Football Dynasty

After securing Joe Cole and Ashley Cole, who will first join Manchester City's U-17 team, the club soon announced the arrival of Frank Lampard.

With this, City managed to land Frank Lampard, Andrea Pirlo, and Gianluigi Buffon.

Now, the only one left to wait for is Samuel Eto'o, followed by the French powerhouse trio, who are currently being negotiated by Marina Granovskaia.

As time passed, the English Premier League was buzzing with action—new headlines filled the newspapers daily, and transfer news dominated every conversation. But by the time July rolled around, frustration began to set in among Manchester City fans.

While rival clubs unveiled star signings one after another, City seemed to be falling behind, having only brought in a handful of rookies.

However, the fans—long accustomed to the club's lack of big-name signings since Richard's takeover—soon calmed down. As long as the club didn't get relegated again like last time, most supporters were happy enough with that.

In a random survey conducted by the Manchester Evening News, over 85% of City fans said they would be satisfied as long as the club managed to stay in the Premier League next season.

As the preseason days drew closer, Richard moved into a new neighborhood just a kilometer from Maine Road.

Due to a recent IRA bombing incident, property prices in Manchester had taken a sudden hit, leading to a temporary freeze in the housing market and forcing some owners into panic selling.

Maddox Construction and Property Management managed to secure two buildings—one located at the center of the bombing area, and the other intended for Richard's private use near Maine Road.

The building located in the bombing area was a famous historical structure, originally used as a corn exchange. It was previously known as the Corn & Produce Exchange and later renamed The Triangle. Plans were soon made by Richard and Stuart Olm to redevelop the site into a modern shopping center and food court.

As for the other building that was recently acquired, the asset will be used for Richard's personal purposes, as well as for Manchester City's current first team and youth squad. Given that it is a mixed-use apartment complex—especially with the open field situated in the center—it's the perfect location to serve as the new City dormitory.

Richard has already spoken with Stuart Olm regarding the renovations.

"Since we have ninety rooms and five buildings, I think that's more than enough. Please renovate the buildings to be fully enclosed, and make sure they're equipped with all necessary facilities."

Even though all the equipment at Maine Road has been upgraded, for Richard, it still falls short.

The club's surroundings remain outdated, with facilities lacking modernity—reminiscent of football clubs from decades ago. The training grounds are rudimentary, seemingly overlooking the players' needs once training ends. This kind of neglect mirrors the broader condition of English football today, where even national team players often indulge excessively in drinking, neglecting their long-term physical condition.

Maine Road can still be used, but only for match day preparations. For daily training sessions, the new building is better suited. While smaller in scale, it is far more ideal in Richard's view.

Stuart nodded. "What kind of facilities are we talking about?"

"They should include gyms, meeting rooms, swimming pools, saunas, massage areas, a large dining hall, and don't forget to create space for bus parking. Starting this season, the first team will train regularly—not just at the training grounds, but also within the new dormitory complex."

"And the expenses...?"

"They'll be covered by the club's account."

With that confirmed, Stuart just needed to begin the work immediately.

Richard is personally overseeing every detail. Maine Road, in his view, has long been neglected. Yes, they've recently upgraded the gym and the other equipment, but what about a proper swimming pool, a sauna, or even a dining room big enough for all players and staff to eat together?

Such things don't exist at Maine Road. That's why Richard is determined to build a solid foundation for the club—from top to bottom. Once everything is properly in place, he'll finally be able to breathe a little easier.

Once the dormitory project discussion is completed, Manchester City is set to enter a new, busier phase.

The Manchester City High Performance Team is expanding. This year, the club has sponsored a group of young talents to study in the United States, where they will learn more about medical & injury support and nutrition.

Naturally, the club can't rely solely on Dr. Andreas Schlumberger and Dr. Dave Fevre. Richard has decided to invest heavily in this area, ensuring regeneration and sustainability in the medical and performance departments.

By mid to late July, the players began returning to camp one by one.

On the day when everyone was finally present, Richard spotted Robertson, dressed in the club's new training kit, walking alongside the coaching staff toward the training pitch, where players were already gathering and exchanging stories from their summer breaks.

Richard's lips twitched when he noticed a young man he only half-recognized.

"Hey? Who are you? Aren't you in the wrong place?"

He walked into the group, clearly amused, and placed a hand on the shoulder of a slightly chubby young man.

"Bwahahaha! That's Ronaldo!"

"Ronaldo? That's really you? Come on, where is he really? Don't mess with me. You? Ronaldo? That belly could bounce a coin. What happened—using it as a trampoline now?"

Richard gave the young man's belly a playful pat—it was, indeed, quite soft.

The others burst out laughing.

"Yeah! Told you he was an imposter!"

Larsson joined in, fanning the flames.

Only a few players had noticeably gained weight during the break. Most of the senior players—like Lehmann, Larsson, Thuram, and Gallas—had clearly stayed fit and disciplined.

Everyone laughed, including the coaches, while the culprit—Ronaldo—just scratched the back of his head, sheepishly. The truth was, after his injury, he had fallen into stress, unable to play, and so he turned to food and clubbing for comfort. That explained his current appearance.

Since today was the first day of training for the new season, Richard was only teasing. He wasn't going to pry into how the players spent their summer. As far as he was concerned, as long as they returned to the club without breaking any laws, that was good enough.

The first order of business was the introduction of the new players. After that, Richard clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention.

"I'll keep this short," Richard began.

He had arrived early at the training ground with a specific purpose.

Last season, foreign players like Ronaldo, Lehmann, Larsson and the others were housed in dormitories rented by the club. This season, that arrangement would change—because Richard had already prepared something better.

"By early August, the renovations will be complete. We just need to finish the pool, clean all the rooms, and set up the new gym. After that, each of you will receive your own key. Don't worry, I'll be fair—if you already have a house and still want to stay at the Maine Road Training Camp, I'll let you."

Richard had decided to call the new facility the Maine Road Training Camp, since it was located close to the original Maine Road and easy to remember.

All the players, especially the new and foreign ones, were excited. Naturally, it was better than the current setup where multiple players shared a single room. Having private rooms meant more privacy and better rest—something crucial for recovery and focus.

"That's it. Thank you for your time—and good luck with preseason."

With that, Richard concluded his speech and left the training ground, satisfied that the club was heading in the right direction.

For the next pre-season matches, the first three will be against Everton, Nottingham Forest, and West Ham United.

Richard decided not to attend the first match, choosing instead to visit Wythenshawe Hospital the very next day to check on O'Neill's condition first. He found him sitting upright in bed, legs propped up on a cushion, flipping through a newspaper with all the energy of a man who had read it three times already.

"I'm fine," O'Neill said before Richard could ask. He let out a long sigh. "It's just very boring here."

"Well, boredom's better than the alternative. You're in the mid recovery phase now, right?"

O'Neill nodded. "Yeah. Two weeks post-op. I've ditched the walker, moved on to a cane. They're letting me walk around a bit more now."

Richard glanced at the medical chart by the bedside. The doctors had written optimistic notes, but the next sentence caught his eye: 'Patient is advised not to return to any active coaching responsibilities for at least the next two months to allow full musculoskeletal recovery.'

"They're still saying no coaching?"

"Not for a while. It's annoying, but I get it." O'Neill paused. "I need to heal right."

While O'Neill has voiced his frustrations about the situation, naturally, Richard also had his own complaints — especially about John Robertson, who last season nearly gave Richard a heart attack after pulling a last-minute experiment in several crucial matches, almost causing City to miss out on promotion.

As someone who knows Robertson better than anyone, Richard couldn't help but ask O'Neill for some reassurance about him.

"You know... last season, Robertson nearly killed me."

O'Neill raised an eyebrow.

"I mean it. That man's a walking heart attack. The late tactical changes, experimenting with formations during must-win games — we nearly missed promotion because he got creative at the worst times."

"That sounds like him," O'Neill chuckled, before falling silent for a while. Then he gave Richard his thoughts. "But that creative side is part of who Robertson is. Sometimes he even gives me ideas or tactical tweaks I hadn't considered. Let's just say—he's more flexible than I am. You remember that 3-4-3 we used a couple of seasons back?"

Richard nodded.

"That was all Robertson's idea. I just signed off on it."

Richard exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Martin, can I trust him not to lose the plot?"

The issue is that O'Neill won't be able to return to full activity for another two months, which means Robertson will be in charge of City for the opening stretch of the Premier League season.

O'Neill didn't answer right away. His expression turned thoughtful, the lines on his face deepening as he searched for the right words.

"I can't give you a promise," he finally said, measured and honest. "But I think as long as you give him the right players, he'll be fine. He's not reckless—he just needs the right tools. Trust him, but manage him."

Talking about the right players seemed to trigger another wave of frustration in O'Neill. He rubbed his temples and sighed.

"I never expected Roberto and Cafu to suddenly move to Inter and Roma. That hit hard."

With those two on the flanks, the whole system worked. He never had to tell them anything — they just understood. They made everything flow. Like clockwork.

Richard gave a small shrug, as if to say, 'What did we expect?'

"You know we could never hold on to them," he said. "The moment a Serie A team came knocking, our chances were done. It was just a matter of time. And now they believe in something bigger — the big stage in Milan and Rome," Richard added dryly. "Can't blame them."

RING~

The sudden ring of Richard's phone cut through the room, interrupting the quiet hum of their conversation.

Richard glanced at the screen.

Marina Granovskaia.

His eyes lit up — a flicker of excitement, tempered by something sharper. Urgency. He stood from the chair, pacing slightly as he answered the call, voice steady.

"I have bad news and good news. Which one do you want to hear first?" came Marina's crisp voice from the other end, laced with her usual no-nonsense tone.

Richard's fingers tightened around the phone as he stopped pacing. "What?"