Manchester City Executives Shuffle, Keen Eyes Promote Talent, Transfer Budget Exposed!
Bonazzoli gave Guardiola three days off so he could stay at the hospital and spend time with his mother.
The Italy striker was initially reluctant, saying that this would mean missing the UEFA Champions League match against Monchengladbach. He wanted to travel with the team to Germany to participate in the match against Monchengladbach —even if he was just a substitute.
Guardiola firmly refused and even reprimanded him in his office.
"We have at least two games to play every week, but you only have one mother. You are first and foremost a son, and then a professional player. Family always comes first, and you need to understand that!"
Guardiola knew about Bonazzoli's background, that his father had passed away early and that he was raised by his mother, Bonazzoli was also the only family member by his Italy mother's side.
"Spend more time with your family. Remember to hire a few more caregivers for your mother. During her recovery, don't let her do anything alone. Honey, after the UEFA Champions League match against Monchengladbach, I'll make time to visit her."
October is over.
On the first day of November, the weather in Manchester suddenly turned bleak.
The temperature plummeted, and the sycamore trees along the roadside shed all their yellow leaves.
Early in the morning, Guardiola, wearing a thick down jacket and a black hat, walked down the street with his head down.
His feet sanitized the sycamore leaves that the cleaners hadn't had time to sweep. The crisp yellow leaves crunched like shards of glass under Guardiola's shoes, making him feel increasingly irritated.
What's bothering him isn't anything related to football.
Manchester City's recent form has been exceptionally strong, not only winning all the way in the league with 9 wins and 1 draw in the first 10 rounds, but also becoming the only team in the Top Five Leagues to remain unbeaten since the start of the season;
They also made great strides in the UEFA Champions League, winning all three group stage matches and ranking first with 9 points, ahead of Barca with 6 points.
Whether in domestic competitions or European competitions, they are advancing on both fronts simultaneously.
At this time, what was troubling Guardiola was the situation with his eldest daughter.
Guardiola has three children: his eldest daughter Maria, his second daughter is named Valentina, and his son Marius.
Maria, now 16, attended primary and secondary school in Spain. Guardiola wanted to bring her to Germany after taking over as Bayern Munich coach.
However, his wife wanted their daughter to study in the UK, believing that the UK education system was the best in Europe and that English-language instruction would benefit the child's development. She even said she had already chosen an international high school in Manchester, where the daughter could go right after graduating from junior high school.
Guardiola couldn't refuse his wife's request and had no choice but to agree.
One of the reasons he left Bayern for Manchester City was to be there for his daughter as she grew up, taking care of her life and studies.
Guardiola adores his eldest daughter and hopes she will attend a prestigious university and become a doctor or lawyer in the future.
But after the rebellious Maria came to UK to attend high school, her horizons broadened dramatically. This graceful young woman said she wanted to become an internet celebrity and a model, and that she wanted to sign with a talent agency, excitedly saying that someone had taken a liking to her.
"Dad, I don't want to go to high school anymore, please give me my freedom!"
Snap!
Guardiola was furious. Instead of granting him freedom, he slapped him across the face.
"My daughter Guardiola out of high school? You're dreaming! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because your dad is rich. That damn agency is just trying to ride my coattails. Believe me, if you weren't my daughter, see who would even listen to you!"
This happened the day before Guardiola led his team to Norwich for their away game.
Maria locked herself in her room and cried, refusing to eat all day, stubbornly declaring that she would rather die than go to school again.
As a result, his wife had a huge fight with him, which worsened their already strained relationship. In the end, his wife even said she wanted a divorce!
Guardiola was filled with remorse after slapping his beloved eldest daughter, but no matter how much he apologized, his daughter wouldn't speak to him.
So it's no wonder that when Bonazzoli said he didn't want to spend time with his mother and instead wanted to go to the away game Monchengladbach Mönchengladbach, Guardiola, unaware of Bonazzoli's predicament, was so angry that he scolded him so much and told him to spend more time with his family.
It was a cold and windy day.
Guardiola deliberately didn't drive and walked to work, just to get some fresh air and clear his head.
The biting, howling wind pierced his neck, washing away the warmth he was wearing in his down jacket. Guardiola shuddered, becoming much more alert.
"Oh well, let her study or not, it's all my fault for being too busy as a coach and not having enough time to communicate with my daughter..." Guardiola felt a pang of heartache.
I walked to the head coach's office, sat down, and was about to have a cup of coffee and watch a Bundesliga video of Monchengladbach when I heard a commotion.
Guardiola looked up and felt dust falling from the ceiling.
He walked out of his office, went up one floor, and arrived at the CEO's office, where he saw the Commercial Director Berrada, directing Manchester City staff to move tables and chairs and arrange the room.
"Huh, what's this?" Guardiola asked, puzzled.
Berrada gave Guardiola a big hug.
The hug was so firm and powerful that Guardiola almost dropped the coffee he was holding.
"I did it, Pep! I did it, haha!"
Berrada warmly took Guardiola's hand and sat him down. The two began to talk, and Guardiola learned that Berrada had been promoted.
He replaced Begiristain as CEO of Manchester City Football Club, having previously served as Commercial Director!
"Congratulations," Guardiola said with a hint of surprise, "But where did Mr. Begiristain go?"
"Him? He went to work at the City Football Group headquarters. Haha, I finally outlasted him." Berrada was clearly very happy. Ever since Guardiola came in, he had been laughing, and his tone of voice was full of undisguised joy.
"The City Football Group has undergone a reshuffle of its senior management. With Begiristain gone, this position is mine."
"Of course, my performance review is also very important, and I have to thank you, Pep. You've led the club so well, you know? Begiristain even considered keeping Pellegrini, but I firmly disagreed! Oh, and Don, the key is Don. I brought Don in at a high price despite everyone's objections, and his performance has been exceptionally perfect, bringing glory to the club both on the field and in terms of commercial value! The Abu Dhabi United Group appreciates my eye for talent, and the City Football Group knows that too."
Back in the summer transfer window of 2015, when Pellegrini was still Manchester City's manager, he actually wanted to buy De Bruyne.
Then-CEO Begiristain shared the same opinion as Pellegrini.
"Compared to Tang, De Bruyne is more mature and has years of experience in the Bundesliga. Choosing him is a safer option. Tang is too young, not even 20 years old yet. Whether he's just a flash in the pan remains to be seen."
Pellegrini echoed, "That's right. Consistency is one aspect. On the other hand, although Don has many assists, his goal tally is far behind Kevin's. Kevin is the kind of all-around midfielder who can both assist and score, and his attacking power is stronger. I really like this Belgium."
But Berrada firmly disagreed!
He said that Tang's potential is far greater than De Bruyne's, and that Tang has a vast Asia market behind him, which De Bruyne does not have.
"Looking back now, I was right about everything, Pep. Tell me, wasn't my judgment of people accurate?" Berrada said smugly.
Guardiola nodded, praised him a few times, and then said, "Now that you've been promoted to CEO, I have a request for you, and you can't refuse."
Berrada laughed, "I know what you're thinking, Pep. Here's a big gift for you. This winter transfer window, I've secured a transfer budget of Pound Sterling 70 million for you. Spend it however you like."
Guardiola's eyes lit up, and he quickly gave a thumbs up, marking his first "like" of the day!
"That's incredibly generous. Please thank the Abu Dhabi United Group for me, but perhaps I don't need that much. I just need to buy a goalkeeper."
"Bravo is ultimately just a transitional player; his physical condition is still a bit lacking. I hope that next season we will have a goalkeeper who is excellent in both goalkeeping and footwork. Ideally, he should join the team during the winter transfer window. I will give him six months to adapt, and then he can take over Bravo's starting position."
Wednesday, fourth round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.
Monchengladbach will host Manchester City at home.
Bonazzoli was in the hospital at the time, watching live television with his mother.
When the announcement of "Number 9, Tang" for the start of the match rang out, the high-decibel cheers from the mere 1,000 Manchester City fans were so powerful that they drowned out the clamor created by the 50,000 Monchengladbach fans!
Bonazzoli heard it all clearly in front of the television.
He watched the close-up shot of Tang Long, rubbing his hands excitedly, and said to his mother:
"Mom, did you hear that? One day, I'll get that kind of cheering when I make my entrance!"