Chapter 25: Veteran
John left for London after instructing Sean to negotiate with Wolves for Matty Fryatt. Michael had also left to Portsmouth to negotiate the transfers of Andy Griffin and Asmir Begovic.
While searching for a veteran players , John remembered a name: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. He remembered that Hasselbaink almost completed a move to Leicester City from the memories of his previous life, but Leicester withdrew their offer at the last minute and opted to sign D.J. Campbell. Hasselbaink then went on to join Cardiff and had a solid if unspectacular season.
After discussing it with Simeone, it was decided to try and bring Hasselbaink to Walkers Stadium. Even at 35, he had plenty of football left in him. Hasselbaink had the ability to shoot with both legs and had a powerful shot. He was an expert free kick taker, but above all he was a consummate professional. These skills meant that even with his physical capabilities deteriorating, he could be useful in certain situations. But above all, Simeone valued his experience at the very top with clubs like Chelsea and Atletico Madrid and the fact that he could teach the young players, especially forwards that Leicester will be bringing in.
"Hello, Mr. Hasselbaink, Mr. Nijman" John greeted Hasselbaink and his agent, Humphrey Nijman.
"Hello, Mr. Baker" replied Hasselbaink as they sat down.
"So, Mr. Hasselbaink as you've probably already guessed, I'm here to sign you as a Leicester player." John said while looking at them.
"Yes, Mr. Baker and we are interested in your proposal." said Nijman as Hasselbaink just stared at him.
'It looks like I will have to negotiate with his agent.' John thought.
"Yes, we are interested in acquiring Mr. Hasselbaink." John said as he looked at Humphrey Nijman's eyes directly. But after negotiating for so long with different club's officials, he was a seasoned veteran. So he waited for John to make a first move.
John was getting uncomfortable at this staring contest, so he spoke first to break the silence, "Well, to be frank we value Mr. Hasselbaink's experience but our financial situation isn't ideal right now so we can't afford the wages that are too high
"We know that but Jimmy is a great player. He can give you value as a striker as well as a leader." Humphrey fired back.
"But seeing last season's performances, Mr. Hasselbaink only scored four goals in 25 games, two of which came against a League One side." John attempted to drive the price lower as he knew after last season's performances, interest in Hasselbaink was low. So he could negotiate with confidence.
"Yes, but I assure you that last season was a down year and Jimmy is in fine condition." Humphrey wasn't backing down, "Anyway, what is your proposal?"
"We are prepared to give a one year contract to Mr. Hasselbaink with an annual salary of 120,000 pounds." John tried to gauge his reaction as he replied. He couldn't figure out much, though.
"That is too low." Humphrey said.
John knew it was true that salary offered was a bit low. But he wasn't prepared to give much higher salary to a player that was already 35.
"I heard that Mr. Hasselbaink wants to become a coach after retiring." John said, trying to use a different strategy.
Finally there was a change on Humphrey's face.
"How do you know?" Humphrey asked with genuine curiosity.
"That's not important. The important thing is that we are willing to provide a platform for Mr. Hasselbaink. We are rebuilding our squad right now and plan to bring in young players. Mr. Hasselbaink can try his hand at coaching and leading the young squad. We are also willing to provide a one year coaching contract after his playing contract expires." John tried his best to convince them.
They finally looked genuinely thinking about the contract offered by John. John knew that at the current time, playing careers were short. Players started retiring as soon as they crossed thirty due to injuries and wear and tear. Players rarely played well into their thirties. So they started thinking about their futures early. With the development of sports sciences and better infrastructure, players will be able to increase their longevity in the future, but right now it wasn't relevant.
They took their time discussing but John was patient as it meant that they were genuinely considering the transfer.
"Mr. Baker, we are willing to sign the contract if you increase his salary to 150,000 pounds." Humphrey finally said to John.
"Done" John replied cheerfully, "Mr. Hasselbaink can come to Leicester to complete his medical. We will prepare a contract for him in the meantime."
John shook their hands before leaving. This was only the start, he still had a lot of work to do. Leicester players were scheduled to return on 17th June. It would be preferred if all the transfers were completed before that date.
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