Chapter 140: The Hard-to-Find Backup Striker

Old Alemany moved quickly as expected, and when Pep learned that José intended to buy his shares for $7 million—10% above market value—he was tempted. Although he believed Mallorca's future prospects were bright and that his shares would appreciate in value, the meeting had made it clear that there would be no dividends in the foreseeable future. Holding onto shares that couldn't be cashed out was as good as holding a worthless piece of paper.

It was also evident that the club's power struggle had boiled down to a two-man duel between José and Grande. José held the majority stake, but Grande was financially strong. Stuck in the middle, Pep could only bear pressure from both sides—like a gambler caught between two high-stakes players continuously raising the bet.

Given these circumstances, retrieving his initial investment with a slight profit seemed like the best option.

Grande also expressed interest in acquiring Pep's shares, but as José had predicted, he couldn't offer more cash. Cash and assets were two different things—José was unique in that, aside from Mallorca, he had no other assets, just a large amount of liquid capital.

When he saw that Grande could only offer $5 million, Pep decisively chose to sell to José. With this acquisition, José's stake in the club increased to 70%.

While Old Alemany was negotiating with Pep, José was busy upgrading the team's training facilities. Installing under-soil heating was a priority. Although Mallorca enjoyed a mild climate year-round, winter could still be chilly, and a frozen pitch increased the risk of player injuries. Cold weather made the grass harder, and harder turf led to more injuries from falls. Inter Milan was a prime example of this issue—club president Moratti had no qualms about spending hundreds of millions on transfers but neglected a mere hundred-thousand-dollar investment to improve training ground conditions. As a result, superstars like Ronaldo and Vieri frequently suffered costly injuries in training. It wasn't until Mourinho took over and had under-soil heating installed that Inter Milan's injury record improved. Their core players remained healthy throughout the 2009-10 season, allowing them to conquer the treble with a squad of just 15 or 16 key players.

It was a small detail, but one with a huge impact.

In addition to under-soil heating, José also upgraded the gym with better equipment, enhanced the shower facilities, improved the players' cafeteria, and built a dedicated tactical meeting room. Even the team dormitories were refurbished—not as luxurious as a hotel but comfortable enough. His plan was to house the reserves and youth players in the dormitories before matches, while the first-team squad would stay at his father's hotel.

Of course, José didn't handle these tasks personally. He simply issued directives and let others execute them. Over these past few days, he remained at the club not just to oversee improvements but also to familiarize himself with the staff and players.

Meanwhile, team affairs were also moving forward.

Mallorca's solid performances last season hadn't attracted the attention of elite clubs, but some mid-tier teams were eyeing their backup players and veterans.

Up front, Eto'o and Luque had performed well but not at a level that would entice the biggest clubs. Together, they had scored fewer than 20 goals over the course of the season—decent but not exceptional. No major foreign clubs showed interest, and Spain's top teams weren't short on strikers. Barcelona was pursuing River Plate's young prodigy, Saviola; Deportivo had Makaay, Tristán, and Pandiani; Valencia had a deep attacking roster; and Real Madrid was only considering a backup striker. Other teams lacked the resources to pry away Mallorca's players.

One exception was Delgado. Despite being mostly a backup last season, he had scored a fair number of goals, catching the attention of a Premier League club—Southampton. The English side had barely avoided relegation and, with their top scorer Beattie suffering a serious injury that would sideline him for at least four months, they needed a temporary replacement. Delgado, affordable and available, fit the bill.

José's stance on the transfer was clear: "If the price is right, he can go."

Delgado was a solid backup with height that added a tactical dimension, but his non-EU status and lack of speed clashed with Mallorca's playing style. The club already had five non-EU players, three of whom were indispensable, leaving Delgado to compete with Gamarra for playing time—an issue that complicated José's squad management.

If Delgado left, Mallorca would be left with only two strikers—a situation José found unacceptable. A backup had to be brought in.

Guiza was an option, but his performances with the reserve team had been average, and promoting him to the first team without playing time might stunt his development. Fortunately, José had already planned ahead six months ago and identified a replacement.

A Croatian forward playing in Germany: Ivan Klasnić.

This future "Kidney Warrior" was currently an emerging talent in the German second division. The previous season, he had helped St. Pauli finish third in the league, scoring 10 goals in 31 matches—a respectable record.

More importantly, his contract was set to expire that summer. Piri, after reviewing scouting reports, had spotted this detail and informed José that a promising young forward in Germany could be signed on a free transfer. The moment José saw Klasnić's name, he gave the go-ahead. Klasnić wasn't a world-class striker but an excellent backup—technically solid, physically strong, and well-suited for La Liga.

What impressed José even more was Klasnić's patience. He had started as a backup at Werder Bremen but worked diligently to earn a starting role. A player like that was exactly the kind of reliable squad member José wanted.

Piri flew to Germany, and through unknown means, convinced Klasnić to sign a pre-contract agreement with Mallorca. The deal was already sealed—Klasnić was now a Mallorca player.

This was why José had refrained from signing any additional strikers in the winter window. With just three forwards, they could manage for half a season. Once Klasnić arrived in the summer, Mallorca's attack would be well-balanced.

However, with Delgado's likely departure, José felt another backup striker was still necessary.

This new signing needed to be low-profile, content with a substitute role, preferably a tall center forward.

Given these criteria, José immediately thought of one of the best super-subs he could recall—not Solskjær, of course. He knew Solskjær would be a fantastic signing, but prying him away from Manchester United was a near-impossible task.

Instead, he considered another famous backup striker: Julio Cruz.

However, when José reached out, Cruz rejected the offer. The Argentine had no desire to leave Serie A, especially since he had established himself as a starter at Bologna. In 27 appearances last season, he had scored seven goals—not a remarkable tally, but respectable in the defensive-heavy Serie A. Moreover, he was also adept at link-up play.

José could only sigh. If he had been in charge last summer, he might have signed Cruz from Feyenoord before Bologna had the chance. Mallorca was certainly no less attractive than Bologna, and South American players often preferred moving to Spain.

Since Cruz lacked an EU passport and wasn't an ideal fit, José gave up on him.

With no obvious candidates in mind, he turned to Piri for advice. While José had a good memory of future stars, he wasn't as skilled at identifying current talents. Most of the players he recalled were either already out of Mallorca's reach or still years away from being first-team material.

"A backup striker, preferably a target man, low-profile, willing to be a substitute, and an EU player?" Piri chuckled. "That's quite a wish list."

José sighed. "It's harder to find a good backup than a starter… Delgado is probably leaving, and while Luque and Eto'o can hold the frontline, we're playing in three competitions next season. We can't just rely on two strikers. Klasnić is fine as a backup, but I can't fully trust him as a starter. I need another capable forward—got any ideas?"

Piri pondered before shaking his head. "Not really… Spain doesn't have many quality strikers available, and the good ones won't come here to be backups. As for foreign players, I mostly know the well-known names."

Which meant: The ones I know won't settle for being a backup in Mallorca.

"That makes things tricky," José muttered.

"There's one rumor I heard—Arsenal might sell Kanu. But his wages are high, and there's the heart condition issue…"

José shook his head. "Not worth it. Our two main strikers don't even make €1 million each, and Kanu earns €1.3 million at Arsenal. No way I'm paying that for a backup—we're a small club."

"Then I'm out of ideas," Piri admitted.

José's gaze fell on Kanu's profile.

A big, strong, black striker…

Wait. Black, strong, physical?

A thought flashed in his mind.

"Do we have scouting reports from France? Maybe we can find a young target man there. They've got some decent forwards."

"France?" Piri hesitated. "You want to gamble on that market?"

"We're out of options—why not take a chance?" José grinned.