"Rebirth of the Football Tycoon".

On the plane from Madrid to Barcelona, David reclined his seat, closing his eyes to rest. On the surface, he seemed relaxed, but his mind was racing with thoughts of how to persuade another future superstar: Andrés Iniesta. The timing of his rebirth couldn't have been more perfect. Barcelona had an overflowing midfield, and even young talents like Harvey had to fight for a place in the first team. Iniesta, meanwhile, was stuck in the youth ranks, waiting for his chance.

David knew that Iniesta's background gave him an advantage. Unlike many of his peers at Barcelona, Iniesta wasn't a Catalan by birth, and this set him apart. While the other young players dreamed of playing for Barcelona, Iniesta's connection to the club wasn't as deep. In fact, David remembered reading an article in his previous life where Iniesta's father revealed that his son had nearly left Barcelona's youth system as a child, struggling to adapt to the environment.

This detail gave David hope. He saw an opportunity to attract Iniesta, especially since Iniesta didn't yet have an agent. Instead, David would need to engage directly with his father.

After exhausting every possible method of contact, David spent two full days working on Iniesta's father. It wasn't easy, but the breakthrough came when Iniesta himself agreed to consider the offer. This was the key. Iniesta wasn't just being pulled by external forces; he was ready to make his own decision.

At the time, Barcelona's midfield was packed with talent, and even the highly touted Xavi Hernández had to sit on the bench at times. With the club's midfielders, including the likes of Deco and Ronaldinho, already established, Iniesta knew his chances of breaking into the first team were slim. And, at just 17 years old, he was beginning to think about his future more seriously. Rather than staying in the shadows of Barcelona's first team, Iniesta realized it might be better to leave for a club where he could play regularly.

From a contractual standpoint, Iniesta didn't have a binding agreement with Barcelona yet. The club could only ask for a training compensation fee of around €200,000 if he left—far below his market value. This made it easy for David to swoop in and finalize the deal, without much resistance from Barcelona.

David's trip to Spain had come to a successful conclusion. Though the negotiations had been tricky, the results were exactly what he wanted.

But as David made his way to his next stop in the Netherlands, trouble was brewing. John Toshack, the coach of Real Sociedad, had been blindsided by the sale of his star player, Xabi Alonso, to Notts County. He'd been on vacation when the news broke, and it hit him like a ton of bricks. As the club's coach, Toshack had intended to build his team around Alonso, who he saw as an exceptional midfield talent. But now, with the captain sold off to a second-tier English club, Toshack felt betrayed.

Toshack could hardly believe it—how had a team in the English second division managed to afford such an expensive transfer? Real Sociedad struggled to pay similar fees, and yet, Notts County seemed to be splashing money without hesitation.

Toshack's frustration boiled over during an interview with the media. "Alonso's move to Notts County is incomprehensible," he fumed. "It's clear he has no real ambition. He's knelt at the feet of the money-hungry English club, sacrificing his career for a payday. It's one thing to do it for survival, but to do so when you've already established yourself as a top player? That's beyond me."

Toshack's words were sharp, and his disappointment was evident. "Notts County doesn't even belong in professional football. How can a second-tier club be so reckless with money? Alonso's career is being ruined, and they don't even know how to handle the financial pressures. This will end in disaster."

His comments sent shockwaves through the Spanish media, but in England, they caused an even bigger stir. The idea that a club from the second division had made such a high-profile signing was almost unheard of, and fans and pundits alike were baffled by the audacity of the move. The English media quickly picked up on Toshack's criticism, amplifying the controversy. 

The more the story spread, the more questions arose. Notts County, a club with a relatively small budget, was paying a reported €14 million for a player who wasn't even playing in a top-five European league. Alonso's rumored €2 million annual salary added fuel to the fire. In comparison, the average salary of Premier League players was much lower, and even top stars like Thierry Henry had much more modest contracts.

Toshack's criticism was harsh, but not entirely unwarranted in the eyes of many fans. Some saw Alonso's move as an indication of poor judgment and ambition. Others thought it might just be a short-term cash grab, with little thought for the player's long-term career.

However, there were some who believed in David's vision for Notts County. The club's fans, for instance, were ecstatic about the transfer. They saw it as a sign that the club could be on the rise. While they still harbored some doubts about the club's finances and David's ability to sustain such investments, the excitement over signing a player of Alonso's caliber was undeniable.

Despite the outside criticism, David remained confident. He had secured a key player for his squad, and he believed that, in time, Notts County would prove the doubters wrong. The road ahead wouldn't be easy, but David was prepared to face whatever challenges came next.