Football Dynasty

Chapter 597: A Guide to Buying a Football Club

Liverpool would be in significant decline that season, at least from Richard’s point of view. Before the season began, the board made the unusual decision to have Gérard Houllier and Roy Evans co-manage the team.Yep, you read that right: joint managers.

For Richard, it was a decision doomed from the start. The players were caught in an awkward situation, unsure of whom they were actually supposed to call their gaffer.

There was also a rumor that Houllier’s appointment was a radical attempt by the board to reverse Liverpool’s stagnation. The two managers couldn’t have been more different.

Evans had been credited with building arguably the most exciting and aesthetically pleasing team in the country during the 1990s. Liverpool under Evans were always entertaining to watch, playing attractive, technical football. The problem was that they never quite found the winning formula.

Houllier, on the other hand, approached the job like a complete rebuild. He outlined what he described as a five-year programme to restore discipline and reshape the squad. He also introduced a more continental approach, both tactically and in terms of recruitment.

Put simply, Evans was the coach focused on the first team and its footballing identity. Houllier was more of a technical director in spirit—a man brought in to rebuild the club from the ground up.

While Houllier didn’t place as much emphasis on Liverpool’s youth system as Evans had, he still uncovered several promising talents from the academy, promoting future stalwarts such as Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

The reaction, however, was exactly what you might expect.

Liverpool 0–3 Manchester City.

On the star-player front, Fowler had another injury-interrupted season. Secondly, the 5-3-2 system really opened up Liverpool. But you were right—at least it wasn’t all doom and gloom for ’The Reds.’

The era of the ’Spice Boys’—a group that seemingly had all the talent in the world but little to show for it—was finally over. No more limousine-riding, jet-flying, kiss-stealing, Armani-wearing, wheelin’ and dealin’ group of young men who had failed to win anything notable.

This year would also prove pivotal for Michael Owen and Jamie Carragher, as both would become ever-present figures for the club.

Of course, Richard was still unsure of what kind of great players Carragher and Gerrard would become in the future, or which direction they would develop in. There was no certainty.

For Richard, he had long believed that the main reason Gerrard could only become a "Liverpool legend" was because, during the early years of his career, he never had a clearly defined position on the field.

Could he defend? Yes.

Could he organize? Yes.

Could he attack? Yes.

He could do all three, but he wasn’t truly elite at any one of them. A player like Gerrard had rather vague positioning.

If he were placed in a purely defensive role, he could be overwhelmed by elite attacking talent. As a playmaker, he might struggle to break down well-organized defenses. And when pushed further forward, his ability to consistently create and finish chances could fall short—especially when compared to players whose dribbling and attacking instincts were their defining strengths.

In the future, European football would increasingly favor systems in which only one player was given the freedom to focus almost entirely on attacking, while the other nine outfield players were expected to contribute defensively.

For a player like Gerrard, defensive ability would therefore be the foundation. From there, he would need to develop a truly elite specialty on the attacking end.

Gerrard’s future reputation would likely emphasize his versatility. He possessed an impressive range of skills, but versatility could also be a double-edged sword. A player who could do everything reasonably well might still fall short when compared to those who had mastered one particular aspect of the game.

This became even more apparent when looking at Liverpool. Despite having plenty of big names in the squad, their trophy haul was nowhere near that of Manchester United. The same could be said of England, who, despite having players like Lampard, Gerrard, and Scholes in midfield, still failed to win anything major.

Despite his talent, it was difficult to point to many truly defining performances. Meanwhile, players with more specialized skill sets had managed to shine even while playing for weaker international sides.

That was Gerrard’s greatest dilemma. Of course, there was a reason Richard had once wanted to recruit him. After all, why else would he have considered Gerrard as Makélélé’s successor after the Frenchman’s move to Real Madrid?

Gerrard had never encountered a key mentor who could properly develop his technical abilities during the crucial period when his position and role on the field were being established. He was shuffled between defensive midfielder, central midfielder, and even attacking midfielder at times. He provided assists, scored goals, and ran tirelessly all over the pitch—but what exactly was his role?

It seemed to change every year.

As for Carragher, his situation was even more tragic. Judging from the recent match, where he only came on in the 78th minute, it seemed he was still firmly stuck on the bench, with Houllier viewing him as little more than a backup right-back.

For the foreseeable future, Carragher would remain a glaring weakness in Liverpool’s squad—one that would be repeatedly exposed at Anfield.

Back to the match, the final whistle blew, signaling the end of the game.

Lampard had opened the scoring before Ronaldo struck twice, as City tore Liverpool apart at Anfield. The rebuilding project had barely begun, and already, Liverpool had been handed a brutal reality check.

Liverpool’s squad looked familiar, yet the spirit of the team was in tatters. Still, Richard rose from his seat and applauded. Today, Anfield was roaring. Despite Liverpool’s apparent decline in performance, with more losses than wins, the dedication of the Kop fans remained commendable.

Manchester City’s first two opening matches of the new season saw them clinch a convincing 4–0 victory over Tottenham, followed by a 3–0 win over Liverpool—a result that hardly surprised anyone.

After the match, as always, Richard attended the press conference and watched Mourinho approach the interview with a serious demeanor. He merely stated that winning the game wasn’t anything to get overly excited about. While he was pleased with the result, he insisted that the team’s mindset wouldn’t fluctuate simply because they had beaten the Reds.

In contrast, their cross-city rivals, Manchester United, who were also touted as title contenders alongside Manchester City this season, drew against Everton at Goodison Park. They seemingly remained haunted by their poor performance in the Community Shield, where they were beaten 3–0 by Arsenal.

Done with the match, Richard’s agenda for the day was to accompany a Russian billionaire—or, more accurately, an old friend.

"Why so suddenly?"

As he settled into the back of the Rolls-Royce, Richard turned toward Abramovich.

"So, why are you suddenly thinking about selling Zenit?"

Abramovich let out a long sigh. "I thought football was a good industry. A profitable one." He paused, rubbing his forehead. "But I’m losing money here. So much money."

Richard was taken aback. "What happened?"

Abramovich sighed again.

"It’s the ruble..."

Ah. Only then did Richard understand. Russia defaulted on domestic debt and devalued the ruble, causing severe economic turmoil. In short, the ruble crisis had severely damaged the Russian economy.

Football clubs were among those caught in the fallout. Sponsorship money dried up, wages became harder to pay, and some clubs struggled simply to retain their best players. The situation also pushed Russian football deeper into the hands of wealthy businessmen, regional governments, and private sponsors.

But football wasn’t simply about paying salaries and calling it a day. With money becoming scarce, investment in stadiums, training facilities, and youth development suffered as well.

Abramovich stared out the window.

"Quality players are being pushed aside or marginalized because of problems off the pitch. Out of sixteen clubs, perhaps only five or six can really survive this."

He paused.

"We can survive. But if this continues..." His expression darkened. "I can see where Russian football is heading."

Richard remained silent. He was talking about an entire league struggling to stay afloat.

"Hmmm..." Richard paused before carefully asking, "Do you have a club in mind?"

"Yeah. My advisers drew up a five-club shortlist."

"Five? Which ones?"

"Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool."

"..."

Richard was taken aback.

No Chelsea?

"So this is still just an idea, right?"

"No. We’ve already spoken to the clubs."

"What?!"

Richard stared at him in shock. "What was the result?"

"Arsenal isn’t for sale. Liverpool were ruled out, and Manchester United’s asking price was considered too high at £500 million."

He paused.

"Only Tottenham’s chairman responded positively. My advisers are already negotiating with them."

"Tottenham?" Richard frowned. Then he was negotiating with Alan Sugar.

"You prefer London, right?"

Abramovich merely glanced at him and nodded. He already owned property in Knightsbridge, one of the most affluent areas of the city, so London was hardly an unfamiliar place to him.

"What do you think of Chelsea?"

"Chelsea?" Abramovich frowned before shaking his head. "The club is good, but I heard the location of their stadium isn’t ideal."

So that’s how it was. Stamford Bridge held roughly 40,000 spectators at the time, which limited Chelsea’s matchday revenue compared with larger clubs. Yes, they could increase the capacity, but the site was surrounded by roads, buildings, and a railway, making redevelopment complicated and expensive. Unlike a stadium with plenty of open land around it, Stamford Bridge had very little room for expansion.

"The stadium is hemmed in, expansion isn’t easy, and redevelopment would cost a fortune."

Richard thought for a moment before asking, "So you’re not afraid to spend money? You actually want to turn this into a serious football business?"

"Of course not!" Abramovich immediately dismissed the idea. "If I owned a football club, I wouldn’t hesitate to open my wallet. I’d spend whatever it took to bring in the best players."

He leaned back, his expression firm.

"I’m not interested in owning a club just to watch it survive. If I’m going to do this, I want to build a team capable of competing at the very highest level."

"Is that so?" Richard nodded.

A faint smile crossed his face.

This was the Abramovich he knew.

"Then, I think your way of looking at football is wrong." Richard shook his head, clearly disagreeing.

"What do you mean?"

Richard chose his words carefully. "That sentiment is what separates football from almost every other industry. A club isn’t simply a company that buys players, sells tickets, and counts its profits. It’s a community. That sentiment permeated through a fanbase that went on to enjoy unparalleled success, completing the set of every trophy a club could possibly win."

He paused.

"Look at clubs that have achieved unparalleled success. Take Manchester United, for example. The greatest teams didn’t simply buy their way to the top. They built something people could believe in. They created an identity strong enough that winning became part of the culture."

Richard glanced toward Abramovich.

"And once a club gets that right, the trophies follow. League titles, domestic cups, European trophies—you name it. The goal isn’t just to win one competition. It’s to build a club capable of winning everything. That’s the philosophy."

Abramovich remained silent.

Richard continued.

"So, if you really want to own a football club, don’t think like a businessman trying to buy success."

He leaned forward.

"Think like someone building a dynasty."

"..."

It was a surprisingly serious conversation.

Richard thought for a moment before pulling out his phone.

"Actually, I have Ken Bates’ number here if you want to contact him. Just give me a commission later if you really do buy Chelsea."

"..."