The coaching staff gathered around the long wooden table in the conference room at Carrington. The room had an air of anticipation, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, casting a glow on the polished surface. Tiger King sat at the head of the table, flanked by his trusted coaching staff: Paul Scholes, Mike Phelan, and goalkeeping coach Eric Steele. Ed Woodward was present, armed with reports and transfer details.
Tiger leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. "Alright, gentlemen. It's been two days since our last discussion with Ed, and now we have the information he gathered. Let's go step by step, starting from the goalkeepers going forward. That's the right approach."
Scholes nodded, glancing at the file in front of him. "Let's talk about De Gea first. There's strong interest from Real Madrid. Given the situation, I think we need to have a conversation with him. Tiger, you should be the one to talk to him."
Tiger exhaled, thinking for a moment before nodding. "I'll give him a call and ask him to come in for a visit."
Mike Phelan, ever the experienced voice in the room, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Listen, even if De Gea moves to Madrid, he won't be able to shake Casillas from the starting position. Casillas is a legend there, and he still has at least two years left at the top. If we can convince De Gea to be patient, to stay and develop here, then when the time is right, he can walk into that Madrid team as their number one."
Tiger's eyes lit up. "That's a good approach. We sell him the vision: two more years of growth here, where he's already the undisputed number one, and then he'll be ready to dominate in Spain."
Woodward cleared his throat. "That's settled for now. Now, about the backup goalkeeping situation—Alisson Becker will be our second-choice keeper moving forward. That leaves us with the question of Anders Lindegaard. Have we asked him if he's willing to be the third-choice?"
Eric Steele, who had been flipping through his notes, interjected. "I had a brief chat with him last week. He's open to staying but wants clarity on his role. If he remains, it's purely as a third-choice. We have to make sure he's comfortable with that."
Tiger drummed his fingers on the table. "Alright, let's get a final word from him. If he's willing to stay in that role, we keep him. If not, we move him on."
Woodward nodded and referred to his reports. "Now, about Ben Amos. We have a couple of offers on the table. If we offload both Amos and Lindegaard, we stand to gain a reasonable transfer fee. I have the data from the summer 2013 market to cross-check the interest in them."
Tiger turned to Woodward. "Let's see the numbers and potential suitors. If there's good value in moving them on, we do it. No point in keeping too many goalkeepers on the books."
Woodward flipped through his documents. "I'll finalize the details and give you a breakdown. We should be able to conclude this before the window closes."
Scholes leaned forward. "What about the youth and reserve goalkeepers? We need to make sure we have enough depth in the system."
Eric Steele responded, "For the reserves, we have Sam Johnstone, who has been developing well. There's also Pierluigi Gollini, a talented young goalkeeper in the academy, along with Jonathan Sutherland. We should monitor their progress closely."
Tiger stood up, looking around the room. "Alright, let's make these moves happen. We talk to De Gea, settle Lindegaard's role, and finalize the outgoing deals. Let's sit down again in the afternoon to discuss the defenders, gentlemen. Meanwhile I have a video call scheduled with De Gea to discuss the next season."
With that, Tiger quickly left the meeting room for his scheduled call with De Gea. He reached his office, dialed the goalkeeper's number, and waited as the call connected.
"David, how are you?" Tiger asked warmly. "I wanted to check in with you personally. You know you have our full trust as the main goalkeeper next season if you stay."
De Gea hesitated before responding. "I appreciate that, Tiger. But I've been watching the movements in the transfer market. Madrid is strengthening, and I wonder if this is the right time for me to make the move."
Tiger leaned back in his chair. "I understand your concerns, but let me be honest with you. If you go now, you won't displace Casillas right away. He's too established at both Madrid and Spain. If you move now, you risk sitting on the bench, which could hurt your international chances as well. Here, you're the undisputed number one, and you're still growing. Give it two more years, and when the time is right, you'll be in the best possible position to take over at Madrid."
De Gea remained silent for a moment. "That makes sense. But will United still be competitive enough? I don't want to stay if we're declining."
Tiger reassured him. "We're still challenging for the championship. Look at our squad: Ferdinand, Vidic, Robin van Persie, Valencia, Young, Rooney—we still have the core of a title-winning team. We're not standing still. We're strengthening. If you stay, you'll be part of something special."
De Gea exhaled, still hesitant. "It's a lot to consider. I need some time."
"Think it over," Tiger said. "We'll support you no matter what, but staying here will only make you stronger. Let's talk again soon."
De Gea agreed, and after a few more words, the call ended. Tiger sighed, knowing the decision was now in the young goalkeeper's hands.
He returned to the meeting room where the coaching staff was still discussing details. "Had the call with De Gea. He's thinking about it, but I believe we have a good chance of keeping him. We'll give him a few days to decide."
Scholes and Phelan exchanged glances before nodding. "Let's hope he makes the right call."
With that, the meeting concluded, and the staff dispersed, each knowing their role in shaping the club's goalkeeping department for the future.