300,000 Pounds Weekly Salary, Top Contract Renewal? Tang Long Temporarily Refuses, He Has Bigger Ideas!
Manchester United officially announced: Manager Manuel Pellegrini has been sacked.
Unlike previous announcements of player dismissals, this message on Manchester United's official website was remarkably brief, a typical headline-style news item.
There was no review of Pellegrini's achievements during his time at Manchester United, no gratitude for Manchester United contributions, and not even a blessing for his future career – just one line of text was enough to send this veteran manager, who had achieved great success at Manchester City and Real Madrid, to his sack.
Some say this is too cruel for Pellegrini!
He came to Manchester United with a desire for revenge, wanting to compete with Guardiola, who replaced him, and see if he could truly outshine him on the Premier League pitch.
But the result was crystal clear—no, he couldn't do it!
Many people believe that Pellegrini's short year at Manchester United was a complete failure.
As for the locker room, former Inter Milan striker Icardi, who cost Manchester United a hefty £110 million to acquire, seems lost there.
Since Pellegrini took over as manager of Manchester United, he has not only failed to unlock the full potential of the 24-year-old striker and help him advance his career, but he has also neglected Icardi during his slump.
The conflict between Icardi and De Bruyne has not been well resolved at the head coach level.
In fact, since Icardi left the team, no striker in the entire Manchester United squad has been able to create a brilliant partnership with De Bruyne on the front line.
The Belgium's surgical passing seems to be a thing of the past, and his frequent Low-trajectory Curve Shot always leave Rooney, Ibrahimovic, and Bony a beat too late, unable to keep up with his thoughts and footwork.
Some even believe that Pellegrini's arrival has further exacerbated the conflicts within Manchester United's dressing room!
This is a dereliction of duty on his part as a manager.
For a head coach, especially a Premier League head coach, tactical knowledge alone is far from enough.
They are managers, executives, and administrators, not just product managers who only design products.
From this perspective, Manchester City's previous smooth sailing performance to some extent masked Pellegrini's shortcomings in dressing room management—but after arriving at Manchester United, these shortcomings were magnified infinitely.
No wonder some people say that whoever comes to Manchester United now will be the scapegoat. Moreover, Pellegrini is not a world-class manager, and he can only do what he is capable of.
The loss of control in the locker room ultimately backfired on Manchester United's performance.
They were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League early.
They trailed Manchester City by 20 points in the Premier League, especially in the last 10 rounds of the season when the team's form was exceptionally poor, failing to even finish in the top 4 and having to settle for the UEFA Europa League.
However, looking at the overall Premier League squad value rankings, Manchester United is second only to Manchester City, ranking second in the Premier League.
In terms of player salaries, they are even slightly higher than Manchester City's.
The board certainly had its reasons for dissatisfaction; CEO Woodward had previously declared this strongly in a board conference call:
"It's another season ending in nothing, a complete failure. Someone has to take responsibility for this failure, and that person can only be Pellegrini!"
As a member of the management team, one level above the head coach, wasn't Woodward also guilty of dereliction of duty?
Money was spent but no results were achieved. In fact, from the CEO to the head coach to the players, every part of this club, from top to bottom, had its own problems.
What will become of us in the post- Ferguson era?
This question lingers in the minds of every Manchester United fan, and no one knows the answer.
Perhaps they will Su Xing in two years, or perhaps they will remain mired in their slump until the next godfather-like figure like Ferguson emerges, allowing Manchester United to reclaim the glory of Old Trafford. But how long will it take?
Still, no one knows the answer.
In fact, many Manchester City players were shocked when they learned of Pellegrini's dismissal, especially when Tang Long informed them that Pellegrini would be ending his more than 30-year coaching career and returning to his hometown in Chile to retire.
Despite Pellegrini's deep resentment towards Guardiola for usurping his position and his desire to utterly defeat him on the field to prove his professional dignity after so many years of coaching;
However, from the perspective of the Manchester City players, they don't harbor much hatred towards the former manager; on the contrary, they are filled with respect and sympathy for his dismissal.
The 63-year-old manager spent three seasons at Manchester City, leading the Blue Moon to two league titles within those three years. He developed a good relationship with many of the players, especially captain Kompany, who was once a staunch supporter of Pellegrini.
Other players, such as Navas, Kolarov, Stones, Agüero, also regard Pellegrini as a wise and benevolent coach they encountered during their playing careers.
Therefore, many people sent Pellegrini a message of regret after seeing the news, and even advised him to stay in Europe and in Top Five Leagues.
However, after such a terrible season, Pellegrini was determined to leave.
He replied to every player who sent him a text message, without saying much, and sent each of them his best wishes, hoping they would have a successful future in Europe.
He then took the earliest flight the next day from Manchester to Chile, and before leaving, he personally called the editor-in-chief of the Manchester Evening News to explain his decision to retire permanently.
A Boeing passenger plane streaked across the gloomy Manchester sky, leaving a long trail behind it...
Pellegrini cannot be considered a top-tier coach in Europe.
Whether in terms of fame in the football world or the number of titles he has won, he is far from comparable to Ancelotti, Guardiola, Mourinho, Lippi, and others.
However, as a veteran coach with over 30 years of experience, Pellegrini still has considerable influence in Europe football and can be considered a top-tier coach.
Over the past 30 years, he has also witnessed the continuous development of modern football.
He has achieved great success, experienced lows, and risen again to prove his abilities to the world.
With a full head of silver hair, sharp eyes, an exaggeratedly high nose bridge, and a height of nearly 1.9 meters, his overall image is very distinctive.
Remember last season, after winning the Premier League, League Cup, and FA Cup, although Manchester United narrowly lost in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Pellegrini still made some bold statements at the post-match press conference:
"Next season, Manchester City's minimum goal is to reach the UEFA Champions League final. I have full confidence in the players' abilities, and I personally am also very ambitious about this."
A full year later, those bold words had vanished into the lingering clouds over Manchester, becoming nothing more than a long trail left by a Boeing airliner, disappearing without a trace with a gust of wind.
Ronaldo flew from Brazil to Manchester specifically to discuss contract renewal with Tang Long.
Just a year ago, Tang Long renewed his contract with Manchester City, joining the top tier of Manchester City team.
At that time, Tang Long's contract was extended by one year, from four years to five years, and his weekly salary increased from Pound Sterling 180,000 to Pound Sterling 240,000, ranking first in the team alongside Agüero.
However, Tang Long personally obtained 90% of the portrait rights!
As a result, Tang Long has become the highest-paid player on the team!
I remember last year, after the negotiations concluded, Ronaldo walked confidently out of Manchester City's office building, briefcase in hand, and saw hundreds of reporters swarming around him from afar.
He raised his hand, casually pulled out sunglasses from his pocket and put them on, strode through the reporters' encirclement, said only one sentence, and got into his car and left. "The best players deserve the best treatment. This is my principle as Ronaldo's agent, serving the players!"
The best players will receive the best treatment. Ronaldo thought so during his playing days. Whether at Inter Milan, Barcelona, or Real Madrid, his salary was always among the highest.
Even after switching careers and establishing his own agency, Ronaldo continues to uphold this philosophy in serving his clients.
This year, his agency gained a new client: Ranocchia, an Italy and a good friend of Tang Long and Bonazzoli.
Ranocchia did not renew his four-year contract with his agent after it expired, but instead accepted Ronaldo's offer and joined his team.
Including Tang Long, Bonazzoli, and Ranocchia, Ronaldo has a total of three clients.
Ronaldo has high ambitions for his management company.
He was the best center during his playing career, and he also aspires to be the best agent in the world.
However, the 41-year-old Ronaldo has a long-term plan. He has decided not to rush into expanding his business, but to become a niche boutique agent.
Especially when all the players are on the same team, it's crucial to seize the opportunity.
With all three players on the same team, Ronaldo has more convenient access to information about Manchester City, both in terms of transfers and salary negotiations, and it also makes it easier for him to understand the internal situation of Manchester City through the players.
The best players deserve the highest salaries, so Ronaldo plans to first extend Tang Long's contract for another year, from four to five years, and further increase his salary, aiming to surpass Agüero in weekly wages and become Manchester City's highest-paid player. Then he will negotiate contracts with Manchester City for Ranocchia and Bonazzoli.
"300,000 Pound Sterling, that's not a high number, is it? You're getting the highest weekly wage!"
At Tang Long's home, Ronaldo stated this number in front of Tang Long, Ranocchia, and Bonazzoli.
"A weekly salary of 300,000? My God, that's an astronomical figure!"
Bonazzoli's eyes practically lit up as he listened, his gaze towards Tang Long filled with envy, even a hint of jealousy. He couldn't help but think, "We're both strikers, about the same age, so why is there such a huge difference between us? Is God really fair?"
Compared to Bonazzoli, former Inter Milan captain Ranocchia has a deeper understanding of Tang Long's abilities and his own assessment of his future potential.
He firmly believes that this number is not high!
"Look at Rooney. He's 32 at Manchester United, earning Pound Sterling 300,000 a week—the highest salary at the Manchester United. Now, in terms of current reputation, ability, and influence in the football world, Don has surpassed Rooney. You could even say that no one in the entire Premier League can match him. Don is currently the only top player in the Premier League, and he deserves a top player's salary," Ranocchia said.
Ronaldo slapped his thigh; their ideas had aligned.
"Haha, as expected of someone who's been captain of a powerhouse like Inter Milan, he really knows how to speak." He gave Ranocchia a thumbs up.
In fact, Ronaldo's current desire to be a small but elite agent does not mean that he does not want to make a name for himself. If he has a top-paid player in the Premier League under his management, it will be of great benefit to Ronaldo's agency in terms of both income and reputation in the industry. At the same time, it will also increase Tang Long's income level.
However, after pondering for a moment, Tang Long smiled slightly and refused Ronaldo's request.
"We're not considering that right now."
Ronaldo, Ranocchia, and Bonazzoli were all taken aback. They were all puzzled, thinking, "Is there really someone who wouldn't make money? That can't be right."
Ranocchia and Bonazzoli, in particular, are very typical Europe professional players. They are hardworking on the field, meticulous in training, kind to fans, and respectful to the team's management, but that doesn't mean they don't want to earn more money.
Tang Long noticed their surprise and, without beating around the bush, stated his reasons directly.
"The UEFA Champions League final is in five days, and I don't want to get involved in contract disputes at this time. Besides, negotiating a contract extension with the club before the final would be like holding them by the throat. Mr. Berrada has been very good to me, and I can't do that."
"I can definitely discuss this after the UEFA Champions League final, and besides, if I win the UEFA Champions League, you'll obviously have more room to negotiate."
Tang Long's deep consideration made Ronaldo sigh.
"Alright, there are very few players like you in this era." Ronaldo then looked at the other two, "How about this, I'll head over now to talk to the club about your contracts?"
Ranocchia and Bonazzoli exchanged a glance, shrugged in unison, and both laughed.
"Since Tang has said that, what can we do? Let's leave it at that and talk about it after the UEFA Champions League final. When we beat Real Madrid and win the UEFA Champions League, just as Tang said, won't you have more room to negotiate?"
Ronaldo was also a straightforward person. Seeing that the two answered so readily, he snapped his fingers.
"Alright, let's talk about it after the UEFA Champions League final!"