly as scary or imposing as he would be in the future.
Guardiola had always liked Haaland. Even though Haaland wasn't the kind of tall center forward Guardiola typically used, his emotional intelligence was high, making him very likable. Plus, his technical skills and physical attributes were excellent. It was clear that he was a top-tier striker in the making.
Manchester City actually had a bit of a gap in the center-forward position. Sure, Agüero was great, but he didn't have the classic "target man" ability of a traditional center forward. This sometimes limited City's attacking options, especially in tight games where they needed more tactical flexibility in positional play.
Well, if Haaland wanted to stay, Guardiola was happy to let him. With City's strength, there would certainly be matches where they would lead by a large margin, and the game would enter garbage time.
In those situations, Haaland could get on the pitch without the pressure, getting a taste of what it was like to play in the top-tier Premier League.
Although Haaland often dominated youth leagues, the Premier League was a whole different level.
He'd better mentally prepare himself—otherwise, his first appearance might end in tears after getting crushed by opposing defenders!
As City continued making transfers, many of their key players became targets for other top clubs.
Thanks to Lin Quan's contract renewal, no one was making bids for him this year.
However, De Bruyne and Kanté were heavily pursued by other clubs.
De Bruyne wasn't too much of a worry. Wherever Lin Quan went, De Bruyne would follow, so he wasn't leaving.
But Kanté seemed to be thinking about returning to Ligue 1.
Paris Saint-Germain originally hadn't been interested in Kanté, but after making some space in their wage bill by offloading players while chasing Mbappé, they could afford to make new signings.
As a French player, Kanté had significant influence in France. Bringing him back to Ligue 1 would help Qatar's ownership of PSG gain more local support.
Since Arsène Wenger started coaching Arsenal in the 1990s, he loved poaching young talents from Ligue 1, bringing many French players to the Premier League.
Inspired by Wenger, other teams, big or small, started looking at Ligue 1 for affordable talent.
This caused a talent drain in recent years, with very few stars staying in France.
For example, the current French national team: their star striker Benzema plays in La Liga, their key midfielders Pogba and Kanté play in the Premier League, Griezmann plays in La Liga, and Matuidi plays in Serie A...
Of the 11 starting players, only Dimitri Payet still plays in France.
This ratio was much higher than in Spain, England, Germany, Italy, and even the Netherlands.
Though Ligue 1 is one of Europe's top five leagues, it's harder for them to keep their talent compared to the Eredivisie, a lower-tier league. The Dutch national team still has five players who play in their home league.
This situation frustrated the French, and they wanted to increase Ligue 1's appeal and competitiveness to restore its former glory.
In the past, Ligue 1 lacked the wealth and top teams to compete with other leagues. But now, with PSG and Monaco, both financially powerful, they could try to keep their top stars from leaving.
PSG's pursuit of Kanté wasn't just about sports and business—it also had political motivations.
Kanté's situation was tricky. He had won many honors with City and now seemed content to rest on his laurels. His drive to improve was waning.
This issue had been present in the squad ever since City won their first Champions League.
Players had risked injury, fighting through countless tough matches to win every possible honor. Naturally, they wanted to relax, enjoy better contracts, and bask in their achievements.
No one likes living under constant pressure. Everyone wants an easier life.
As the players' motivation dropped, so did their performance. And the more titles they won, the worse this issue became.
The players not only lost their hunger for more trophies but also grew weary of the relentless, high-pressure schedule.
This was one of the reasons City's form dropped last season. Beyond Kroos leaving, this was a key factor.
The difference between the younger players and the veterans was obvious. Last season, the new, young players performed much better than the team's veterans.
They were more determined and driven, willing to fight to make a name for themselves and secure a place in the team.
Without the outstanding performances of these young players and Lin Quan's usual brilliance, City wouldn't have made it to the Champions League final last season.
Guardiola didn't want to let Kanté go easily. Kanté's role in midfield was irreplaceable.
So, he had an honest conversation with Kanté, eventually convincing him to stay at City instead of returning to France.
The situation seemed to have been resolved, making everyone happy.
But Lin Quan didn't see any excitement or joy on Guardiola's face—only deep worry and obvious exhaustion.
"What's wrong? Kanté re-signed with the team. Why do you still look so troubled?"
Lin Quan handed Guardiola a cup of tea and sat down on the sofa opposite him, asking curiously.
"Kanté will probably leave the team next summer," Guardiola said with a heavy sigh.
"What?"
Lin Quan was surprised. If Kanté had already decided to leave, why did he re-sign with the club? Wouldn't that just make his transfer more difficult?
"Kanté isn't the type of person to forget the club's kindness. He renewed his contract to keep morale up and prevent his teammates from worrying, ensuring the team is ready for the new season. He also wants to leave on good terms, allowing the club to earn a transfer fee as compensation."
The longer a player's contract, the stronger the club's position during negotiations, giving them more leverage to ask for a higher price.
"If that's the case, we'll need to start preparing for the defensive midfield position now!"
Defensive midfield is a key position. City had backup options, like Fernandinho, but he wasn't as strong as Kanté and couldn't fully replace him.
Plus, Fernandinho was getting older, and he wouldn't be able to play much longer. So, City had to start planning ahead.
They could either promote someone from the reserves or youth teams or spend big in the transfer market.
"What do you think about moving Joshua Kimmich to the defensive midfield?"
Guardiola had an idea—converting Kimmich, a player City had brought in from the Bundesliga.
Kimmich had improved a lot after a year on loan.
While he mostly played as a full-back, Guardiola believed he had the potential to play in midfield, and this might be a good time to make that transition.
With Guardiola's new tactics, players who could play multiple positions in defense and midfield were particularly valuable. Plus, Kimmich was still young and had a lot of potential to develop.
Developing young talents wasn't just Wenger's passion—Guardiola also loved it.
"Huh…"
Lin Quan didn't know how to respond to Guardiola's suggestion.
Was Kimmich really suited to play as a defensive midfielder?
Even in the future, this question would spark heated debate.
Many fans believed Kimmich wasn't good in that role, pointing to the struggles Bayern Munich and the German national team faced with him there as proof.
However, others argued that Kimmich had performed well under Guardiola in multiple positions, including full-back, defensive midfielder, and even center-back. They believed his recent struggles were more about coaching and tactical changes, not Kimmich himself.
Lin Quan thought both sides had valid points. Kimmich wasn't completely incapable of playing as a defensive midfielder, but he couldn't be held to the same standards as players like Xabi Alonso or Bastian Schweinsteiger.
In short, Kimmich couldn't handle overly high or complex demands in that position.
Since Guardiola himself had been a defensive midfielder and had successfully converted Kimmich into one before, Lin Quan wasn't in a position to disagree.
"It's worth a try, but I think we should still seriously look for a proper defensive midfielder."
"You're right," Guardiola agreed.
Kimmich might or might not succeed as a defensive midfielder, so Guardiola couldn't rely entirely on him.
They would need to sign someone new.
But who?
...
On July 20, Manchester City set off for North America to begin their preseason tour.
In this year's International Champions Cup, City would face their old rivals Real Madrid and their local foes Manchester United.
City lost the first game 2-0 to United but bounced back with a 4-1 win over Real Madrid and a 3-0 victory against Roma, finishing with two wins and one loss.
No one took these kinds of matches too seriously. Many teams even fielded full reserves, giving little regard to the tens of thousands of fans in attendance.
At least City showed some respect by playing their star players, like Lin Quan and Mbappé, who even scored, giving the fans their money's worth.
During the match against Real Madrid, Kroos finally had a chance to catch up with his old teammates.
Even though Real Madrid were thrashed 4-1 by City, the Real players didn't seem to care. Those on the bench were laughing and joking, showing the calm confidence of champions.
The atmosphere at Real Madrid had changed. They were different now.
Indeed, winning a championship can transform a team's mentality!
City, on the other hand, seemed to be playing with some pent-up anger, taking the game against Real Madrid particularly seriously.
In the second half, Guardiola sent on Foden and Haaland, and the two combined for a goal.
After scoring, Foden jumped on Haaland's back to celebrate, a moment that was captured in a photo that would later become iconic among fans.
Zidane and Guardiola actually got along well. Although they had exchanged some words during the Champions League final, once the game was over, neither held a grudge.
When this match began, the two coaches stood together, chatting endlessly about who knows what.
Eventually, Guardiola got tired of standing, found a box to sit on, and continued gesturing wildly as he talked.
Zidane, dressed in a sharp suit with his hands in his pockets, listened intently, looking like a student paying close attention to his teacher.
This scene was also captured by fans and reporters, becoming a topic of conversation after the match.
Although Zidane had been a much bigger star than Guardiola during their playing days, in the coaching world, Guardiola was the senior and far more experienced.
While Zidane had led his team to win the Champions League last season, he knew there was still a gap between him and the top-tier coaches. He was constantly studying and improving to make himself and his team stronger.
As for the score on the field, neither coach cared much.
It was only after Foden assisted Haaland's goal that they glanced at the scoreboard.
"That kid in the number 47 shirt reminds me of Lin Quan!" Zidane casually remarked.
These days, when people praised a young player, they didn't compare them to Messi anymore—they compared them to Lin Quan.
Fans were quick to adapt. Lin Quan's rise had overshadowed Messi in recent years, and new fans only knew Lin Quan. Many who might have been Messi fans had been won over by Lin Quan instead.
"He's like Lin Quan? I don't think so!"
Guardiola shook his head. Foden was still far behind Lin Quan.
At 16, Lin Quan was already leading Werder Bremen in head-to-head battles with Bayern Munich and had embarrassed Bayern more than once.
Could Foden do that?
No, he couldn't!
Because of Guardiola's special relationship with Lin Quan, he had a tendency to fiercely defend him.
He never said things like "so-and-so is like Lin Quan," and he'd get annoyed when others did:
"XXX looks like Lin Quan? Yeah, right!"
Zidane's attention was only briefly caught by Foden. As for Haaland, he didn't even give him a second look.
At this point, Haaland wasn't showing anything special.
But in a few years, everyone would know how terrifying the "Majin Buu" would become!
(End of Chapter)
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