Chapter 321: Deals, Drama, and Defeat

Of course, Richard was deadly serious about this. In fact, he pushed hard for Mourinho to join Manchester City as O’Neill’s assistant coach. However, not everything would happen immediately—it would take time.

After the League Cup, the focus returned to the Premier League. Newcastle United’s title hopes took an unexpected blow when they lost 1–0 at home to Southampton.

What made Richard happiest, however, was that at the same time, Wimbledon pulled off their second surprise win of the month—Vinnie Jones scored the only goal in a 1–0 victory over Arsenal at Highbury.

Meanwhile, Liverpool also suffered a shock 3–2 home defeat to Derby County—an upset that Manchester City capitalized on brilliantly. City’s win over Everton allowed them to draw level on points with Liverpool in the standings.

The current table:

1. Manchester United – 73 points

2. Newcastle United – 67 points

3. Liverpool – 63 points

4. Manchester City – 63 points

5. Arsenal – 55 points

6. Chelsea – 54 points

In Matchweek 36 of the Premier League, Newcastle United were held to a thrilling 3–3 draw at home by Middlesbrough—a clash between the title-chasing leaders and a team desperately battling relegation.

The result meant that Manchester United were officially crowned Premier League champions for the fourth time in five seasons.

Following that, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest played out a goalless draw, while Liverpool suffered a 2–1 defeat at Wimbledon. In that Liverpool loss, Michael Owen scored a late consolation goal in only his second appearance for the club, becoming the youngest league goalscorer in Liverpool’s history at just 17 years and 144 days old.

The current table: fixture 36

1. Manchester United – 76 points

2. Newcastle United – 68 points

3. Manchester City – 66 points

4. Liverpool – 63 points

5. Chelsea – 57 points

6. Arsenal – 56 points

With this result, Manchester United’s position at the top of the table is now secure and untouchable. Meanwhile, Newcastle, Manchester City, and Liverpool are left to battle it out for the coveted second-place finish.

In the FA Cup semi-finals, Chelsea defeated Wimbledon 3–0 at Highbury to secure their place in the final. In the other semi-final between Middlesbrough and Manchester City, two early goals from Middlesbrough looked to have put them on course to become the first third-tier side to reach the final. However, City fought back to claim a 2–2 draw and force a replay.

In Matchweek 37 of the Premier League, the relegation battle remains wide open.

West Ham United, Middlesbrough, and Nottingham Forest currently occupy the bottom three spots, with several other teams also fighting to avoid the drop. Manchester City’s local rivals, Manchester United, did them a favour by defeating Newcastle United 1–0 at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, City continued their strong run by beating Arsène Wenger’s Arsenal once again, this time with a 2–1 victory.

The current table: fixture 37

1. Manchester United – 79 points

2. Manchester City – 69 points

3. Newcastle United – 68 points

4. Liverpool – 66 points

5. Chelsea – 60 points

6. Arsenal – 59 points

Manchester City have overtaken Newcastle for second place!

With this result, while Manchester United secured qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round, Manchester City also earned their spot in the same stage. Meanwhile, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal — finishing in the third, fourth, and fifth positions — qualified for the UEFA Cup first round.

However, alongside the good news came a worrying development for Manchester City.

The FA Cup replay, the Premier League final fixture, and the FA Cup final are all scheduled just two days apart!

With such a tight schedule, Manchester City will be pushed to their limits and could truly struggle to cope with the physical and mental demands.

Thankfully, in the FA Cup replay, Manchester City took a massive step toward glory with a stunning 3–1 away victory over Middlebrough—featuring a spectacular hat-trick from Ronaldo!

The FA Cup final has been set: Manchester City vs Chelsea at Wembley!

Meanwhile, on a dramatic final day of the Premier League season, Coventry City pulled off a miraculous escape from relegation by beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–1 at White Hart Lane. Middlesbrough, who would have survived at Coventry’s expense if not for their earlier points deduction, were relegated after being held to a 1–1 draw by Leeds United at Elland Road.

Sunderland also lost 1–0 to Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. Their fans anxiously awaited news after the final whistle, hoping for a lifeline. But when word came through that Coventry had won, it was confirmed—Sunderland were relegated.

O’Neill fielded his strongest squad for the final match, as he definitely didn’t want to be overtaken by Newcastle for second place.

In this match, Manchester City faced George Graham’s Leeds United and managed to avenge their defeat from earlier in the season. Unexpectedly, the Man of the Match was Rio Ferdinand, who scored one goal and provided one assist!

Thanks to this match, something unexpected suddenly happened at Maine Road—specifically in Richard’s office—as Leeds United sent him a fax regarding a player transfer.

Richard was left speechless when he saw it.

Rio Ferdinand, £10 million. He rejected it immediately.

"I really hate this kind of situation!" Richard, who got the report from Miss Heysen, immediately threw his orange juice as he read it.

Manchester City were about to face the FA Cup Final—they needed stability. However, just as the team was bracing for the challenge, something unexpected happened: Rio Ferdinand didn’t show up for training the next day.

As if that wasn’t enough, Materazzi and Thuram picked up injuries during training, leaving O’Neill with no choice but to pair Steve Finnan and William Gallas as center-backs.

Manchester City were facing a center-back crisis!

And sure enough, in the FA Cup Final against Chelsea...

PHWEEEEEE~!

Richard could only bury his face in his hands as he watched the Chelsea players and staff sprint onto the pitch in celebration, while the City players collapsed to their knees in defeat—completely shattered.

Full-time: Manchester City 0–1 Chelsea

Chelsea’s talismanic Italian striker Gianfranco Zola was voted FWA Footballer of the Year as well as collecting an FA Cup winner’s medal.

Chelsea ended their 26-year wait for a major trophy, with Ruud Gullit becoming the first foreign manager to win the FA Cup—sealing a historic victory over Manchester City.

After the match, O’Neill walked off the pitch with a solemn expression, preparing to head back to Manchester. But before he could reach the tunnel, a crowd of reporters surrounded him.

"Is Ferdinand injured? Why didn’t he play?"

"Can you comment on Ferdinand’s absence? For a match this important, he looked fit. Why wasn’t he in the squad for the FA Cup Final?"

O’Neill stopped in his tracks. For a moment, he said nothing. Then, he let out a faint, tired smile.

"His heart isn’t with Manchester City anymore."

Silence.

The reporters glanced at each other—and suddenly, their eyes lit up.

A story. A scandal. A storm.

The next day, O’Neill’s comment about Ferdinand’s situation reached the ears of George Graham and Peter Ridsdale, the chairman of Leeds United.

Soon after, another fax arrived at Maine Road.

This time?

£15 million.

Richard was speechless when he saw it.

Leeds United seemed completely smitten with Ferdinand after his stunning performance against them—two goals and an assist. They boldly submitted a £15 million offer, clearly hoping there would be no negotiations. They believed Manchester City would accept the deal without hesitation.

Richard finally had Adam approve the offer.

That amount matched the world record for a transfer fee at the time—though it was likely to be surpassed in the upcoming summer by a foreign player. Still, it remained the highest fee ever paid for a defender. Richard saw no point in haggling over the price—it was, after all, the same figure he had previously suggested himself.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had always known Ferdinand would eventually move to Leeds United—he remembered that from the future trajectory—but he hadn’t expected it to happen this soon.

With this, it was clear that Ferdinand had severed his relationship with Richard, especially after he had effectively forced the transfer by skipping training.

"Why did he do that?" Richard couldn’t help but ask Marina to investigate. The result made him shake his head.

£15,000 per week.

No wonder.

Everything happened so fast that both clubs agreed to keep the transfer under wraps, planning to finalize it at the end of the season. Ferdinand would head to Manchester for his medical, after which the deal would be officially announced. Both sides wanted to avoid any premature distractions that might unsettle their squads.

So much happened at the end of Manchester City’s season. However, the results could still be considered far from disappointing. Even though they lost the FA Cup final to Chelsea in the final minutes, at least in the league, they managed to hold on to second place.

The final table:

1. Manchester United – 82 points

2. Manchester City – 72 points

3. Newcastle United – 71 points

4. Liverpool – 69 points

5. Chelsea – 63 points

6. Arsenal – 62 points

And the most important thing: City managed to bring home the League Cup and secured their first trophy in two decades!

The following day, Richard made a point to arrive early at Maine Road, accompanied by O’Neill, Miss Heysen, and Marina Granovskaia.

The reason?

Soon, a van pulled up at Maine Road—and out stepped a young José Mourinho. Finally, the candidate for the new assistant coach has arrived for the interview.