Chapter 100

**Chapter Pre-Thank You: Thank you to book friend 6322046 for the reward.**

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Lin Sen was somewhat at a loss.

It wasn't because of the expected buyback of Koke by Atlético Madrid, but because the price Atlético Madrid proposed for the buyback was not 2.5 million, but 1 million. Moreover, the person Atlético Madrid wanted to take from Málaga was not just Koke, but a second person as well.

Gabi.

Just like Livermore, Lin Sen had no idea what the sports director of Atlético Madrid, Pintac, was up to.

Perhaps, because Málaga had only paid a mere 200,000 for Koke, Pintac thought that a fivefold increase in value after just half a season was a very high price? Or perhaps, Pintac believed that Gabi, a former Atlético player, would be unable to resist the call of his old club, so he thought that a 5 million price tag would be enough to persuade Málaga to let him go?

Perhaps, just perhaps.

Lin Sen didn't think that Pintac's obviously unacceptable offer to Málaga was merely a result of his own assumptions. While he had little interaction with the sports director at Atlético, he knew that someone who could serve as a football director at a club like Atlético Madrid couldn't be that naive. So, what was the reason?

Lin Sen quickly thought of a possibility.

---

January 1st, New Year's Day.

Lin Sen boarded the flight back to Spain as scheduled. January 2nd was the day the team returned to training, as the La Liga would resume its battles three days later. Málaga's opponent was Sporting Gijón, currently ranked 18th, just above the relegation zone. For Málaga, the second half of the season would be the real test. In the second half, no team would underestimate Málaga psychologically, and Málaga's playing style would become more familiar to their opponents.

As soon as he returned to Spain, Lin Sen, despite his travel fatigue, went straight to headquarters to find Livermore. Upon seeing Lin Sen, Livermore didn't beat around the bush and got straight to the point.

Yesterday, Atlético Madrid was Málaga's only "customer," but now that the winter transfer window had just opened, Livermore had already received nearly ten offers involving six of Málaga's current starting players. Lewandowski was the "hot spot," with the Polish forward scoring ten goals in sixteen league matches, currently ranking third on the scoring chart, just behind Messi and Higuaín. He looked like the most tempting piece on the transfer market. In addition, Gabi, Gundogan, Reus, and Rosario... all had clubs expressing interest, though most were still in the inquiry stage. Notably, Málaga had also received an offer from Germany.

The club making the offer was Borussia Dortmund, the German veteran club known for having the best home ground in Europe, which was gradually emerging from its financial crisis. Under the leadership of new head coach Klopp, Dortmund had clearly sent a signal of revival to the entire Bundesliga and Europe. Klopp, with his eye on the future, had his sights set on Reus, who had been let go by Dortmund in the summer. They offered 2 million, attempting to buy back Reus...

After hearing Livermore's words, Lin Sen felt a headache: This was just the first day of the transfer market, and they were already planning to carve up Málaga?

It wasn't that Lin Sen was really afraid that the Málaga he had painstakingly built would be dismantled after just half a season. To be honest, except for Atlético's pursuit of Koke, which Málaga could only passively endure, the other transfers, as long as the other party didn't go crazy and invoke the minimum buyout clause, Málaga held the upper hand. So, more than that, Lin Sen was worried about the players' mental states.

Not to mention the impact of Sevilla's pursuit of Gundogan and Villarreal's pursuit of Rosario, Atlético's pursuit of Koke and Gabi, and Dortmund's pursuit of Reus, all of which were based on personal connections. Personal connections have always been a headache in the transfer market, and even if Málaga's stance was firm, it couldn't eliminate the impact of such transfers on the players' mental states.

Lin Sen had already personally witnessed Koke's dilemma, and now, there was another Reus.

"What are the club's plans?" Lin Sen asked, rubbing his temples. After nearly ten hours of flying and the sudden pile of issues, his mind was a bit muddled.

"Of course, we've rejected all of them," Livermore replied quickly.

In fact, after the La Liga chairman's summit, Little Sánchez had discussed the winter transfer market with Livermore. The summit had clearly given Little Sánchez many insights, which Livermore summarized in one sentence: don't actively sell players. Málaga's choice of this transfer strategy was reasonable and logical. The team had performed well in the first half of the season and was on the right path. Everyone understood the principle of maximizing benefits. Other teams might be desperate for talent, but Málaga had no reason to pluck the chicken for the eggs at this time.

"What about the agents of Koke and Gabi? Any developments?" Lin Sen nodded and asked another question.

"Not yet," Livermore shook his head. "Perhaps they are still working on the players."

"Convenient, isn't it?" Lin Sen sneered at Livermore's words.

Contacting the players before reaching an agreement with their club is a practice that FIFA has always explicitly prohibited, but in reality, players often use tactics like refusing to train to force their clubs to reach agreements with their desired clubs. As long as the methods are appropriate, the "cheating" is discreet, and the "evidence" is cleaned up afterward, such prohibitions are often just for show.

Atlético Madrid, of course, wouldn't leave Lin Sen any evidence that they had bypassed Málaga to contact the players, but Lin Sen knew that in the transfers of Koke and Gabi, it would be incredibly easy for Atlético to play this card, as both players were from Atlético and still had a deep affection for the club.

"Who says we're just a small club, right? Accept it," Livermore naturally understood Lin Sen's meaning and laughed bitterly.

Accept it? You must be joking.

Lin Sen waved his hand, intending to leave. As he was about to go, Livermore added that Balcazar had something to discuss with him. So, Lin Sen, despite his fatigue, had to go see Balcazar, who had become the "all-purpose glue" of Málaga. It turned out that some Chinese guests were planning to interview Lin Sen, and Balcazar wanted to consult his opinion.

Upon learning that the visitors were Zhou Feng and others, whom he had met before when he was at Atlético, Lin Sen readily agreed, leaving the scheduling to Balcazar.

Afterward, Lin Sen returned to his residence and immediately went to bed.

The next day, the team resumed training, and Lin Sen's concerns were confirmed. It wasn't just Koke and Reus; the other players who had been linked with transfer rumors were also in low spirits. Even the steady Gabi seemed preoccupied, his demeanor shifting.

Thinking about how the originally good team atmosphere had not only failed to improve after the holiday but had instead become somewhat gloomy, Lin Sen felt both depressed and angry. But clearly, he couldn't let this atmosphere continue. The winter transfer window lasted a whole month, and the new round of the league was just around the corner. Could they even continue like this?

So, Lin Sen gathered all the players for a pep talk. Like Shi Shan, whom he had met two days ago, he decided to be honest.

"Two things. First, I'm glad to see everyone again here," Lin Sen gathered the team and, with as calm a tone as possible, said, extending two fingers.

"Second, I've noticed that some of you seem a bit down. I think we all know why. Yes, the club has received several offers..." Lin Sen's gaze didn't deliberately focus on anyone, but Koke had already lowered his head.

"To me, I think this is a simple matter to resolve. I don't want any of you to leave because we performed very well in the first half of the season, better than many people expected. So, I hope everyone can stay and chase some honors together. However, I can't represent you, so some of you might leave, and I don't deny that. But as the head coach of this team, I must make one thing clear: as I said before, your training attitude determines your playing time. I hope that, at least during training, you can forget all matters unrelated to training. That's all I have to say. Oh, and happy New Year!"

The pep talk was over.

The effect? It was barely satisfactory.

In Lin Sen's eyes, only two players seemed to have taken it to heart: Lewandowski and Gabi. But it didn't matter. At the very least, Lin Sen had calmed himself down. There's a saying: "Do your best and leave the rest to fate." Lin Sen had always scoffed at this, thinking it was just an excuse for not trying hard enough. But now, he knew that this saying at least gave those who had tried a reason to be calm.

Since it was the first day back from the holiday, the morning was a recovery training session, and the team was quickly taken away by Ruiz and the other fitness coaches, leaving Lin Sen to watch the team leave with uneven steps...

Two days later, in the home game against Sporting Gijón, Málaga suffered their fifth draw of the season, with a 2-2 score. They were overtaken by Sevilla in the league standings and dropped to third place.

The next day, Málaga officially announced that they had accepted Villarreal's offer for center-back Rosario, and the Portuguese, who had been with Málaga for a season and a half, was officially entering the countdown to his departure. At the same time, Málaga rejected Atlético Madrid's 6 million offer for Gabi again. Gabi's agent, García-Gilón, publicly stated in an interview with the media that his player had no intention of leaving Málaga in the winter.