Chapter 90 - 90: The Best President in Atlético Madrid’s History - Gil
After chatting with Gil for a bit, José felt that this old man—who was rumored to have done plenty of shady things—actually had a club management style that aligned with his own. Meanwhile, Gil saw a younger version of himself in José's attitude.
As for how Gil made his first fortune—whether it was from unauthorized construction projects, bribing and befriending politicians to become mayor, or even the fact that he had been imprisoned twice and faced legal charges five times—what did any of that have to do with José?
Mallorca and Atlético Madrid had always had a good relationship, which was quite odd when you considered their ties with Real Madrid. Despite this, Mallorca had maintained a steady flow of player exchanges with Atlético. It was surprising, really—befriending two clubs that were sworn enemies. This was largely thanks to the influence of old Asensio, whose maneuvering skills played a key role in keeping both Madrid giants on good terms with Mallorca.
After some small talk, the negotiations officially began.
Gil was a wily old fox—otherwise, he wouldn't have led such a turbulent life. José, while still young, had the advantage of a rebirth, making him exceptionally sharp. More importantly, his bargaining chip was his knowledge of future events.
"José, there's no need to say much about the relationship between our two clubs... Atlético may be in the Segunda División, but we're still capable of spending money on players. Boghossian and Biagini—three million for both. That's a fair deal for two backup players."
To be fair, Gil's offer wasn't unreasonable. Boghossian had come to Mallorca practically for free, while Biagini had cost them three million at the time. However, Biagini was not the same player he used to be.
Atlético was in desperate need of funds. While they had some budget for transfers, their wage bill was a huge burden. Boghossian and Biagini didn't have high salaries, making them a better investment than signing free agents with high wages. Even so, Atlético still had some high-earning players they needed to offload—and among them was someone José had his eyes on.
"Mr. Gil, you know we're planning to spend 15 million this winter to strengthen the squad... If we start selling players instead of buying, the pressure on us will be enormous. The fans won't be happy... How about this? I'll take just one million from you, but you have to include a player in the deal." José grinned.