Chapter 79: Reinforcements Begin

When old Alemany held his press conference, José had already crossed all of Europe and arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine.

He wasn't here to recruit the famous striker Shevchenko, who had already transferred to the Serie A giants AC Milan last summer. The superstar forward had scored 24 goals in the previous season, winning the Serie A Golden Boot. At this point, his fame was skyrocketing, and Mallorca's meager transfer budget could barely afford a single leg of this shooter—probably the one he was least skilled at, his left leg.

Even last summer, Mallorca wouldn't have been able to sign Shevchenko. Over the past two seasons, Shevchenko had stunned Europe, scoring an astonishing 17 goals in just 14 appearances in the Champions League. Major clubs had already taken notice of him, with AC Milan keeping a close eye for over a year, forging relationships with both the Kyiv Dynamo club and Shevchenko himself. That's why they managed to secure him for the relatively low price of $23 million. With that kind of attraction and connections, Mallorca was nowhere near the level of a top club like AC Milan.

His target wasn't even Kyiv's other star, Rebrov, who had already transferred to Tottenham Hotspur for $18 million this summer—making him the second most expensive Ukrainian player in history, after Shevchenko. Though José knew Rebrov's career would soon falter, he also understood that signing him now would be nothing more than a pipe dream...

José's goal in Kyiv was someone entirely different: a versatile midfielder and defender—Kakha Kaladze from Georgia.

At 23 years old, Kaladze had been playing for Kyiv Dynamo for four seasons. He started his career young, making his debut for Dinamo Tbilisi at just 15, and moved to Kyiv at 19. In the previous seasons, his performances had been stable, but this season, he had encountered some problems.

Not long after the Ukrainian league started, Kaladze injured his ankle ligament and was sidelined for several months, returning to the field only a fortnight ago. His performances in the two matches since his return were lackluster. The interest from AC Milan, which had seemed promising, waned, making Kyiv Dynamo's president Igor Surkis anxious.

You see, when Kaladze transferred from Georgia years ago, Kyiv had signed him to a five-year contract, but now, with just one and a half years left, things were complicated. Kaladze had previously been hesitant to renew his contract, waiting for AC Milan's interest, but now, with his injury and underwhelming performances, Milan wasn't as eager. If they waited another six months, Kaladze's contract would be down to only a year...

For Kyiv Dynamo, selling players was an important way of keeping the club running.

What Surkis didn't know was that, according to the historical timeline, Kaladze would have been dejected by Milan's apparent disinterest, eventually renewing his contract with Kyiv for three more years. Over the next two months, he would regain form, impress Milan again, and be sold for $18 million. However, José's presence in Kyiv meant history was about to change...

"Mallorca from Spain... the team that won the UEFA Cup last year?"

When Kaladze's agent informed him of Mallorca's interest and their ongoing negotiations with Kyiv Dynamo, Kaladze was intrigued.

AC Milan was, of course, a prestigious club, but things didn't seem realistic right now. Although Mallorca wouldn't compete in the UEFA Cup this season, it was still one of the top leagues in Europe, rivaling Italy's Serie A for supremacy. Playing in such a league would bring greater exposure and income compared to staying at Kyiv Dynamo, a team where wages were relatively low, even for champions.

Kaladze had seen that Mallorca won the UEFA Cup, which made him believe that joining Mallorca might offer a promising future.

Of course, playing in a top league meant better wages, and although Mallorca was relatively poor by the standards of Spain's top teams, it was still much more competitive than teams from smaller leagues.

José knew that now was the time to act. With Kaladze's contract only having one and a half years left, he could negotiate a lower price. Using his skills, José managed to secure Kaladze for just $2 million, which was a bargain considering Kyiv Dynamo had signed him for less than $500,000.

After some intense back-and-forth, the deal was finalized. Kaladze agreed to terms, and once the winter transfer window opened on December 1, Mallorca would pay the transfer fee to Kyiv Dynamo, and Kaladze would officially become a Mallorca player.

"Hey, Tony, thanks for all the hard work on these negotiations."

As he prepared to leave Kyiv, José smiled at his meticulous and no-nonsense middle-aged negotiator, Tony Silva, who simply responded with a curt "Hmm."

José wasn't bothered by Tony's lack of enthusiasm. He knew that Tony was a seasoned accountant and negotiator, trusted by his father for nearly 20 years. With Tony on board, José didn't worry about finances.

"With Tony in charge, the financial side is taken care of," José thought. Tony had kept things under control last year despite the loss of Champions League revenue.

But José also knew that a club's operations required more than just good financial management. His focus now was on improving the team's performance. While some positions were being cleared out, he still needed a general manager and a technical director, someone who could manage scouts and evaluate player potential.

"I still need a general manager and a technical director... But first, we need to focus on improving the team's performance. If we don't qualify for European competition next year, it could be disastrous."

José pushed those thoughts aside for now, understanding that strengthening the team was the immediate priority.

This trip would take him far—across Europe, over the Mediterranean, across the North Atlantic to South America, and then to Brazil...

Although Mallorca had a history of favoring Argentine players, José's destination was Brazil. His target: a future Brazilian superstar, Ronaldinho, whose full name was Ronaldo de Assis Moreira.

José, being a fan of football and well-versed in the world of football novels, knew that at this time, despite Ronaldinho already being famous, he was still in Brazil. If José could act quickly, he might just snatch him up before Paris Saint-Germain did.

"No Messi? Then I'll go for Ronaldinho."

Although Messi was also a big target, José knew he'd missed his chance with him. Messi had already trialed with Barcelona, and given the legal limitations of contracts for underage players in Spain, it was unlikely he could get Messi unless Barcelona relented.

José remembered that Ronaldinho had transferred to Paris Saint-Germain for just around $5 million, though there had been some drama with the fee. He didn't want to deal with a drawn-out saga like that.

Having spent $2 million on Kaladze, José still had $13 million to work with. He had to be smart with every dollar, focusing on the areas that would bring the most value.

With Kaladze now covering the left wing and possibly even the left-back position, José felt confident that his attack would become much stronger, especially with a player like Ronaldinho.

With his main positions solidified, José was confident that investing in Ronaldinho would pay off massively in the long term.

No matter what, Ronaldinho was a must-get!