I just wanted to play football, but I became a Hollywood god

Chapter 259 Contract upgrade!Re-set sky-high termination fee!
"Oh! My dearest Gu! Welcome!"

Old Rice rushed up with one stride, gave Gu Ran a big hug, and kissed each side of Gu Ran's cheeks.

This act of intimacy made Gu Ran, who was already somewhat dead, even more deadly.

Gu Ran hurriedly said: "Hello, Mr. Rice, long time no see! Thank you and the gentlemen of the club for applying for a labor permit for me. Looking at the entire English football world, I am afraid that only you and Southampton Club can do it."

Old Les was almost flattered by Gu Ran's few words, "Hahaha! Gu! We are all a family, so there is no need to say thank you! Besides, you are really handsome in this suit today!"

Gu Ran smiled awkwardly, "Oh, this suit doesn't belong to me, it was borrowed temporarily."

Old Rice said with even more admiration: "Gu, you have such a good eye!"

Gu Ran said: "Actually, Rick helped me pick it up on the road..."

Old Les took Gu Ran's hand, "Gu, if you keep chatting like this, I really don't know how to praise you. Come on, let me introduce you to the important people in our club—"

Old Rice pointed to a tall man who was a bit fat and said, "This is our CEO, Mark Frye."

The CEO is the chief executive officer of the club, that is, the manager of the club. He is the decision maker of all major projects such as transfers and contract renewals. He is also responsible for managing the daily operations of the club, as well as communicating and coordinating with the team management, coaching staff and other departments to ensure the normal operation of the club.

Mark Frye can also be regarded as the hero after the Southampton club was penalized and relegated. Mark Frye relied on his own ability to put together this mess that had almost collapsed and was about to be disbanded.

He is not proficient in football business, but professional managers do not need to be particularly proficient in football-Mark Frye is indeed a good hand in managing clubs, especially in dealing with club crises.

On this issue of labor certification, he also firmly stood on the side of the old rice and supported the work of the old rice.

Mark Frye smiled and shook Gu Ran's hand, "Welcome, dear Gu. I know that several Premier League clubs have been eyeing you recently, but please believe that Southampton is your home. Everything that others can give you, Southampton will try their best to give you. Everything that others can't give you, Southampton will continue to do their best to give you."

Fuck, the person who said these few words felt warm in his heart.

If it weren't for Lao Tzu being a reborn person, he would have been really moved.

Gu Ran held Mark Frye's hand realistically, "Thank you, manager, and Southampton Club. I will do my best to fight for the Saints!"

——Come on, isn’t it just a business courtesy?come!I can!

Mark Frye praised: "Great, Gu! You are such a good player! With you, the strength of our Southampton club will definitely be able to reach a big level! I am very, very looking forward to your performance in the new season!"

Gu Ran hurriedly thanked, "Thank you, Mr. Frye!"

Old Rice pointed to a gentle man wearing glasses and said, "This is our chief financial officer, Nicola Cortes."

The Chief Financial Officer is the high-level person responsible for the club's financial management, budget planning, financial reporting and financial-related matters.

If the team can play well, the budget planning and bonuses will naturally be high.

Of course, the chief financial officer may also deposit money in the bank to earn interest...

Nicola Cortez shook hands with Gu Ran, "Gu, you are welcome to become a member of the Saints, and I hope you have a wonderful and brilliant career start here."

Gu Ran responded politely: "Hello, Mr. Cortez, thank you for your blessing, I will definitely work hard."

Old Rice pointed to another old man with silver hair and said, "This is our sports director Mark Water."

The sporting director is the real power, the high-level guy who is responsible for specific team transfer policies, player recruitment, and working with the coaching staff to achieve the team's tactical and competitive goals.

Although the terms of Gu Ran's contract and the application for the labor certificate were handled by the old Rice, in fact most of the backstage work was done by this Mark Walker.

Old Rice's contribution is to use his own status to get through the key link.

Mark Walker smiled and patted Gu Ran on the shoulder, "Gu, I am very optimistic about you, and I believe you will succeed."

Gu Ran hurriedly said: "Thank you, Mr. Walker, thank you very much for everything you have done for me."

Mark Walker was taken aback for a moment, then nodded towards Gu Ran with a smile.

He thought that there was a high probability that Gu Ran would just perfunctory him, but he didn't expect that Gu Ran understood everything he was doing behind the scenes.

——Mark Walker liked Gu Ran very much, and now he likes it even more.

Old Rice pointed to a relatively short middle-aged man with an excited face and said, "This is our marketing director, Woodhouse Ingram."

The Marketing Director is responsible for club branding, marketing strategy, commercial partnerships and various marketing activities.

Woodhouse Ingram said excitedly: "Gu, I'm very happy that you can become a member of our saints. You are also very famous now, especially after the scandal between you and Linda and Miss NO, the attention of our Southampton club has skyrocketed. According to statistics, the search engine search keywords for you, Linda and Miss NO are skyrocketing. As a result, the search volume of our Southampton club has also increased. This season's investment promotion activities are already full!"

shit...

Don't read "The Sun"...

Gu Ran said dumbfoundedly: "Thank you, Mr. Ingram, but I have to clarify that I don't know Ms. Linda and Sister NO at all. Nothing happened between me and them, really."

Woodhouse Ingram waved his hand indifferently, "Of course I know this, but from another perspective, if someone uses you to create scandals, it means that you are hot! What is a star? You are called a star if you are hot! Gu, even if you haven't played a professional game yet, your popularity is already at the star level!"

Gu Ran couldn't help taking a deep breath.

This marketing director really made the point!

If you want to become popular, if you don't have something to discuss, it is impossible to become popular.

Of course, from a long-term point of view, only relying on gossip and hype, only relying on controversial topics, but without real materials, will pass quickly and fall miserably.

Therefore, you have to be hard on yourself, have convincing achievements, awards, and then have an appropriate degree of topicality, so that you can become a top star step by step.

"Thank you, Mr. Ingram, for your guidance. I will work hard towards becoming a real big star."

"Haha, Gu, I like you, I like you so much! Come on! When necessary, our marketing department will help you hype it up, so as to ensure that you can always maintain your popularity!"

shit...

Shouldn't this kind of heat be avoided?

I really saw Linda and Miss NO later, how could I have the nerve to face them!

Old Rice pointed to another middle-aged man with a Mediterranean bald head and a shiny face, and said, "This is our commercial director, Philip Boots."

The commercial director is different from the marketing director. The marketing director's work focuses on marketing and improving the club's brand image, while the commercial director is responsible for more specific matters, such as sponsorship cooperation, ticket sales, commercial contracts, purchasing necessary supplies, arranging business reception, and club stores and other related matters.

Therefore, this can be regarded as a lucrative position.

Philip Boots grinned and said, "Gu, did you know that before the new season starts, our season ticket pre-sales have increased by 8.2% compared to last year! This is all thanks to you! You have a great influence in Southampton! There are also many fans calling to ask when your new season jerseys will go on sale!"

There is a cut for selling jerseys!

The more you sell, the more you will naturally share.

Gu Ran smiled and said, "Mr. Boots, this is up to you."

The old Rice on the side smiled and said, "This needs to determine the jersey number. This requires our new coach Nigel Adkins to submit a declaration. I have already urged him to determine the player number for the new season within today. As long as Adkins submits your number, then we will be able to place an order for Amber's factory soon."

Philip Boots laughed: "I can't wait."

——The so-called UMBRO, also known as Umbro, has a trademark of a classic figure with a big rhombus inside a small rhombus.

Ambow is also the current equipment sponsor of Southampton Club, from jerseys, shoes, socks, training uniforms, training vests, to training obstacle cones, wall signs, resistance bands, etc., are all sponsored by Ambow.

Old Rice pointed to another middle-aged man with gray hair and said, "This is the executive director of the board of directors, Andre Cuwin."

The executive director is generally the spokesperson of the chairman in the club, representing the interests of the Liebherr Group.

Andre Kuwen shook Gu Ran's hand with a smile, "Gu, our chairman, Ms. Katharina Liebherr, has been very busy recently and couldn't spare her time to attend your welcome ceremony, but she specifically asked me to congratulate you. She hopes that you will have a good time at Southampton Club. If you have any questions, you can come to me directly or through Rick, and I will do my best to help you solve them."

Gu Ran quickly said politely, "Thank you, Mr. Kuwen, and please thank Miss Katharina for me."

Immediately afterwards, Old Rice introduced several other major shareholders and sports consultants to Gu Ran.

Old Rice himself is one of the club's sports advisors.

Of course, Old Rice, a consultant, has a lot of power. Even if he is not the general manager, sports director, or executive director, he can still make key decisions.

Gu Ran could also tell that the senior management in this office was secretly divided into two factions, one was the veterans of the Southampton Club, and the other was the newcomers of the Liebherr Group.

The CEO, the sports director, and most of the shareholders belong to the faction of veterans.

The executive director, chief financial officer, commercial director, etc. belong to the Xinchen faction.

Old Rice is the only one who can balance the forces of the old and the new.

In particular, the issue of obtaining a labor certificate has increased the status of Old Rice in the Southampton club.

Currently, the Southampton club does not have a head of data analysis, only data analysts and scouts, but obviously data analysts and scouts are not qualified to stand here to greet Gu Ran.

Even Gu Ran himself did not expect that today's high-level welcome ceremony would be so grand.

As a young player from grassroots background, without professional youth training, and without playing in a professional league, such a specification is indeed a bit beyond the standard.

Gu Ran couldn't help thinking secretly: Old Rice may have other things.

After a round of introductions, everyone took their seats.

Old Rice said with a smile on his face: "Gu, apart from introducing you to the senior management of our club today, there is actually a small matter."

really!

Gu Ran smiled slightly, "Mr. Rice, please tell me."

Old Rice said with a relaxed smile, "We are all on our own, so I won't go around the bush—we, the top management, have decided to upgrade your contract through unanimous consultation."

What the fuck?

Gu Ran couldn't help being slightly taken aback.

It stands to reason that the contract has already been confirmed and signed, and it only needs to pass the medical examination to activate it and take effect, so there is no need to change it.

However, before it officially takes effect, it’s okay to really change it.

But why?

Oh……

Gu Ran suddenly realized:

It must be the recent offers from Liverpool and Manchester City, coupled with Manchester United's spoiler and Chelsea's eyeing eyes, made Southampton club feel invisible pressure.

Gu Ran smiled immediately, "Mr. Rice, if you are worried about those Premier League clubs offering to poach me, then you don't need to. I got my labor certification through the hard work of you and the gentlemen, and I will not betray my professional ethics. I have already decided to start my career from Southampton, and I will not change my original intention."

"That is to say, we also believe in your loyalty, but..." Old Rice smiled dryly, "Everyone is professional, and it is safer to implement it in the contract."

The sports director next to him, Mark Walker, interjected at the right time: "Gu, you just agree! If you don't agree to upgrade the contract, Old Rice won't be able to sleep well at night!"

Old Rice smiled and said: "That's right, not only I can't sleep well, but all the high-level executives present can't sleep well. Gu, we tried our best to help you apply for a labor certificate. We upgraded the contract. To put it bluntly, we just want to feel at ease. Can you understand?"

This is quite sincere.

Gu Ran immediately smiled and said, "Of course, Mr. Rice, tell me, I'll listen."

"Stable enough!" Old Rice nodded sincerely, and then took out a revised list:

"First of all, we will increase your weekly salary. The weekly salary we gave you before now seems obviously insufficient, and you deserve a higher weekly salary. Specifically, we intend to increase your weekly salary from the original 2600 pounds to 3000 pounds."

What the fuck?

so generous?

Although it's only an extra £400 per week, this is already a main-level weekly salary!
Moreover, the weekly salary is higher than that of the other two hopeful stars Chamberlain and Luke Shaw!

Before Gu Ran could speak, Old Rice said again: "In addition, regarding your playing time, we have also discussed with Coach Adkins. He promised to give you more playing opportunities, especially the playing time in the cup games. As long as you perform well enough, you may even have the opportunity to start in the cup games and play the whole game."

Start!Kick the whole court!

This condition is really too tempting!
Old Rice, you are so kind to me, you should not only want to win me over with these benefits, right?
——Gu Ran continued to listen calmly.

I heard Old Rice continue: "Also, we plan to add a signing fee of 10 pounds to you. As long as you pass the medical examination in the morning, our chief financial officer will immediately transfer this money to your account."

"Also, we will also provide you with legal support and tax clearance services for free, so you don't have to worry about legal and tax issues in the future."

"Also, we will also add an exclusive personal assistant for you—that is, Rick, I believe you are already familiar with it."

"Also, we will add a loyalty bonus to you. The base price of this loyalty bonus is 50 pounds, and it will be doubled every season. For example, this season is 50 pounds, the next season is 100 million pounds, the next season is 200 million pounds, and the next season is 400 million pounds. Of course, you must stay in the team for at least 3 years and complete the minimum attendance rate indicators to activate this loyalty bonus clause."

shit...

This contract upgrade is really full of sincerity!

There are signing fees and loyalty bonuses?

Old Les, you must have something in mind!

Gu Ran smiled calmly, "Mr. Rice, if I'm right, the limit should be increased, right?"

"Hahaha!" Rice laughed and said, "Gu, you can't say that. Of course, we did have a small change—that is, your minimum termination fee clause. As your weekly salary and other benefits have increased, your total contract price has also increased, so a minimum termination fee of 500 million pounds is definitely not acceptable. After discussions among our senior management, we decided to upgrade you to a new termination fee amount of 800 million pounds."

What the hell!

How the hell am I worth £800 million before I even played a single game? !
Gu Ran couldn't help but secretly took a deep breath, feeling a little dizzy and buzzing.

Seeing that Gu Ran pursed his lips and didn't speak for a long time, Old Lais felt his heart agitated.

Not only Old Rice, but the entire senior executives in the office held their breath, waiting anxiously in their hearts.

This is the most critical juncture. If Gu Ran is unwilling to increase the minimum termination fee, the club will have no way to force it.

Because legally speaking, Gu Ran is still free!And still have a free body with a labor certificate!

Gu Ran can choose not to sign with Southampton, and directly turn around and join other clubs.

Of course, such an approach is very unprofessional, but there are many unprofessional players in football...

Not long after, I heard Gu Ran calmly say: "The Southampton Club has given me so many benefits, and I can accept the 800 million termination fee."

All the senior executives in the office breathed a sigh of relief!

"but……"

Just one sentence, let the high-level people breathe back the breath they had just let go!

Gu Ran smiled faintly, "I also have a condition."

Old Rice said cautiously: "Gu, you can ask for any conditions!"

Of course he hoped that Gu Ran would raise conditions, which was better than simply refusing to sign, but at the same time, he was also worried that Gu Ran would use the offers from Liverpool and Manchester City to deliberately open his mouth.

……

(End of this chapter)