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Chapter 226 The Newly Joined Central Defender
"I want a central defender! Anyway, I want a central defender!"

McAllister was angrily pacing back and forth in the chairman's office. Half a month ago, he came here to listen to the reprimand of Chairman Bates. That day, because of the four-game losing streak, he was scolded like a grandson. Now, he is a grandfather, because he just led the team to two consecutive victories.

"An experienced, capable, ready-to-play central defender who can play a role! I need such a person now!"

McCaulist shouted loudly: "Otherwise, I can't guarantee that we will enter the British Championship next season after the end of the season!"

"Gary, don't worry." Bates' chubby face was full of smiles, his attitude was completely different from half a month ago: "You know the financial situation of the club now. Every year, there is a huge deficit. This season we barely achieved a balance of payments. The board of directors really can't spend any extra money on the transfer market. You have to forgive us."

"Bullshit!" McAllister cursed in his heart. Back then, he transferred Chelsea to Abramovich and got 4000 million pounds in cash, and Abramovich also assumed Chelsea's debt of up to 8000 million pounds. Would he have no cash?What a joke!
What's more, when Betts took over Leeds United in 05, he didn't invest too much money. In the British Championship game that season, he sold all the players in the team that could be sold for money, and re-rented many cheap players to play.

Besides, the board of directors is completely an excuse for Bates. Leeds United Club is not a listed team now, but belongs to Bates' private property. Where did the board of directors come from?Isn't it just a matter of Bates to get the money out?It just depends on whether Bates is willing to take the money out.

After winning two games in a row, McAllister felt that he had the confidence to make some demands on the club. He knew that Bates would not fire him at this time. After all, he led the team well, and he had to pay a termination fee for firing himself, and he had to pay a salary for finding a new coach. It wouldn’t be too much for him to ask for hundreds of thousands of transfer funds when he transferred in the winter, right?

And now the team really needs an excellent central defender. Huntington is the only one who can be trusted in the central defender position. After all, he is only under 22 years old and sometimes makes some mistakes.

Despite winning two consecutive victories, Leeds United still conceded goals in these two games. They have conceded goals in eight consecutive games in the league.

Even if they enter the top six and qualify for the play-offs, in the home and away knockout rounds, whether the defense is stable or not is the biggest proof of whether the team can eliminate the opponent!
He couldn't believe that Bates couldn't see such a simple question!Compared with the investment of a season, the investment of hundreds of thousands during the winter break is nothing at all!Anyone can calculate this account, and it is even more impossible for Bates, a shrewd businessman, to fail to calculate this account!

However, McAllister still underestimated Bates' stinginess and penny-pinching. Facing McAllister's request, Bates smiled like a Buddha: "Gary, I will consider your request. Since the board of directors has chosen to trust you, we will definitely meet your request...A central defender with experience and ability who can play as soon as he comes, is that the only request? Well, leave it to me. I will definitely find you such a defender before the next round of the league."

McAllister opened his mouth, wanted to say something but couldn't say anything. He originally wanted to apply for a winter transfer fund from the club, and then find a central defender who meets his requirements, but now Bates has taken care of the whole thing. How can he feel at ease?Didn't the defender I found meet my requirements?

Bates continued to look at him with a smile: "What's the matter, Gary, is there any other request?"

"No more." McAllister replied dejectedly, then turned around and walked out of the office door, hoping that God bless, what Bates found was a central defender who met his requirements... Besides, having something is better than nothing.

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Bates was quick -- at least on this point, he pleased McAllister enough.

The meaning of the above sentence is that apart from the quick action, there is nothing else that satisfies McAllister.

On January [-], just the third day after McAllister made a request to Bates, Bates found an experienced and capable central defender who could play as soon as he came.

"Neil, what is this?" McAllister held a piece of paper and asked assistant coach Neil McDonald.

McDonald, who was nicknamed Uncle McDonald by the players, looked at the sky, unconsciously crushed a blade of grass under his feet, and said, "This is the information about the central defender that Mr. Chairman helped you find."

"Oh, is that so?" McAllister's eyes lit up, and he immediately held the piece of paper in front of his eyes and looked at it. McDonald looked around, as if looking for a way to escape.

"Mister Xie? Strange name." McAllister muttered, and then read softly: "Born in 25, he is 20 years old... well, he is currently playing. He made his debut in London's Orient Leyton at the age of [-], and then moved to various League One teams. He played for Crewe last season and was later terminated by Crewe. In the first half of this season, he was in...Forest?"

McAllister looked up: "Which Forest team? Nottingham Forest?" The writing was so scribbled that he could barely make out the word Forest.

McDonald's continued to look up at the sky: "It's not Nottingham Forest, it's Green Forest."

"Green Forest?" McAllister thought for a while in doubt, and then immediately widened his eyes: "Then it's a team from the British-African League, two levels lower than us! The fifth level team!"

McDonald's strode five meters away: "That's right, it's the Green Forest, an old team that has been hovering in the fifth to seventh tier league... The history of this team is older than ours."

"Then what the hell is the use? The oldest club in the world is about to be disbanded now!" McAllister growled, his hands trembling like he was suffering from epilepsy: "That pig Bates uses such a defender to fool me?"

"He's not fooling you." McDonald explained: "This person fully meets your requirements. He has played more than [-] league games in League One for five years, and has experience and ability. He has been playing with Green Forest for the first half of the season. There is no problem with his physical condition. He can play games when he comes... The most important thing is that he signed a short-term monthly contract with Green Forest. He can come directly to us to report without any fees."

McAllister's face was flushed, and it looked as if his head was about to "bang" into a rotten watermelon. McDonald's shouted from a distance: "I'm just conveying these words. The original words are from Mr. Chairman... But to be honest, the guy named Mistxie is not bad, at least he is the most suitable age among our central defenders, neither old nor young."

McAllister squeezed his fist fiercely, almost crushing the piece of paper, and then let out a sigh of relief—what can I do, Bates is too cunning, as he himself said, this Mister Xie is really experienced and capable, and he can play when he comes, which fully meets his requirements—you didn’t say that you can’t find players from the British-African Union team.

Then fuck it——McAllister thought self-defeatingly. Anyway, it’s all here. It’s better than nothing. The landlord’s family has no food left. We poor people can only tighten our belts to live...

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"Before today's training starts, I will introduce a new teammate to everyone." McAllister said listlessly: "Mister Xie, 25 years old, central defender, from today, he will be a member of our team."

After finishing speaking, the young man standing beside McAllister took a step forward and said in an authentic London accent: "Hi everyone, Mister Xie, I am very glad to be able to work with you in the next time."

Then Captain Richardson introduced other players to him. When Long Bisheng was introduced, Long Bisheng, who had been watching Mister Xie with great interest, suddenly asked, "Are you Chinese?"

The 25-year-old centre-back, despite being blond, has typical Chinese traits, such as his skin...

Mister Xie shrugged his shoulders: "My father is Chinese... but I am a British citizen, and I became a British citizen that year."

"That's a pity." Long Bisheng said regretfully: "If you want to play in the Super League in the future, then you can only play as a foreign aid."

Mister Xie laughed, it seems that he is no stranger to the Chinese league, and then he winked at Long Bisheng: "It's also good, playing in England, I don't worry about the issue of labor certification."

Long Bisheng was stunned for a moment, and then laughed—this guy is really interesting!

Mister Xie is very eloquent. No matter who he introduces, he can always get familiar with the other party in a few words, and the atmosphere is extremely harmonious.

McAllister saw it, and he had a much better impression of this free defender-at least such a person would not become a problem in the team, would he?That's not bad, but if this guy's ability is not very good, and he likes to play noisy, then it's troublesome!

"Okay, guys, now we're going to start training, the second half of the season, our only goal is to win one victory after another, to enter the Championship next season ... let's start."

(End of this chapter)