Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: [email protected]/CosmicKaminari
----------
"Who do you think designed this trophy? It feels really good to touch."
"Kevin, that's too much!"
"We won the league, what's so bad about touching the trophy?"
"I know, but who brings the Champions trophy to the cafeteria for breakfast?"
"..."
Kevin De Bruyne blushed.
He was indeed a bit overly excited.
Three days had passed since the Bundesliga championship night.
Even now, Kevin De Bruyne clearly remembered every moment of that day.
Including after the match, everyone on the bench, and all the fans, rushed onto the pitch to celebrate the successful defence of the title.
The BayArena became a carnival ground, strangers of different colours and nationalities freely expressing their championship excitement on the same pitch.
Then came the Bundesliga tradition, the championship beer shower.
De Bruyne was the most honest, and also the most unfortunate, one.
He was repeatedly teased by Lance, Son Heung-min, Julian Brandt, and others, getting thoroughly soaked in beer.
Even the coaching staff came to bully him, but De Bruyne enjoyed it immensely.
Who would have thought, he, who was lost on the bench at Chelsea, could actually win a championship!
Coming to Bayer Leverkusen was his most correct choice.
Firmino, Harry Maguire, Van Dijk, Antonio Rüdiger, and others also felt lucky, that they had chosen Bayer Leverkusen amongst many teams back then.
Everyone had been unknown in lower leagues or struggling teams.
After one season at Bayer Leverkusen, not only did they win the league title, they had a chance to achieve the double, and even reach the Champions League final!
Everyone's market value soared at the speed of light, skyrocketing tenfold from their initial few million euros!
Currently, according to Germany's 'Transfermarkt' assessment, Harry Maguire's value is 45 million, Van Dijk's is 50 million, Antonio Rüdiger's is 30 million, Joshua Kimmich's is 25 million, Nathan Aké's is 30 million, even the previously unknown Julian Brandt is now valued at 40 million.
A group of "disappointed ones," are now hot stars in the Bundesliga.
These past few days, the championship-winning Bayer Leverkusen players have been busy preparing for the upcoming German Cup final against Wolfsburg.
And the almost hopeless Champions League final.
The team atmosphere was still relatively relaxed, but the coaching staff and management were already in a frantic state.
On the training ground, the assistant coach led the team in training, whilst the two head coaches, Sascha and Hyypiä, accompanied Team Director Michael Schade to review the flood of transfer requests.
Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Paris, Milan, Bayern... numerous giants were practically emptying Bayer Leverkusen!
"Manchester United is asking for Maguire, Tottenham and Liverpool are also eyeing him. I feel like Maguire will definitely return to England within the next two years. He prefers to play in the Premier League."
"Forget Maguire for now, what about the others? Liverpool is after Van Dijk, Real Madrid and Chelsea are after Antonio Rüdiger, Manchester City is after Nathan Aké, Bayern is also interested in Kimmich, our backline is going to be completely raided."
"Boss, can we keep them? Even if we raise the salary cap and give out more bonuses?"
"That's right, if the defence is poached, next season will be really difficult."
Facing the head coaches' complaints, Michael Schade was also at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"The key is, we are in the Bundesliga, and we can't invest more. We can't even apply for Bayer headquarters to inject capital. To ensure financial balance, we can only try to sell one or two players... You also know that Lance's salary takes up most of it. If we raise salaries for others... unless Lance leaves, who amongst you would agree?"
Sascha and Hyypiä shook their heads repeatedly.
The entire team could be dismantled, but Lance absolutely could not leave.
Multiple defeats this season had already proven that the team suffered from "Lance dependence."
He was the sole core of their championship, irreplaceable.
Look at Lance's record-breaking 47 goals, whether in the Premier League, La Liga, or Serie A, who could score 47 goals in a single season?
Only Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, and their goals included a large number of penalties, whilst the vast majority of Lance's goals were from open play, he alone accounted for over 60% of the team's offensive firepower!
Selling Lance would be like cutting off a major artery in a layoff!
"Honestly, I think we can consider it. There are many offers for Lance now, and I am confident that he can bring in 100 million euros in cash flow. With that money, you can boldly buy players and boldly build a squad, maybe Bayer Leverkusen really has a chance to become a giant!"
Michael Schade had already started to fantasise.
But the head coaches, Sascha and Hyypiä, showed no excitement on their faces.
"Don't you want a transfer budget? Why aren't you happy?"
"Yes, Bayer Leverkusen has a chance to become a giant, but the premise is that Lance stays."
"This..."
Michael Schade's smile instantly froze.
"I know, Lance's importance goes without saying, it's just..."
If Lance stays in the team, others will have to leave, the club's scale does not support building a 'Galácticos' squad.
Every year, repeating the process of acquiring promising players, developing them, and then selling them, becoming a 'star rookie village' similar to Dortmund.
Or, sell Lance, get a large sum of money, and use that money to slowly build the team.
Either way, it would be very difficult, it was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.
This was the tragedy of small and mid-tier teams in the era of money-driven football.
This was also the reason why the Bundesliga had only one giant, Bayern.
"Alright, alright, let's discuss the transfer matters later. You two focus on leading the team to prepare for the German Cup now. Since the Champions League hope is slim, winning the domestic double this season would still be a good outcome."
The discussion ended without a clear result, so Michael Schade had to temporarily set aside the controversy.
After Sascha and Hyypiä left, Michael Schade sighed deeply and picked up the phone.
"Yes, that's right, Mr Chairman, they still can't accept it..."
"Mm, mm, I understand, the final decision rests with our management."
"Okay, then I know what to do."
Standing in the Bayer Leverkusen CEO's office, looking down at the training ground through the wide floor-to-ceiling windows, the most conspicuous figure on the pitch was the black-haired, yellow-skinned Eastern youth, his flashy skills on the pitch, dribbling past teammates to score a beautiful goal, drew cheers from the entire team.
A group of passionate youths freely enjoying football, enjoying the fun of "brotherhood football."
Only, from Michael Schade's perspective, this joyful scene was probably about to end...
May 31, 2015.
German Cup final, Bayer Leverkusen vs. Wolfsburg, Olympiastadion Berlin.
One week later, the 2014/15 Champions League final would be held here.
The German Cup final was a preliminary rehearsal for the Champions League final, Bayer Leverkusen was about to face Juventus in a pinnacle showdown here, but as everyone knew, this would be the most predictable Champions League final in history.
Several key Bayer Leverkusen players were unavailable for the final, Lance, Van Dijk, Nathan Aké, Lars Bender... they could only vent all their regrets and anger on Wolfsburg in the German Cup final.
Walking into the changing room, everyone was busy with their own things, dealing with Wolfsburg was routine, and the atmosphere was no different from a Bundesliga match.
Lance was originally chatting with his teammates, when his phone suddenly rang.
"Mr Mendes?"
The agent titan Jorge Mendes, who never called without a reason, always spoke directly, getting straight to the point.
"Lance, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern, where do you want to go?"
"No, wait... Huh?"
"Yes, Lance, you are now the hottest focal point in all of Europe. If nothing unexpected happens, you will be the most expensive transfer in the summer transfer market."