Two days later, Adams once again arrived at Huang Hao's office.
Looking at Adams, who had a smile on his face, Huang Hao knew that Juninho had been secured.
"Boss, for 1.75 million pounds, we've signed Juninho!"
"Not bad, thank you for saving the club another 3.25 million pounds."
After all, Huang Hao had initially given Adams a budget of 5 million pounds, and Adams, as if in a fit of pique, finally reached an agreement with Al-Gharafa for 1.75 million pounds.
"Boss, do you know what Juninho's weekly salary is?"
Adams' mysterious demeanor successfully piqued Huang Hao's interest.
Huang Hao rarely inquired about players' weekly salaries. Cambridge United had a six-tier salary system, setting maximum salary standards for different levels of players, including core players, starting players, and substitute players.
The specific contract signing was left to Adams to handle.
Seeing Huang Hao's curious expression, Adams proudly revealed the answer:
"36,000."
"How much was he making at Al-Gharafa?"
"39,000."
Huang Hao was quite surprised to hear this answer.
It was already very difficult to make Juninho determined to transfer. Huang Hao had been prepared to offer Juninho a top salary.
Although they had never met, Huang Hao's impression of Juninho immediately improved.
Clearly, Juninho's salary choice was made after careful consideration.
"Umtiti has also basically reached an agreement. We'll pay Lyon 350,000 pounds in youth training fees, and his weekly salary will be set at 9,800 pounds."
"Aha! Not bad, Adams, your work ability continues to impress me!"
Knowing that Juninho's salary had little to do with Adams, Huang Hao still gave Adams a thumbs up, which Adams clearly appreciated.
Just as Huang Hao was thinking of asking Lin Kexin out for lunch and spending some quality time with her, the phone rang at an inconvenient time.
Seeing the incoming number, Huang Hao still picked up the phone.
"Hi! My old friend, how have you been lately?"
As soon as Huang Hao heard Owens' smooth voice, he knew it must be another sales pitch.
"Hello, old friend, why are you thinking of me again?"
"Haha! Golonas' recent performance has been good, hasn't it!"
Owens, that old fox, always liked to use circuitous tactics.
"Uh, I say, Owens, I'm not the novice I used to be."
Owens was incredibly smart and immediately understood Huang Hao's meaning. After a hearty laugh, he truthfully said:
"Alright, my dear Huang, I like dealing with smart people like you."
"Today, I do intend to introduce a young man to you. Believe me, he is absolutely worth your investment, and if you buy him, I can even offer you a bonus!"
"See, that's better. Tell me, which Head Coach's rising star has been buried this time?"
Owens didn't mind Huang Hao's teasing at all.
"His name is Yann M'Vila, 20 years old, absolutely capable of playing in the Premier League!"
Huang Hao quickly went through his mind, vaguely remembering such a person, but had no strong impression.
"So, he's still a free agent?"
"Uh, Huang, Yann is a key player for Rennes, and there's a strong call for him to be selected for the national team. Yann just wants a higher platform to help him get into the national team and participate in next year's World Cup."
"You know the current national team defensive midfielders are Diarra and Toulalan, and they both play domestically, so Yann wants to go abroad to build his reputation. If you sign him, I can also recommend his junior from Rennes, Timoué Bakayoko, who is also a defensive player."
"So it's the usual, send me the information first, and I'll pull some strings for you."
Huang Hao did not intend to continue entangled with this old fox, after all, Owens had agent relationships with several of his players, and he indeed had some good players under him.
So he didn't directly reject Owens' recommendation, intending to see the situation first before deciding. A player who wants to enter the national team would surely not be cheap, and while Cambridge United did lack a defensive midfielder, they were also missing a player like Vieira.
Owens was very efficient, and Huang Hao quickly received M'Vila's information.
Yann M'Vila, a product of the Rennes youth academy, was promoted to the first team last year and became an important rotation player. This year, he became the starting defensive midfielder, playing a full half-season in Ligue 1. He was hailed by the media as the new Makelele.
M'Vila had abundant stamina, aggressive defense, strong positional sense, excelled at acting as a midfield screen, and had outstanding long-pass distribution ability. However, he had a volatile temper and poor discipline, with several off-field altercations in a year and a half.
As Diaby and Toulalan firmly held the national team's defensive midfield positions, M'Vila also wanted to take a roundabout approach to get a chance to go to South Africa.
Owens' other player was Bakayoko, just turned 16, and judging by the data, he was a smaller version of M'Vila. It seemed Owens was offering genuine talent this time.
So Huang Hao summoned Adams once again. Adams, who had just enjoyed a few days of peace, didn't expect to have a new task so soon.
Upon arriving at Huang Hao's office, the first person Adams brought up was Ouyang Bing.
"Boss, the Financial Director here has warned me that the club's cash flow is not very ample."
Whenever Huang Hao saw Adams' aggrieved look, he couldn't help but want to laugh.
But after all, Adams was nearly 50 years old, much older than Huang Hao, so he still had to give him some face.
"Don't worry, buddy, Ouyang Bing is just doing her professional duty. You've only spent 2 million; spending a bit more won't hurt, and she won't bother you."
Hearing this, Adams breathed a sigh of relief, then asked, "So, the boss's target is confirmed?"
Huang Hao nodded and handed Adams a document.
"Basically no big problem. You can go to France first and communicate with them. You can make the decision directly if it's under 9 million."
With that, Huang Hao handed M'Vila's information to Adams. Adams quickly scanned the two documents, gave Huang Hao an OK gesture, and accepted the task.
Walking out of Huang Hao's office, Adams looked at the name on the document again and mumbled:
"This winter's task is finally over. I hope you won't disappoint the boss."
Ultimately, Adams successfully pressured Rennes through Owens, and M'Vila's strong desire to play abroad was crucial. Cambridge United finally secured M'Vila with an initial payment of 5 million pounds and 4 million pounds paid in installments. Then, they paid 250,000 pounds in training fees to acquire Bakayoko.
On January 3rd, Cambridge United hosted Derby County in the FA Cup third-round knockout match.
Newly signed players M'Vila and Juninho also started, forming a brand new midfield combination with O'Connor.
Cambridge United's opponent today, Derby County, was currently ranked 14th in the EFL Championship. Although Derby County had no particular aspirations for the FA Cup, Clough fielded almost all of his starting players.
Huang Hao was not overly concerned about this; the difference in strength between Derby County's starters and substitutes was almost negligible for Cambridge United.
At 3 PM, the match officially began.
Selhurst Park only had less than 20,000 fans today, including over 6,000 away fans.
Clearly, Cambridge United's fans had become a bit arrogant now; such a match, for them, didn't seem to have enough appeal.
Cambridge United's starting lineup today mainly consisted of substitutes and young players.
Starting 3-5-2.
Goalkeeper: Oblak.
Defenders: De Vrij, Vida, Mings.
Midfielders: M'Vila, Juninho, Smith, Grenier, O'Connor.
Forwards: Kane, Jordan Ayew.
After kick-off, Derby County surprisingly adopted an aggressive attacking strategy, attempting to catch Cambridge United off guard with the cheers of over 6,000 away fans.
But soon, they realized their idea was somewhat wishful thinking.
Against Derby County, Cambridge United displayed strong control of the game. Derby County's offense seemed fierce, but once they reached the attacking third, their passes were either directly intercepted by Cambridge United players, or they could only create some momentum through long-range shots.
In the 9th minute of the first half, Derby County, after stopping a Cambridge United attack, attempted a quick counter-attack.
Green received the ball in the center circle, transferred it to Commons on the wing, and then quickly charged towards Cambridge United's penalty area.
Burke quickly dribbled towards the center, and seeing Lawrence on the far right, immediately sent the ball!
Unfortunately, before the ball reached Lawrence's feet, Smith emerged directly from the middle, and with a seemingly casual clearance, the ball flew directly over midfield towards Kane!
Kane easily overtook the Derby County defender, took the ball, and headed straight for the byline. After his teammates followed up in the middle, he gently chipped the ball, which perfectly passed over McGugan, who was defending in the center!
The 18-year-old youngster McGugan watched helplessly as Jordan Ayew behind him easily tapped in, a simple push shot, and the ball easily found the net!
1:0!
Cambridge United didn't make their fans wait too long, scoring their first goal less than 10 minutes into the match!
Cambridge United played with great momentum at home amidst the relaxed and joyful cheers of their fans. Under Juninho's orchestration and organization, they had been pressuring Derby County with relentless attacks since the start of the match.
In the first half, Jordan Ayew scored two goals with both his head and feet. Coupled with Kane's tap-in after Juninho's long-range shot caused the goalkeeper to fumble, Cambridge United secured the win in the first half with a 3-goal lead.
They pressed on in the second half, and Juninho, who had just joined the team, delivered his signature 'elevator shot', helping the team ultimately sweep Derby County 4-0 and strongly advance to the FA Cup Round of 16.
Huang Hao, with a smile on his face, told reporters after the match: "For a 34-year-old veteran who has joined the team and orchestrated 4 goals, I can say I cannot ask for more from him. What I am thinking now is to keep him healthy and happy to face the matches, then he will be able to contribute the strength we need. I believe this situation reflects Cambridge United's club culture; we are not prejudiced against veterans. When we need them, we will also bring in veterans. Juninho's arrival has brought an unexpected positive impact to the team, and we hope he is happy at the club."