Top of the big era

If Manchester United wants to continue to be great, it is very important to maintain an enduring competitiveness in the transfer market, which requires money.

The past few years have been fine, the money is not enough, the boss will just give it to me.

But after a few years, it won't work, and there will be more and more restrictions, and a system of financial fairness and even a salary cap will be introduced.

From the perspective of long-term planning and development, it is still necessary to increase the team's own hematopoietic ability.

Manchester United is a Premier League team and an English-speaking team. It has the widest audience in the world. The United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong Island, Southeast Asia, South Africa, etc. are very developed and rich.

As the top card of the Premier League, Manchester United should be the richest club in the world.

The results of it?

For a long time, it is a situation of competition with Real Madrid, and the commercial capabilities of the two companies are similar. Real Madrid is a Spanish-speaking team, and the base camp behind it is a developing and poor country in South America. There is no comparison between the two sides.

This is the reason for the strategic level.

Real Madrid produced a big businessman Florentino, which changed Real Madrid's strategic planning. Manchester United have long been under the control of David Gill and Ferguson.

They are football people, let them play football, it's no problem, they can do their best. Once they go beyond football, they fail.

Not only Manchester United, but almost all European teams have this problem. Everyone equates sports with business. The better the athletic performance, the better the business performance.

Including Barcelona and Bayern, they also ensure commercial success through excellent performance at the competitive level.

Real Madrid have changed.

Sixteen Lang every year, his business ability is still the top in the world.

Manchester United also changed later.

The operator is Ed Woodward, who has changed Manchester United's system strategically. He doesn't understand football, which caused Manchester United's results to be a mess, but he can perform very well at the business level.

Ed Woodward was brought over by the Glazer family from Morgan Bank. He served as the vice chairman of Manchester United and was the mouthpiece and supervisory tool of the Glazer family.

The real power at Manchester United is still David Gill and Sir Alex Ferguson.

Zhou Buqi wants to change this situation.

That night, Zhou Buqi invited Ed Woodward to dinner alone, "What are your plans after the acquisition of the club is completed?"

Ed Woodward: "I've been a football fan since I was a kid."

Zhou Buqi smiled, and heard that he wanted to stay, "What do you think about my plan?"

"very good!"

"So simple?"

"It's not easy to execute."

"Oh?" Zhou Buqi's eyes lit up, "Why?"

Ed Woodward said bluntly: "The current CEO, he doesn't know how to do business at all. He is suitable as a sports director, not a club CEO."

Zhou Buqi was not interested in the grilled steak and potato pie on the plate. The taste was really not very good. He said slowly: "Business is very simple, but football is a complicated ecosystem. David Gill is a member of the European football circle. People at the top."

"Of course." Ed Woodward also agrees with this, "He is very well connected and has influence on football. If he leaves the Manchester United platform, he may run for the CEO of the Premier League or the president of UEFA .But even if he becomes UEFA president, he is an outsider in business, as stupid as a fool."

"Um."

Zhou Buqi agrees very much.

This is not a problem with David Gill alone, it is a problem with the whole football environment.

Football is the biggest sport in the world, but the earning power of football is too poor. The football team in the American NFL League, the money earned by any team in a single season can be compared to a season of Ligue 1.

The main reason is that the American league is run by businessmen, and the football circle is run by football personnel. Players become coaches after retiring, or managers in the football field, and then step by step to become football bosses.

How can a football player who has not studied for a few years have any business experience?

Ed Woodward raised his head with burning eyes, "Mr. Zhou, if you want to build Manchester United's brand culture, expand industrial layout and commercial influence, you must not use that idiot David Gill."

Zhou Buqi smiled, and heard the tone of Mao Sui's self-recommendation.

Seeing that he didn't respond, Ed Woodward became more proactive, and coughed lightly: "Manchester United's current system is already good enough. In the past few years, they have been heavily in debt, and they have to help the Glazer family repay the debt. In this case , Manchester United still won the Premier League and the Champions League, the combination of David Gill and Ferguson is good enough under the current system. If the current Manchester United strategic system remains unchanged, their combination is the best."

"What if you want to change?"

"I think I can take on more important work."

"Ed, I haven't succeeded in the acquisition yet. Even if it succeeds, I can't make drastic changes. I must maintain the stability of the board of directors and David Gilgar Ferguson's system."

"I know, there can be a solution!"

Ed Woodward has joined Manchester United since 2005. As a direct confidant of the Glazer family, he has not been able to gain power for a long time and was squeezed out by David Gill and Ferguson.

There's nothing he can do about it. Who told him to be the spokesperson of the Glazer family? With a lot of debts, he is also guilty, and he can't even fight for power if he wants to. It's different now, Boss Zhou appears as a savior.

If he can become the spokesperson of Boss Zhou, he will have enough confidence to display his ambitions.

Zhou Buqi said with a smile: "I think so. Manchester United's existing system should not be changed. If there are differences, everyone will discuss and resolve them. David Gill is still the main one. However, outside the existing system, you can Expanded to a new territory."

Ed Woodward understood immediately and was very happy, "The new territory needs to build the Manchester United brand, expand the commercial territory, renovate the infrastructure, improve the contracts with sponsors, and optimize the team's logistics service system."

Zhou Buqi said: "If Ronaldo wants to join Real Madrid, it is best to keep him."

Ed Woodward said: "He said that joining Real Madrid is a dream, I don't believe it. It is nothing more than that Real Madrid has higher exposure, higher income, and can get more endorsements, so that he can have more. Big world influence. He wants to be a bigger star."

Zhou Buqi nodded, "Yeah", "I suggest you go to Real Madrid and learn about their operation mode. If it is really just to have a higher income, we can raise our salary; if you want to have more Gao's fame is simple, I have a good relationship with Hollywood, and I can invite him to participate in more Hollywood activities during the intermission, and stand with Hollywood superstars."

"no problem!"

"Then appoint you as the president of Manchester United, in charge of some non-football work such as brand operation, commercial development, club culture and renovation projects?"

"It's an honour!"

Ed Woodward stood up, covered his chest with one hand, and bowed slightly.

Zhou Buqi said: "However, in the final analysis, Manchester United is a football club, with sports as the main focus and business as the supplement. Don't make it the other way around. When there is a conflict between the two, you must consider it more from the sports level."

Ed Woodward took a deep breath, "I understand."

Zhou Buqi smiled, very satisfied, "By the way, how much will it cost to buy Manchester United?"

"this……"

Ed Woodward is a bit embarrassed, this is a struggle between the new club and the old club.

Zhou Buqi gave him a step, and said with a smile: "No one in the world knows what the Glazer family thinks. How about you just guess? I have always believed in luck."

"Ahem..." Ed Woodward coughed several times in a row before hesitating and lowering his voice, "Then I'll just guess, it may not be accurate."

"Of course, it's all about luck."

"I guess the Glazer family should be able to accept an offer of 1.2 billion to 1.3 billion pounds."

"Really?" Zhou Buqi frowned, "I heard that a Qatar consortium offered 1.5 billion pounds."

Ed Woodward laughed, "Fake!"

"oh?"

"That was the news I released to the media. At that time, the Thai consortium offered 1 billion pounds to buy Manchester United. The Glazers thought the price was too low. I released the news that the Qatari consortium offered 1.5 billion pounds, just to stimulate them further. Raise the price."

"I see!"

Zhou Buqi heaved a sigh of relief, it was safe now.

...

Zhou Buqi called Chen Ran.

His first private equity fund, Pluto Capital, was officially launched, and Chen Ran had already started buying corresponding stocks based on his investment portfolio.

"Already bought $3.2 billion."

"It's very efficient!"

Zhou Buqi is very satisfied.

Chen Randao: "The main ones are Apple, Google, Amazon, Adobe and Visa. Apple took in $1.4 billion, Google took in $900 million, Amazon took in $300 million, Adobe took in 120 million US dollars, Visa bought 200 million US dollars, and other stocks... the plate is too small, and the stock price fluctuates too fast, so I dare not buy too much."

Zhou Buqi said: "Buy the heavyweight stocks such as Apple, Google, and Amazon first, and then eat the small plates slowly. Well... within this month, all investment layouts must be completed."

"What about the positions?"

"Full warehouse!"

"100%?"

"What about the handling fee, how much is left after deducting it?"

Chen Randao: "The main thing is the 1.5% subscription fee, a total of 150 million US dollars. We and Goldman Sachs will share 75 million US dollars each."

"What about the management fee?"

"Just deduct it from your daily income slowly."

"It's not necessary..."

"What's the meaning?"

"How about a one-time deduction?"

"ah?"

Chen Ran was stunned.

Zhou Buqi said: "I am in a hurry to use the money here, so I will find a way to do the accounts. There are only 25 people in the entire fund, and it is enough to set aside 25 million US dollars for daily operations. The remaining 50 million US dollars, plus 2% Management fees... let’s start with $250 million, and I’m going to put it up for other uses.”

The management fee is 2%, not necessarily $200 million. The size of the fund changes in real time, and the specific management fee is often settled on a daily basis. If the scale of private placement is bullish and becomes 20 billion U.S. dollars, 2% is the management fee of 400 million U.S. dollars.

Zhou Buqi felt that his operation was already very conservative.

Chen Ran was about to collapse, and took a deep breath. He didn't make any money yet, so he started raking in commissions. This boss Zhou was really cruel, and he was silent for a long time before responding, "Well, OK."