Chapter 78 - 76: Offer from Zagreb

Chapter 78: Chapter 76: Offer from Zagreb

Stepping out of Davor Suker’s house, Be?i? slowly let out a breath.

Despite his best efforts at persuasion, Davor Suker still hadn’t given him a definite answer.

Now, all he could do was hope the file would work its magic.

The file was filled with information on the young players Be?i? had hand-picked.

Modric, Suk, Mandzukic, Vukojevic, and so on...

RING RING RING!

His phone rang.

Be?i? answered the phone.

"Okay, I’ll head back tonight. I’ll deal with it after I get back."

Be?i? hung up and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had been so busy lately that his head was spinning.

Meanwhile, Davor Suker was inside, drinking. His eyes would occasionally drift to the file on the table.

After a moment, he set the bottle aside and immediately opened the file.

Davor Suker spent the entire night reviewing the documents and the videotapes inside.

The next day, after returning to Dinamo Zagreb, Be?i? received a call from Davor Suker.

"My contract is up this year. I can join on a free transfer, but can you afford my salary?"

Hearing this, Be?i?’s face lit up with surprise.

"I’ve sold a fair number of players, so we have enough funds now." He paused, and thinking of Davor Suker’s current salary, he added, "As long as what you’re asking for isn’t too outrageous!"

Davor Suker couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"Don’t worry, it’ll definitely be something you can afford! So, see you next season!"

Be?i? nodded. "See you next season!"

After hanging up, Be?i? pumped his fist forcefully.

’Finally, some good news.’

Securing Davor Suker was a great start, leaving Be?i? feeling incredibly invigorated.

Soon, Be?i? shared the news with Atgeni, who was in Mostar.

"Oh my God! Davor Suker is coming back?" Atgeni said excitedly. "You’ve pulled off something huge! The fans are going to be ecstatic when they hear the news!"

"Yes!" Be?i? was also thrilled. "How are things on your end?"

Atgeni was at Jirinsky Stadium watching a game.

He looked at the scoreboard, which displayed a massive score: Mostar Zrinjski 5, Hiroki Brijeg 1. With a look of excitement, he said, "This is amazing!"

After hanging up, Atgeni saw Suk about to move toward the center when Van Stiake on the coach’s bench suddenly shouted, "Move out to the wing! The wing!"

At the coach’s insistence, Suk was forced to change his path. After several unsuccessful attempts to break through, he had no choice but to pass the ball back.

Atgeni was very unhappy with this change.

"Why aren’t they letting him move into the center?! What the hell are they thinking!" Atgeni shouted from the sidelines.

But his voice didn’t reach Head Coach Van Stiake.

Atgeni was displeased. Ever since the match against Sarajevo, Suk had been operating on the wing.

At first, Atgeni thought Suk was just constantly trying to break through on his own. But it was only when Suk tried to drift toward the center and the Head Coach yelled him back that he realized this was all part of the coach’s plan.

’That guy is making Suk play as a traditional winger!’

Sure, Suk’s Speed and ability to make forward runs were impressive, but he was best suited for the role of an attacking playmaker.

’To use a born leader as a mere foot soldier for wing breakthroughs was a criminal waste of talent.’

However, with Suk pulled out to the wing, Modric did gain significant space to operate in and more opportunities to make an impact.

But this tactic was far more rigid than their previous setup, where Suk and Modric formed a front-to-back playmaking axis.

’They can’t sacrifice Suk just to amplify Modric’s role!’

Of course, even from the winger position, Suk used his speed to make forward runs and break through defenses, having a considerable impact.

It was just that his role became somewhat one-dimensional, and Suk clearly wasn’t playing as freely.

After all, it severely limited his room to maneuver and made it much easier for the opposing full-backs to mark him.

The full-time whistle blew, and Mostar Zrinjski secured a 5-1 victory.

After the match, Suk looked battered and bruised. He had clearly taken a beating, but the smile on his face was radiant.

Despite being fouled repeatedly, losing many touches on the ball, and having a one-dimensional role...

But Head Coach Van Stiake hadn’t restricted Suk’s Shooting.

In his experience as a winger, Suk’s job was to make forward runs and shoot, or pass to Kosopech.

Suk picked up an assist but didn’t score a goal, yet he was still ecstatic.

Because he had taken more shots in this game. Even though a few of them were wild, he was just happy to be able to shoot.

"Are we restricting Suk too much tactically?"

Assistant Coach Fandier was worried Suk would be unhappy.

The Suk of today was no longer the kid they could order around as they pleased.

For the current Mostar Zrinjski, Suk and Modric were incredibly important—perhaps even the two most important players on the team.

This was why Fandier was worried Suk would be dissatisfied with their decision.

Van Stiake was silent for a moment, then he pointed at Suk up ahead and said, "Does he look dissatisfied to you?"

Fandier looked over.

Suk was gesturing wildly, beating his chest and stamping his foot.

"That forward run in the 15th minute was such a shame. If I were stronger, I could’ve powered through the defender!"

"The one in the 30th minute was the same. If I hadn’t been tripped on that forward run, it would’ve been another scoring opportunity. And then in the 63rd minute of the second half..."

Suk’s gestures were exaggerated, but his face was alight with pure excitement.

After winning this match, Mostar Zrinjski was one step closer to the championship.

Recently, the overall morale of Mostar Zrinjski had been extremely high.

The prospect of a championship title was driving all of this!

Everyone desperately craved Mostar Zrinjski’s first-ever Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League title.

What’s more, they had already broken Sarajevo’s dominance over the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League.

As for Head Coach Van Stiake, he had also achieved immense success.

As a foreign coach, he was on the verge of leading the team to its first league championship in only his second year at the helm.

You could say that the club’s support for Van Stiake had reached an all-time high.

But Van Stiake had his own troubles.

Namely, Dinamo Zagreb had recalled Modric.

This meant that Modric would be returning to Dinamo Zagreb at the end of the season.

Van Stiake was devastated at the thought of losing the midfield prodigy.

He had spoken with Modric on several occasions, but they had ultimately failed to come to an agreement.

Moreover, Modric’s tone conveyed a strong desire to go back.

This left Van Stiake feeling somewhat defeated.

But it was one thing after another.

After recalling Modric, Dinamo Zagreb sent a bid the very next day.

500,000 euros!

Dinamo Zagreb wanted to sign Suk for a price of 500,000 euros!

This left Van Stiake’s head spinning.

He immediately sought out the club’s sporting director, Kelly Vicmanzhi.

"500,000 euros! This price doesn’t come close to reflecting Suk’s value. They’re insulting us! We can’t sell! We absolutely cannot sell!"

Van Stiake looked on with apprehension.

Mostar Zrinjski’s financial situation wasn’t good. He was afraid the club would be blinded by the money.

They were already set to lose one star player at the end of the season.

And now they were about to lose another one. That was unacceptable.

When Van Stiake saw Kelly Vicmanzhi’s silence, his heart sank with anxiety.

"We didn’t agree!" Kelly Vicmanzhi’s words made Van Stiake breathe a sigh of relief.

Van Stiake immediately nodded. "That’s a wise decision."

"Yes! We thought so too... because it earned us an extra 300,000 euros!"

Van Stiake: "?? What do you mean??"

Kelly Vicmanzhi pulled out a fax.

"This fax came in this afternoon. They work fast. After we rejected their offer this morning, they sent a new one this afternoon! 800,000 euros! We couldn’t refuse it!"

Van Stiake stared blankly at Kelly Vicmanzhi.

In the span of a single day, he had lost both of his team’s star players.

Seeing Van Stiake’s ashen face, Kelly Vicmanzhi knew the Dutchman before him was on the verge of exploding with rage, and he quickly tried to soothe him:

"Even though we’ve lost Suk, we got 800,000 euros! The club is still very supportive of you. We can use 500,000 euros of it this season as a transfer fund. Players in the Bosnia and Herzegovina League are cheap. With this money, you can bring in anyone you want!"

At this, Van Stiake’s expression softened considerably.

Kelly Vicmanzhi pressed his advantage, "Look, we have to be realistic. Based on their performances this season, they were never going to stay in the Bosnia and Herzegovina League! They’re destined for bigger and better things! If we had rejected the offer, do you think Suk would have just taken it lying down? That kid is no pushover!"

A bitter smile appeared on the corner of Van Stiake’s mouth.

Although he didn’t want to admit it, Kelly Vicmanzhi was right.

’If they had tried to force the issue, who knows what that kid would have done once he found out.’

But what he didn’t know was that Suk already knew about it.

"Dinamo Zagreb made an offer for me?" Suk leapt off his bed in excitement.

Modric nodded. "Be?i? told me on the phone!"

’This is a step up to a whole new league!’

While Dinamo Zagreb wasn’t a team from one of the Five Major Leagues, they were ranked 16th in all of Europe, putting them in the upper-middle tier.

The overall strength of the league and the room for advancement were far greater than in the Bosnia and Herzegovina League.

Suk was different from Suq Bazhi.

The latter could afford to turn down an invitation from the Russian League, but Suk needed a higher-level league to train and to level up!

’To stand in the way of someone’s future is as bad as murdering their parents!’

’Van Stiake had treated him well, but if the coach dared to block his transfer, he wouldn’t take it lying down!’

’He’d lead a revolt against anyone who tried to stand in his way!’