I Am Jose

Old Alemany moved quickly as expected, and when Pep learned that José intended to buy his shares for $7 million—10% above market value—he was tempted. Although he believed Mallorca's future prospects were bright and that his shares would appreciate in value, the meeting had made it clear that there would be no dividends in the foreseeable future. Holding onto shares that couldn't be cashed out was as good as holding a worthless piece of paper.

It was also evident that the club's power struggle had boiled down to a two-man duel between José and Grande. José held the majority stake, but Grande was financially strong. Stuck in the middle, Pep could only bear pressure from both sides—like a gambler caught between two high-stakes players continuously raising the bet.

Given these circumstances, retrieving his initial investment with a slight profit seemed like the best option.

Grande also expressed interest in acquiring Pep's shares, but as José had predicted, he couldn't offer more cash. Cash and assets were two different things—José was unique in that, aside from Mallorca, he had no other assets, just a large amount of liquid capital.

When he saw that Grande could only offer $5 million, Pep decisively chose to sell to José. With this acquisition, José's stake in the club increased to 70%.

While Old Alemany was negotiating with Pep, José was busy upgrading the team's training facilities. Installing under-soil heating was a priority. Although Mallorca enjoyed a mild climate year-round, winter could still be chilly, and a frozen pitch increased the risk of player injuries. Cold weather made the grass harder, and harder turf led to more injuries from falls. Inter Milan was a prime example of this issue—club president Moratti had no qualms about spending hundreds of millions on transfers but neglected a mere hundred-thousand-dollar investment to improve training ground conditions. As a result, superstars like Ronaldo and Vieri frequently suffered costly injuries in training. It wasn't until Mourinho took over and had under-soil heating installed that Inter Milan's injury record improved. Their core players remained healthy throughout the 2009-10 season, allowing them to conquer the treble with a squad of just 15 or 16 key players.

It was a small detail, but one with a huge impact.

In addition to under-soil heating, José also upgraded the gym with better equipment, enhanced the shower facilities, improved the players' cafeteria, and built a dedicated tactical meeting room. Even the team dormitories were refurbished—not as luxurious as a hotel but comfortable enough. His plan was to house the reserves and youth players in the dormitories before matches, while the first-team squad would stay at his father's hotel.

Of course, José didn't handle these tasks personally. He simply issued directives and let others execute them. Over these past few days, he remained at the club not just to oversee improvements but also to familiarize himself with the staff and players.

Meanwhile, team affairs were also moving forward.

Mallorca's solid performances last season hadn't attracted the attention of elite clubs, but some mid-tier teams were eyeing their backup players and veterans.