"What the actual fuck..."
William couldn't believe his eyes when he read the email in front of him. He had just been contacted by the board of Valencia C.F, one of the biggest clubs in Spain.
'This isn't a prank, right?'
William laughed out loud for a few seconds, before eventually calming down. Once he did, he became somber again. His first job in his alternate life was becoming the manager of Leicester City sometime after the 2023/2024 season started.
Brendan Rodgers had a very terrible start to the season and they made a change in order to try and nullify the damage, but the change ended up being the one to close the lid of the coffin and send them down to the Sky Bet Championship.
It was somewhat identical to what could happen with Valencia. They were a big club but had declined to an extent in the last few years. They finished tenth in La Liga in the last few seasons, but that probably wasn't enough for the board, hence their willingness to make a change.
After William finished reading the email, he smiled. The meeting was supposed to be held in secret as they didn't want to upset the current manager, Ruben Baraja's party in case they weren't able to come to an agreement so William was going to fly to Valencia and they would meet at a coffee shop to discuss.
That sounded easy enough on paper, but William knew that he had to be careful with his movements. All the big time journalists already knew that he was hunting for a new club, so if they found him travelling to Spain, then they would start spinning up stories in no time.
William read the email again, then spoke to his agent and got a flight to Spain booked and by the next day, he found himself walking into an average looking coffee shop on the outskirts of Valencia.
He and his agent had linked up when he landed in Spain and his agent had already negotiated the financial aspect of the deal. He would be getting a decent pay, not that it mattered much to him, as well as a house that's within walking distance to the training facilities and a new car.
It really wasn't a bad deal
The coffee shop was supposed to be empty from the information that he got, which meant that the owners had booked it for the day, or at least for the duration the meeting would last. Everyone had done their best to keep the meeting under wraps, it would be a shame if their efforts ended up being in vain because of some careless social media post.
William paused just outside the door for a few moments before he stepped inside. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't feeling nervous and he needed a few moments to himself to calm down.
As soon as he walked inside, he heard a soft chime which came from a bell above the frame of the door. The interior of the coffee shop was the same as the outside, it looked ordinary. There were small tables and chairs here and there, nothing at all that would draw attention, except for the fact that it was mostly empty except for three well dressed men at the far end sitting at what was the largest table inside of the shop.
Peter Lim, the club president, sat in the middle, his calm expression the opposite of the nervousness that William was feeling. On his right, Lay Hoon Chan, the club's executive, sat down with a stoic expression on his face. And on his left, Miguel Angel Corona sat down with a smile on his face, keenly watching William as he made his way to them and sat down at the foot of the table.
"Good morning". William said as he sat down, exchanging greetings and handshakes with each other.
They spent a bit of time making small talk before diving into the thick of the business.
"You understand why this meeting has to stay private". Peter Lim, the owner, said.
William nodded in response, and Peter looked to his right.
"We'll keep this simple. We know your situation, and you know ours. We want to understand how you see this club". Lay Hoon Chan, the club executive, said.
William smiled. He had prepared very much for a situation like this. If there was one thing that he knew how to do, it was to speak like a diplomat. In fact, he was widely regarded as a 'politician manager' in his alternate life.
"I think that Valencia is one of the biggest clubs in Spain and perhaps Europe. It's been through some bad spells recently, but it's still big. The problem isn't your identity, it's the direction. There's been a bit of a fluctuation with results and style and you can't build anything stable like that".
"And you think you can fix that?". Miguel Angel Corona, the sporting director, asked with his eyebrows raised.
"I think I can give you a clear style and structure". William answered. "The rest depends on you".
"Go on..."
William took a breath.
"I would build the team around a 4-3-3 as the base. But it wouldn't be rigid. In possession, it can shift into something closer to a 4-2-3-1. Or even a 4-4-1-1 depending on the opponent and game state."
"Explain the behavior, not just the shape". The sporting director said.
"Out of possession..."
For the next thirty minutes, William engaged in a discussion with the three club officials on how he planned to play football, factoring in the current state of the squad as a key reason why he chose his current style.
It was him telling them that he could adapt to the current state of the squad, and he wouldn't just force some philosophy or brand of football on them.
After that, they talked about expectations, and realistic aims of the season and the discussions seemed like it was about to wrap up.
Just when they were about to stop talking, Miguel Corona smiled. "You know, we once had an Englishman managing this club before..."
'Fucking Gary Neville!'