SWR: Chapter 846/847

Chapter 846: What Would You Do If You Were Ferguson?

Lass Diarra had always been a player with a mixed reputation.

On the pitch, he possessed excellent tackling and interception abilities. Hailed as the next Makelele, he was highly regarded and was seen as destined to become a top defensive midfielder of his generation.

Even more impressively, in addition to his outstanding defensive skills, his solid footwork and passing range had earned him widespread praise—especially in recent years, as European football demanded more and more from defensive midfielders.

But off the pitch, his behavior was often bizarre.

Born in 1985, Lass Diarra came through the youth system at French club Nantes. But at 16, he was released due to concerns over his short stature and slim build. He then moved to Le Mans, who were in Ligue 2 at the time.

However, shortly after joining Le Mans, Lass Diarra complained to the media, claiming he was underappreciated by the club and wanted to leave. This completely offended Le Mans, who then refused to release him from his contract, leaving him in limbo with no team to play for.

A year later, Lass Diarra joined Le Havre, where he quickly impressed, earning the nickname "the new Makelele" and attracting the attention of top-tier scouts.

In 2005, Chelsea signed him from Le Havre for a hefty €4 million.

Back then, Stamford Bridge was packed with talent. Mourinho had assembled stars like Essien and Lampard. How could a youngster like Lass Diarra expect to get consistent minutes?

In his second season at Chelsea, Mourinho experimented with Diarra at right back. He performed well and even claimed a regular starting role, which led to a call-up to the French national team.

But Diarra, ever ambitious, wasn't content with his position at Chelsea and pushed for more. Mourinho refused. Chelsea soon signed another right back, and in the summer of 2007, Lass Diarra moved to Arsenal.

Arsenal only paid €2.61 million for Diarra—a sharp drop from the €4 million Chelsea had shelled out—but Diarra and his agent still secured a sizable signing bonus.

This time, things got even more outrageous. At Arsenal, Diarra failed to secure the core starting role he wanted, especially with young Fabregas now the team's captain and main playmaker. Diarra became increasingly dissatisfied.

Just six months later, he publicly declared his desire to leave and transferred to Portsmouth for €6.3 million.

Redknapp, Portsmouth's manager at the time, had great faith in Diarra and immediately made him the team's midfield anchor. Diarra repaid that faith with top performances.

That season, he helped Portsmouth win the FA Cup.

At that point, many believed Chelsea and Arsenal had misjudged him.

In January 2009, Real Madrid entered the race, and Diarra didn't hesitate. He joined the Spanish giants, and that summer, after Sneijder left, he gave up his No. 6 shirt and took the iconic No. 10—symbolizing the team's core.

This said a lot about Diarra's ambition.

After Pellegrini departed, Mourinho, who had clashed with Diarra at Chelsea, took over at Real Madrid. The two never got over their past differences.

Mourinho wanted Diarra to focus on the defensive midfielder role, but the Frenchman—now wearing No. 10—wanted to be the heart of the midfield.

He believed he had the ability.

Unhappy at Madrid, when Manchester United came knocking, looking to strengthen their squad, Diarra jumped at the chance. He even went on strike to force the move to Old Trafford.

As expected, Diarra brought balance to United's midfield and quickly became one of Ferguson's most trusted players. Many even claimed he was the club's best defensive midfielder since Roy Keane.

But Lass Diarra never let go of his obsession with being the core.

He never saw himself as a defensive player. He believed he should be wearing the No. 10 shirt.

At United, however, with Sneijder playing ahead of him and Carrick behind, Diarra's only responsibility was to do what he did best—defend.

The Frenchman wasn't happy.

Ferguson, known for his authoritative management style, continued to suppress Diarra's ambitions. Most thought that under his discipline, Diarra would gradually mature and correct his attitude.

Especially as he got older.

But unexpectedly, right after Manchester United's match against Benfica, Diarra's agent, John Williams, suddenly gave an interview to the media, saying Diarra was considering leaving United at the end of the season.

The news stunned the entire Premier League.

What was going on?

Why had this news suddenly broken?

Hadn't Diarra been performing well?

He had been vital in United reaching the Champions League semi-finals. Why would he suddenly want to leave?

Only then did people realize that behind Manchester United's seemingly smooth progress, Ferguson had been suppressing internal conflicts and off-field drama.

What was going on with Lass Diarra?

This became the Premier League's hottest topic.

From the media to the fans, everyone was watching and speculating.

As Manchester United's biggest rival—and their opponent in the Champions League semi-finals—Gao Shen and Manchester City were of course paying close attention to every move the Red Devils made. And since their training grounds were adjacent, they had access to more insider information than most.

"According to reliable sources, John Williams has already met with Russian club Anzhi, who offered Diarra a sky-high contract of €7 million after tax," Carlos Vargas reported.

As soon as he finished, Gao Shen, Carlo, Brian Kidd, and the rest all exchanged stunned glances.

"After tax?" Brian Kidd repeated in shock.

"After tax," Vargas confirmed. "Anzhi have been throwing money around in recent years, recruiting players all over Europe. Diarra had already clashed with United before, but it never made it into the press."

Ferguson's influence on English football was unmatched, especially in his relationship with the media.

Don't underestimate Ferguson's power.

He once banned the BBC just because they exposed that his third son, who worked as an agent, was involved in embezzlement.

Since then, Ferguson refused to give interviews to the BBC or attend any event involving them.

In European football, the media generally inform clubs before publishing negative stories. That's how Ferguson was able to suppress so much internal drama.

Only now was it revealed that Diarra had previously requested to be the team's core, but Ferguson had refused.

After all, with players like Sneijder and Carrick in the squad, how could Manchester United build around Diarra?

Still, Ferguson's management was remarkable. Even after rejecting him, he got Diarra to continue playing hard for the team.

But now, Russian club Anzhi stepped in and stirred things up with Diarra and his agent.

And who did John Williams speak to?

The Independent.

Everyone in England knew that this newspaper was heavily influenced by Arsenal fans.

There weren't many British media outlets that would dare break such negative news without notifying Ferguson—and The Independent was one of them.

Clearly, John Williams had done his homework.

After hearing all this, Gao Shen didn't know how to feel.

Schadenfreude? Or gratitude toward Diarra and his agent?

The Champions League semi-finals were just around the corner, and they chose to stir things up now—clearly an attempt to pressure Manchester United and create an opening for a summer transfer.

"I guess he thinks United can't live without him," Gao Shen speculated.

Manchester United were indeed in a tight spot.

Fletcher was sidelined indefinitely with ulcerative colitis and likely wouldn't return this season. Anderson had been out from November to March due to a knee injury and still hadn't regained form.

Both of United's other defensive midfielders were out, leaving only Diarra to hold the line.

The Frenchman was well aware of this and saw a chance to cash in.

He wanted to elevate his role at the club, gain more influence, and land a new contract with a higher wage.

You had to admit, the timing was spot on.

United were about to play a massive Champions League semi-final. Ferguson had publicly declared he wanted one last title before retirement.

In this context, both Ferguson and the club might be forced to compromise.

Just like they had done when Rooney demanded a wage increase.

"Do you think Ferguson will tolerate this?" Carlo looked at Gao Shen and asked.

Everyone knew Gao Shen and Ferguson had a close relationship. They could even be considered friends, despite the age gap.

Gao Shen gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "I'm not Ferguson. How would I know?"

After a pause, he changed tack. "But if it were me, I'd keep him calm, have him play for me and give his best, then in the summer, I'd demand a big transfer fee and sell him."

"If no club wants to pay, I'd freeze him out and let his agent find a buyer. Since Williams is so capable, I'm sure he can find a team willing to meet my asking price."

Carlo and Kidd exchanged glances, both feeling a chill.

From now on, no matter what happens, never get on his bad side!

But even Gao Shen couldn't guess what Ferguson would do.

He had a rough idea, based on his understanding of the man. But this was a special situation, and he wasn't sure whether Ferguson still had that kind of resolve and ruthlessness.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 847: Ferguson, Thank You for Your Big Mouth

Three days after the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Manchester City played their 32nd match of the Premier League season.

This time, they traveled to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal.

The Gunners had been conserving energy and preparing for this fixture, while Manchester City had just come through a demanding run of games and were clearly at a disadvantage.

The match was tightly contested.

In the 89th minute, Yaya Touré struck to secure a 1-0 away win for Manchester City.

Speaking of Yaya Touré, he held a long-standing grudge against Arsenal.

His brother, Kolo Touré, was playing for Arsenal at the time and had recommended him for a trial. Yaya had dreamed of playing alongside his brother and had looked forward to that trial with high hopes.

But in the end, Wenger never took him seriously, and Yaya failed to earn a spot at Arsenal.

It was a major blow.

Now, he was settling the score on the pitch.

Arsenal are currently fighting hard for a top-four finish, and Yaya Touré's late goal was arguably the most fitting revenge.

Earlier in the day, Manchester United hosted newly promoted Queens Park Rangers.

United also won 1-0, but the difference was that Rooney converted a penalty in the 15th minute, and the Red Devils failed to add to their tally for the remainder of the match.

But the real talking point wasn't the scoreline, it was the 4-4-2 formation Ferguson used.

Ashley Young, Sneijder, Carrick, and Valencia made up United's midfield.

Lass Diarra, who had dominated headlines in recent days, wasn't even in the matchday squad.

That raised eyebrows.

After the game, the media asked Ferguson about Diarra, and the United boss said the club was handling the matter internally. He claimed the player had shown no signs of wanting to leave.

"We all know that agents want players to move every season. That's how they make their money."

"But we're confident we can keep Lass Diarra. He's a Manchester United player."

It sounded like reassurance, but the tone carried a hint of threat.

Ferguson is no pushover.

No one takes advantage of him easily.

Three days later, in the 33rd round of the Premier League, Manchester United visited Wigan Athletic.

Ferguson made some adjustments, but the midfield remained largely the same.

This time, United lost 0-1.

It was clear that their midfield lacked balance, especially defensively.

Carrick is a vastly underrated deep-lying midfielder, but expecting him to cover all the defensive duties alone is unrealistic.

Right now, United simply didn't have the depth to support the midfield.

At halftime, Ferguson made a clever switch, bringing on Clayton Wiltshire for Ashley Young to strengthen midfield control. But the young player's performance was less than convincing, and the tactical adjustment failed.

Early in the second half, Wigan scored in the 50th minute.

United couldn't find a way back and lost 0-1.

Lass Diarra was again absent from the squad.

Meanwhile, earlier that same day, Manchester City had crushed West Bromwich Albion 4-0 at home, with Suárez scoring twice and assisting twice.

The Uruguayan striker nearly completed a double hat-trick, but missed a few chances, and his teammates squandered others. Still, Suárez had an outstanding performance.

This was also thanks to adjustments made by the coaching staff.

With just five matches left in the season, Manchester City had effectively wrapped up the league title. Their dominance was overwhelming.

The remaining fixtures had become meaningless in terms of the title race.

The media was particularly harsh on Manchester United's loss.

Given the current state of the Premier League, even if United had won, City were still odds-on to clinch the title. But their defeat made City's triumph official much earlier than expected. It was a bad look.

At the post-match press conference, Ferguson congratulated Gao Shen.

"This is his third season in the Premier League, and I have to commend his great accomplishments here."

Ferguson pointed out that winning three consecutive titles in English top-flight football is an extremely rare feat.

"This has always been the most competitive league in the world."

In the entire history of England's top division, there had only been five instances of a club winning three straight titles.

The first came from 1924 to 1926, when Huddersfield became the first club to win a hat-trick of top-flight titles.

From 1894 to 1900, Aston Villa had won five titles in seven years, but never three in a row.

Clubs like Sunderland, Sheffield Wednesday, and Liverpool had managed two consecutive championships, but not three.

After Huddersfield, Arsenal pulled off three consecutive top-flight titles from 1933 to 1935.

Then came Liverpool's golden era in the 1970s and 80s.

From 1976 to 1990, Liverpool won ten league titles in fifteen years, including one spell of three in a row.

With the dawn of the Premier League, Ferguson's Manchester United took over.

After a couple of back-to-back titles in the 1990s, Ferguson's Class of '92 led United to their first three-peat from 1999 to 2001. After Arsenal's unbeaten season and Chelsea's two consecutive titles, United reclaimed dominance with another three consecutive titles from 2007 to 2009.

In the past century, only five teams had managed three-peat championships.

Now, Gao Shen had arrived in the Premier League and led Manchester City to the first three-peat in the club's history.

But Ferguson insisted that Manchester City's aggressive investment might not be a good thing for the Premier League.

"We all understand professional football is a business. So, naturally, we have to think long term and focus on sustainable development, not just throw money around without thinking of the consequences. That's not healthy."

Ferguson praised Manchester City's footballing achievements but criticized the club's off-field structure.

"They have Gao Shen to thank."

"It's because of his exceptional coaching that Manchester City built a grand palace on a pile of sand, laying the foundation brick by brick over three years."

"But if they want to truly establish themselves, three years is far from enough. They need to prove themselves over a longer period."

The media didn't care much for the mutual praise between Ferguson and Gao Shen. What they were really focused on was the Las Diarra situation.

After all, it was explosive.

The French midfielder had been left out of the squad for two consecutive matches.

Ferguson claimed Diarra was adjusting his condition but stressed that no player was irreplaceable at Manchester United.

"Over the years, we've let go of countless players, and Manchester United has never stopped moving forward."

"Lass has been excellent and brought stability to our midfield. But I don't see him as 'the special one.'"

Ferguson then implied that there were plenty of players like Lass Diarra in the Premier League.

One of them was Tottenham's Luka Modric, a player Ferguson had admired for a long time.

"He's a real number 10."

Ferguson also brought up another name: Morgan Schneiderlin from Leeds United in the Championship.

"Our scouting team just recommended him to me. You've probably heard of him. He's only 22, but he averages 10.2 ball recoveries per game. He's like a ball-stealing machine."

"This season, his pass success rate is 89.3%, and he averages 61.2 passes per game. Not many midfielders in the Premier League can match that. He's even better than some of the top guys."

"I don't think such a player should stay buried in the Championship, so I've asked our scouts to follow him closely."

Carrick's passing stats are comparable to Schneiderlin's, but his defensive output is much lower, with only half the ball recoveries. Diarra's defensive stats are better but still don't match up to Schneiderlin's.

And when it came to passing, Diarra didn't have much of an edge either.

Of course, Schneiderlin's numbers came from the Championship, which was a lower level of competition.

Still, Ferguson's intentions were clear. If Lass Diarra wanted to cause problems, Ferguson would freeze him out until he gave in. There were plenty of replacements.

Forget top stars like Modric, even a young Championship player like Schneiderlin was outperforming Diarra.

So, Frenchman, what exactly are you so proud of?

Ferguson's goal was to hit back at Diarra, to put pressure on the Frenchman and his agent, and force him to surrender. He used Modric and Schneiderlin as examples to squeeze Diarra.

But the media took things in a very different direction.

Who is Modric?

The whole of Europe knew Gao Shen had tried to sign him more than once.

And Schneiderlin?

A midfielder from Leeds United in the Championship.

The reason stories like the "Dark Prince" or "Cinderella" endure is because people love tales of overnight success. The British media are no different. They love creating stars.

In January 2006, Arsenal signed 17-year-old Walcott from the Championship. By May, he was in England's World Cup squad under Eriksson.

That kind of buzz was enormous.

Now, Schneiderlin wasn't quite on Walcott's level, but after Ferguson's remarks, he immediately drew the attention of the European football world.

First Bolasie, then Schneiderlin. Everyone began to realize Ferguson was taking a close look at Leeds United.

And that club had a powerful backer.

What could be more meaningful than this?

But Gao Shen was in trouble.

After watching Ferguson's interview, he was genuinely exasperated and even had the urge to call him up and yell.

"Ferguson, thank you for your big mouth!"

(To be continued.)