The Crazy Transfer Market [Seeking Recommendation Tickets and Continued Reading!]

After winning the warm-up match against Aberdeen, Werder Bremen had only one more friendly left in July.

Coach Schaaf was very satisfied with the team's attacking coordination in the midfield and forward line during these two games.

With the addition of Lin Quan and De Bruyne, Werder Bremen's frontline firepower this season had only increased compared to last year.

However, the defensive issues still persisted, so he began scouting the transfer market for the defenders he wanted.

He first made a €1.5 million offer for Liberec's defender, the 26-year-old Theodor Serey.

Liberec were the champions of last season's Czech First League and would be competing in the Champions League next season.

As a result, they were unwilling to sell off their players cheaply at this time. Faced with Werder Bremen's offer, they flatly rejected it, stating that Serey was not for sale.

But because the Czech First League was lower in level and lacked attention, it was hard for them to hold onto players who received offers from the Top Five Leagues.

As long as the opposing side put forward a bid tempting enough, they would eventually agree to the transfer.

Schaaf was well aware of this—after all, these Eastern European leagues, such as those in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and even Ukraine, were essentially the hunting grounds of the Bundesliga.

If they wanted to buy players from these places, unless a Giant Club from the Top Five Leagues was also interested, there was no one they couldn't acquire!

So he added €300,000 to his original €1.5 million offer, raising it to €1.8 million.

Liberec was swayed by this bid. In their eyes, Serey wasn't an indispensable core player.

If they got the €1.8 million from Werder Bremen, they could head to the transfer market and buy some young prospects to develop. As long as one of those youngsters turned into a star, they'd come out ahead.

So they accepted Werder Bremen's offer and completed the transfer.

Serey could play as a full-back or a wide midfielder, making him a versatile option.

But the center-back position still needed reinforcement, so they had to keep buying.

Before making new purchases, he first had to secure the permanent signing of Sokratis Papastathopoulos, the starting center-back they had on loan from Genoa.

The Greek was 24 years old, in his prime, and his market value had been as high as €8 million two years ago.

However, after joining AC Milan in the 09-10 season, fierce internal competition meant he didn't get enough playing time, causing his value to plummet to €2 million.

Last season, Werder Bremen had loaned him in, and over the course of the year, his performances had won over both the fans and the club.

Schaaf believed he was a player with real strength and potential, so he offered €2 million to buy him outright.

Genoa wasn't planning to recall Papastathopoulos, but they didn't want to sell him that cheaply either.

Especially after his strong showing in the Bundesliga last season, a €2 million offer wasn't enough to tempt them.

So they rejected Werder Bremen's bid and let it be known that it would take at least €5 million to take the Greek away.

That price exceeded Werder Bremen's limit. Schaaf gritted his teeth and raised the offer to €3.5 million, telling Genoa that this was their final offer—any higher, and they'd walk away.

Genoa immediately accepted the bid, making Schaaf realize he'd been played, and he was furious.

But angry as he was, he knew deep down that he'd gotten a steal.

Buying a starting center-back who could serve the team for seven or eight seasons for €3.5 million was an incredible deal!

And given Papastathopoulos's performances on the Bundesliga Field last season, if he kept up his excellent form this year, he would likely catch the eye of some big clubs. Then, if the team wanted to flip him, they'd have no trouble selling and could even make a tidy profit.

So he instructed the club to quickly sign Papastathopoulos.

After buying two defenders, Werder Bremen's budget was nearly spent.

That left them with only free transfers, so they signed last season's Fortuna Düsseldorf center-back Lukimya on a zero-fee deal.

Although Lukimya was a free agent, he was no slouch in terms of ability.

He had been the defensive backbone of Fortuna Düsseldorf's push for promotion to the Bundesliga last season. Originally, he was set to transfer to Bundesliga side Cologne.

But Cologne's unexpected relegation last season scuttled that move.

Unwilling to play in a lower division, he jumped at the olive branch Werder Bremen extended.

After signing three defenders and promoting one young player from the youth ranks, the cash-strapped Werder Bremen wrapped up their transfer business for the season.

That summer, Werder Bremen earned €11.25 million from player sales and spent €6.25 million on purchases and loans.

In the end, they netted a profit of €5 million—a modest gain.

Unlike Werder Bremen's frugal and penny-pinching approach, that year in the European transfer market, the big spenders threw money around like crazy, snapping up the players they wanted.

Russian Premier League tycoons Zenit Saint Petersburg took Porto forward Hulk with a €50 million bid, showcasing the terrifying wealth of Russia's oligarchs.

Paris Saint-Germain, meanwhile, pried away AC Milan's starting defender Thiago Silva for €42 million—the second-highest fee in history for a defender—nearly breaking the world record for a defender's transfer and flaunting the extravagance of Middle Eastern oil money.

Not to be outdone, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich bought Athletic Bilbao's starting defender Javi Martinez for €40 million.

That transfer shattered the Bundesliga's transfer record, raising the bar from €33 million to a hefty €40 million.

Martinez's club, Athletic Bilbao, didn't want to let him go, so Bayern had to pay his release clause to force the move.

That signing also gave Bayern the final piece of their championship puzzle.

The madness of the big spenders seemed to ignite a buying frenzy among the major clubs.

So they, too, jumped into the fray.

Chelsea bought Hazard from Lille for £32 million.

Real Madrid took Modric from Tottenham for £30 million.

Arsenal's captain Van Persie moved to the Red Devils Manchester United for £24 million.

All kinds of transfer news came thick and fast, and normally these had nothing to do with Lin Quan and the others.

But over at Barcelona, Mundo Deportivo revealed a piece of gossip:

A Scottish Premier League club had made a €5 million bid to Barcelona, hoping to bring Lin Quan from the youth team to play in Scotland.

Because the report was very short and had no follow-up, it was quickly forgotten.

Lin Quan didn't even know about it at all.

But over at Barca, someone couldn't sit still.

"Damn it, what the hell did that kid do? The Bundesliga hasn't even started yet, and someone's already making an offer?"

There might be a recommendation arranged this Sunday, so please don't hoard the book then, and take a look at it a couple of times...