Chapter 41: The More Chaos, the Better
"Hey, son, you've been doing great lately!"
Vicente Alemany chuckled, his double chin shaking with the laugh. "I never expected this! I've always thought my son was excellent, but I never imagined you'd be this good... just eight rounds in the league and we're already out of the relegation zone, plus we made it to the quarterfinals of the Cup Winners' Cup. Looks like you're just as good as Cooper!"
José smiled at his father, though he wasn't the real José. The real José had drowned years ago, and now, this body was inhabited by someone else — white-skinned, but with the soul of a typical Chinese person from China...
"You flatter me, Father. It's only been a few months. Maybe it's just a coincidence," José replied with a smile.
"Don't be so modest, son. Today at the shareholders' meeting, Juan's kid even said he wanted to sign you a formal head coach contract, so you'll officially take over as the first-team head coach instead of just being the interim one. He believes that will help you serve the club better... your friend really has your back, huh?" Alemany said as he struggled to sit down, taking a breath before continuing.
"Oh? What about the other shareholders, especially Grande..." José's face stiffened slightly as he asked.
"That guy? He's opposed to it," Alemany chuckled, his small eyes gleaming. "Both of us are from Mallorca, though we don't have shares, we're much more popular here than that second shareholder. He failed to win the presidency before, so how could he stand seeing my son become more popular? But he didn't oppose directly, just said it's been only a few months, no need to rush into a contract. He suggested we wait until the season's over."
"What a narrow-minded guy," José scoffed. "Grande's real opponent isn't us, it's the Asensio family, who holds the most shares. But he's going against us, which will only bring us closer to Asensio..."
But this didn't hurt José's interests at all. He didn't want to engage in club politics. Dispersed power only harmed the club's strategy and growth. To some extent, a club didn't need democracy, just a strong leader — as long as the president was wise and had a clear vision.