Pepe's statement caused quite a stir in Nottingham and England. No one had imagined that Nottingham Forest's most loyal fighter would take the initiative to ask for a transfer. You must know that when he was banned by UEFA, the club stood behind him and supported him.

But those familiar with Pepe's relationship with Don will understand it after a little thought. Pepe's allegiance is to Tony. Don, not Evan. Dogety. Now that Donn has left the Forest team, there is no need for Pepe to stay here. For him, there must be problems within a club that can't even retain a meritorious coach, and there is no need for him to play for such a team.

His choice to leave was a natural one.

But Nottingham Forest fans don't think so.

They think it's the next thing Tony. After Donn, another intolerable betrayal.

For days, when Pepe went to training, he would see banners around the training ground scolding him.

"Get the hell out of Real Madrid! Traitor! ”

"Think about who gave you all this today? It's Nottingham Forest!! ”

Such a slogan is held up by the fans, which is very eye-catching.

Even some people in the team couldn't understand his decision.

Of course, in fact, the most dissatisfied is still the high-minded Evan. Dogety.

Pepe publicly announced in an interview that he wanted to leave the team, which was tantamount to a slap in the face in public.

He called O'Neal to his office, nominally to hear what the manager had to say, but in fact he had already made up his mind, and O'Neill was just here to hear the result.

"Real Madrid, Milan and Manchester United...... Both did give us an offer for Pepe. Dogotti sat in his boss's chair, a little condescending. I didn't want to think about it before, but now it's different, Martin. ”

Unlike when Done first met him, Doggerty is now one of England's most successful club presidents, and when Donn left the managerial role, his exposure increased dramatically, and the world now knows that Nottingham Forest's leader is the number one.

Just last week, when the club's new stadium opened, he was frequently interviewed by five television outlets, three magazines and newspapers, and photos of his smile appeared in various media. He was touted by the media as the behind-the-scenes leader of Nottingham Forest's previous glory, and he is the soul of Nottingham Forest's future glory. He frequently publishes his football philosophy, team building policy, and shows his ambition.

"I hope that in another five years' time, Nottingham Forest can truly become a world-class team, and we will be planning to build a new training base with this new stadium opening. Wilford is too old and too young to continue to function as Nottingham Forest's football school......

That's what he said in the media. Not to mention whether he has the money to carry out these grand plans, this blueprint alone scares many people. Wilford has only been in operation since the early nineties of the last century, and it is only more than 20 years now, which is too old...... Sure enough, there is courage.

As a successful club president, Evan frequents high-class parties. For Doggerty, it is naturally impossible for him to put his arm around the head coach's shoulders like a rookie who has just entered the industry. He's got to keep himself at arm's length from the people below, second Tony. Don would never have been able to appear under him.

O'Neill was horrified by Dogotty's words: "We can't sell Pepe, he's the most important link in the team's backline......

Dogetty shook his head, unconcerned by the manager's protests. "Now it's not whether we want to sell him or not, it's that he wants to leave. Forcing to stay doesn't necessarily end well, Martin. In addition, let me remind you that Pepe is 31 years old, and as a central defender, if he doesn't sell at this time, he won't be able to sell for a good price in the future. ”

His tone seemed to be discussing international crude oil prices, or gold futures.

O'Neill doesn't intend to give in, the people who sold before were all substitutes and marginal figures, and he didn't care if he sold them. However, the team has already sold two central defenders in a row, and if Pepe is sold again, where will they find the right person to replace the position? The backline is unstable, how can we maintain this year's results? To know Evan. Doggerty's goal is to secure a place in next season's Champions League.

"I can talk to him and I'm sure he must have been influenced by Tony. The impact of Donne's resignation was a little unacceptable for a while. It's just childish......"

"A thirty-one-year-old?" Evan's sneer interrupted O'Neill.

O'Neill didn't care about the chairman's sarcasm, and he went on to state his opinion: "Pepe is the heart of our backline and if he's gone, the whole backline will have to go through a big upheaval. And we can't afford this kind of turmoil now, Mr. President. After the change of head coach, the team is unstable, and if you sell people frequently, such a team will not even have basic cohesion...... The new season is about to start, so I think it's better to keep the squad as stable as possible. ”

"Quite the opposite, Mr. O'Neill." Evan became a little impatient with the manager who always rebelled against him, and his address changed from the affectionate "Martin" to the cold "Mr. O'Neill". "I know exactly who Pepe is heading to, and he doesn't listen to you. Keeping such a person in the dressing room is the biggest threat to the stability of the team. ”

Evan was right, although he never went into the locker room, there were some things that didn't need to be in the locker room to understand. Pepe really doesn't have much to say about the new manager, even if he is just as meritorious. But for Pepe, there is only one person in the world who can convince him, and no matter how powerful others are, they can't replace that person's position in his heart.

O'Neill was silent for a moment and still wanted to struggle: "I still think that as long as I have an interview with him, any problem can be solved......"

Evan. Dogetty laughed: "No matter how many times I interviewed him, the result is the same, Pepe is determined to leave." So listen to me, Mr. O'Neill, give up on him and we'll go for a high-level centre-back now, there's still time. You still have time to get used to the team. If you keep putting it off and not making a decision, it's too late until the league starts. ”

'I'm going to talk to him again, I'm the manager. This is my responsibility. O'Neill stood up and said goodbye.

Behind him, Evan. Dogetty smiled disdainfully.

※※※

The results of the interview did not come out of Evan. Doggerty expected, but also Martin. O'Neill was exhausted.

Regardless of what O'Neal says, Pepe just doesn't agree to stay in the team. Of course, he also said that he did not have any dissatisfaction with Coach O'Neal, but he told O'Neill very bluntly that he was disappointed with the club now, Tony. Donn's Forest team is very human, but there is not a single warmth in the team today. He doesn't like to play in this environment, it doesn't matter which club pays him well. He has the right to choose where he likes to play, he used to like to play at Forest, now he doesn't, it's as simple as that.

The player doesn't want to stay, the president of the club must intervene in the sale, and he can't do anything in the middle. Martin. O'Neill felt his two months at Forest were more tiring than his own season at Manchester United.

In the end, he nodded helplessly and agreed to Pepe's departure.

Just one day, only one day after he agreed to sell Pepe, the news came from Milan, Italy, that it had been officially confirmed.

AC Milan have spent £30 million to bring in 31-year-old world-class centre-back Pepe from Nottingham Forest. The deal was officially acknowledged by both clubs.

O'Neill discovers a fact after seeing the news - even if he doesn't nod, Pepe can't escape the fact that he was sold. The one who has been hidden, Allen. Adams must have flown to Milan and signed all the agreements that should have been signed. Even if he threatened Mr. Chairman with his resignation at the club, it would not change this fait accompli.

The club's hierarchy has done everything, but he, the manager, has been kept in the dark. He even felt that Pepe must have known the outcome of the negotiations in advance, and only he tried to persuade him to stay in the Forest team like a fool......

※※※

When Pepe leaves Nottingham, there will be no one who will remember him well. No one ran to Birmingham airport and smashed his rotten eggs, which is considered a good treatment.

But the media saw another interesting thing from it -

Martin. O'Neill said helplessly in an interview: "Pepe is an excellent central defender, and without him my plan will be rewritten......

Obviously, this transfer is not what the manager wants to see, so it means that it is the result of forced intervention by the club's top management. It looks like the once impregnable battleship Nottingham Forest is starting to crumble from within. That's what the media is most interested in.

So they hyped the news of Pepe's transfer, which made the whole Nottingham Forest panic, not knowing who the next person to be sold would be.

After escaping the maelstrom, Pepe raised AC Milan's red and black sword striped shirt at a press conference in Milan, but he didn't smile brightly. Every child who runs away from home occasionally recalls the happy times at home in the dead of night, right?

In the Champions League games later, when his AC Milan and Nottingham Forest meet, that memory will probably flood him. Of course maybe nothing will happen, and as a professional player you have to get used to such a separation.

"I ...... Hope to be able to ...... Bring Milan a trophy ......," he stumbled in his less proficient Italian in front of the television camera.

AC Milan coach Marco. Fan. Basten is happy that AC Milan's weak backline has finally received a qualified centre-back who can re-plan to dominate Europe.

"We've got the best centre-back on the planet!" In his excitement, he even did not hesitate to put the world's No. 1 hat on Pepe's head.

On the flip side, Nottingham Forest have lost one of the best centre-backs in the world......

※※※

Pepe's transfer is not as simple as the departure of a player. Since Pepe, who is the core and main force of the defense, can be sold, then Gareth. Does Bell sell or not? Aron. Does Mitchel sell or not? George. Wood ...... To sell or not to sell?

Who else can't sell this Nottingham Forest?

Teams all over Europe are going crazy, and in the eyes of managers who are shrewd or not-so-savvy, Nottingham Forest doesn't have a promising future just because they have just won the treble and moved to a new stadium, but rather a big supermarket at a good price.

Tony. Don has spent eleven years collecting and cultivating players, and each one of them has their value, the main team is favored by the giants, and the substitutes are also liked by the mid-table teams. As long as Evan. Dogetty is willing, and his team can bring him at least £500 million in transfer fees in an instant.

George. Wood alone is estimated to be worth at least £60 million, or even $90 million if he were an attacking player.

Just renewing his contract with the club doesn't stop those suitors. The renewal of the contract is just to hide the price, we have money!

"George. Wood is the best midfielder in the world, better than Steven Gerrard. 'Mourinho made a gesture of goodwill to Wood, taking a chance to hit old rivals Liverpool. He hopes the steel midfielder can join Manchester United and help the team against other giants. He is also interested in the Forest goalkeeper: "I hope the team can bring in a high-quality goalkeeper, which is the key to the championship. Akinfeev is great, I've been keeping an eye on him, he's getting a good workout at Nottingham Forest, but I think he should consider a different place......"

'Mitchel is the second Ibrahimovic and he should play for a big club like Inter Milan. Inter Milan's new manager Gianfranco Zola threw an olive branch to Forest's little giant.

"Ribery is great, but he's old. Perhaps for Michel, now is the best time to correct the mistakes made by Real Madrid. "The newspaper As" reported that Real Madrid had failed to pursue Pepe and turned their attention to Gago.

'Barcelona's tradition is attacking and we need a left-back who is good at attacking and Bale is exactly what we need, it's as simple as that. Pep Guardiola said this when talking about his plans for summer signings.

'Abang Lajo is very fast, which has made him more mature in the last few years at Forest and his shooting ability has improved compared to the past. He's the type of player we need...... "City want to come in and get a piece of the pie as well.

"Shaheen is a talented player and if Bayern want to prove themselves again in Europe, such a talented player cannot be let go of in any way." According to German media, Bayern Munich and the German-born Turkish midfielder are getting closer and closer.

And Chris. Cohen, Adriano. Mock, Niklas. Milan, Joe. Matok, Raphinha...... And so the players have more or less received invitations from other teams. The sale of Pepe was seen as a signal across Europe:

My supermarket is always open, and all the players are easy to sell, so as long as you can afford to pay, I wish you a happy shopping.

A new frenzy of offers for Forest's players is coming at Nottingham Forest. Martin. Every night before going to bed, O'Neill worries about waking up early the next morning to watch the news and find that his main player has been beaten by Allen. Adams was sold out. He had no doubt about that, because of Allen. Adams is indeed a guy who has money in his eyes but money, and although he has only been together for two months, O'Neill inevitably hates this businessman.

When he was frustrated by these transfer rumours, he picked up Pierce. Bruce's phone.

"Mr. O'Neill, do you remember? I'm Pierce, a reporter for the Nottingham Evening Post. Bruce. For tomorrow's interview, you agreed to me a week ago. Bruce knew that O'Neill had a bad time lately, and he was a little worried that the other party would regret it.

O'Neill then remembered that there was such a thing. Originally, he didn't have the heart to accept any interviews at this time.

But...... As soon as he thought of the things that had happened these days, he suddenly had a desire to talk about it, and he desperately wanted to tell others, so he didn't care whether the audience was the media or his wife and children.

Anyway, some words are not spit out and unhappy, and he can't control what the reaction will be when he says it.

"Okay, I didn't forget, Mr. Bruce. Tomorrow morning at half past ten, you come to my office, and I will be waiting for you there. ”

(To be continued)