I Am Jose-Chapter 141 - : Leaving Before Anyone Arrives

For José, this wasn't gambling at all.

Thinking about Kanu just now reminded him of another outstanding African striker—Didier Drogba, the "Beast" from Ivory Coast!

This player perfectly met José's current requirements—a classic center forward, young, and having spent years in the lower leagues. If he were to join a team competing in the Champions League as a backup, he wouldn't have any objections. Plus, having moved to France at a young age, he now held both French and Ivorian nationalities, meaning he wouldn't take up a non-EU player slot.

The moment José thought of him, he nearly slapped himself on the forehead. How did I not think of him earlier?

However, José didn't know where Drogba was playing at the moment, so he needed to look it up.

After flipping through the rosters of last season's 20 Ligue 1 teams for a while, José finally found Drogba's name—he had played for Le Mans last season, appearing 11 times with zero goals.

"Damn, he can't be that bad, right?" José, unwilling to believe it, checked more details on Drogba. That finally put his mind at ease—Drogba had actually played 30 games last season, scoring six goals.

"Looks like he was injured this season. Otherwise, why would he have played only 11 games?" José thought to himself.

After going through Le Mans' information, he became even more interested. The team had been relegated from Ligue 1 this season, meaning that if Drogba hadn't been injured, their performance might have been better.

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"Can we get more detailed info on this kid? His physical attributes look great." José asked Piri.

Piri looked at the unfamiliar name but had no objections. "Alright, I'll take care of it."

He understood the situation well—right now, they were grasping at straws. Instead of bringing in local strikers who clearly wouldn't fit, it was better to take a gamble on a talent from France, the cradle of football stars. After all, they were only looking for a backup striker. Even if it didn't work out, there wouldn't be much of a loss.

While Piri went to gather more information on Drogba, José turned his attention to other positions.

Mallorca didn't seem to lack attacking midfielders. Ronaldinho performed well in that role, and with him in the squad, they didn't need to worry about a left winger either. Kaladze had been doing a great job there. However, with Engonga gradually fading out in the new season, they only had Marcos as a backup defensive midfielder. Soler was on the verge of retirement, and while Marcos could fill in as a substitute, he wasn't good enough to be a starter. Mallorca needed a strong defensive midfielder to partner with Motta.

In defense, Soler had already decided to leave, while Olaizola was only a backup. The right-back position wasn't a problem, but they only had three center-backs, and Nino wasn't particularly reliable. They needed to find a solid center-back.

A center-back and a defensive midfielder—those were Mallorca's immediate priorities.

What José liked about these two positions was that he didn't have to worry about backups. Campano, Gamarra, Olaizola, Novo, and Marcos were all solid squad players willing to sit on the bench. Any new signing would be a first-team starter, directly improving the team's strength.

There was no point dreaming about signing someone like Stam. José knew that later this summer, Stam would be forced out of Manchester United by Ferguson. But given Stam's ability, he could go anywhere, and Lazio would eventually pay a hefty sum for him. That kind of transfer was simply beyond Mallorca's reach. José had to look for talented but still-undiscovered players.

Just as José was planning his signings, Mallorca found itself the target of a poaching attempt.

And the suitor was none other than Valencia.

While Cúper was at Valencia, he hadn't poached any Mallorca players—perhaps out of respect for his former club. He had maintained the same principle when he moved from Valencia to Inter Milan.

But now, with Cúper gone to Inter, Valencia was undergoing major changes. Mendieta was set to leave, and the newly appointed Rafael Benítez needed reinforcements for the right side. His eyes turned to a player who had performed brilliantly over the past few seasons—Ariel Ibagaza.

Seeing Valencia's initial offer, José scratched his head. The bid of $8 million wasn't exactly low, and in José's mind, Ibagaza wasn't an irreplaceable player. Novo could cover his position to a large extent, and sometimes Mallorca played with three forwards, reducing the need for a right midfielder. While Ibagaza could also play as a right winger, he wasn't an ideal fit for that role.

Ibagaza himself didn't react much—he was likely waiting for the club's stance.

After some thought, José decided to talk to Ibagaza directly.

Ibagaza had joined Mallorca three years ago, and his contract had two years left. If they wanted to keep him, renewing his deal would soon become necessary.

Last season was Ibagaza's best in a Mallorca shirt. While not a guaranteed starter, he played 30 La Liga matches, with his absences mostly due to tactical rotation. He scored 10 goals in La Liga—second only to Eto'o—and his quick wing play and chemistry with Ronaldinho were likely what attracted Valencia. Though stylistically different from Mendieta, he brought energy to the team.

"Ariel, I don't know if you've heard... Valencia wants to sign you." José called Ibagaza, who was on vacation in Argentina.

Unlike some players who go radio silent when they want a move, Ibagaza picked up the call naturally and listened quietly.

"Ariel, I need to know what you think... If you don't want to leave, I'll offer you a new contract. It won't be worse than what other La Liga teams can offer. We may not be rich, but we can afford it. Plus, we'll be playing in the Champions League next season—Valencia won't." José continued.

"But what if I do want to leave?" Ibagaza asked calmly.

"Then give me a good reason. I don't like falling out with my players, and if anyone wants to leave, I prefer a friendly separation." José replied.

"I'm almost 25 now. At this age, most Argentine players are at their peak. But I still haven't been called up to the national team. I don't know why... Maybe it's because I play for Mallorca and not a big club like Real Madrid or Barcelona." Ibagaza said.

José pressed his lips together. Ibagaza didn't talk much, but people like him usually had strong convictions and were hard to persuade. If he wanted to leave for trophies, José could tell him that Mallorca was chasing silverware. If it was about money, José was willing to offer a competitive contract. But Ibagaza wanted to make the Argentina squad...

Many Argentine players had played for Mallorca, yet none had made the national team. But Valencia? They always had Argentine internationals—Kempes in the past, then Claudio López, and now Kily, Aimar, and Ayala. Being surrounded by Argentine national team players at Valencia would increase Ibagaza's chances of catching Marcelo Bielsa's attention.

"Don't forget, next season Valencia will only be in the UEFA Cup. You might not get as much exposure." José pointed out.

"But the World Cup is in a year, and I want to seize this opportunity." Ibagaza replied. "At Valencia, with so many Argentina internationals, Bielsa will notice me more... Sorry, boss."

That settled it—there was no convincing him. José couldn't argue against national team ambitions.

"But boss, I won't pressure Mallorca to lower my transfer fee for Valencia's sake. They need to show sincerity." Ibagaza added.

"Fine... Since you put it that way, I won't stand in your way. But let me be clear—I won't let you go unless they meet my asking price." José replied.

With Ibagaza's stance clear, José began negotiations with Valencia.

"These guys have money. Over the last two seasons, they made at least $60 million from selling López, Gerard, Farinós, and Mendieta. It's only fair they pay up." José thought.

Valencia, of course, weren't pushovers. Their negotiators, led by Toni Silva, haggled over every detail. Ibagaza's release clause was $15 million, but Valencia didn't want to pay that much—they had only received around $10 million upfront for Mendieta, with the rest in installments.

Still, Valencia saw Ibagaza as one of La Liga's best right midfielders—just behind Mendieta, Figo, and Fran.

Eventually, they settled on $12 million—a solid price, considering non-international players like Ibagaza would be harder to sell for that much in the future.

With this money, Mallorca at least didn't have to worry about their summer transfer budget.

But now, José had another problem—how to replace Ibagaza.