18 Negotiation

"I thought so" said Klopp in a low voice as he was already expecting it. Why would anyone fly from England to Germany for no reason.

John was waiting for Jurgen to continue.

"I am sorry, Mr. Baker but I will have to refuse." Jurgen said as he had already made up his mind to stay at Mainz and lead them back to Bundesliga from 2.Bundesliga. He only agreed to meet the Leicester owner because they were pretty adamant about it. This was also the first offer he was receiving from a club outside Germany. So he was a bit curious too.

John was expecting this answer. He knew that right now Mainz had better chances to get promoted than Leicester. Add to that the emotional aspect of him having played for Mainz and managing the club for several seasons, John knew the odds were against him.

But John had come prepared. It wasn't like he was here hoping that Jurgen would just nod at his offer.

"I was prepared for that. But since you are already here, you should atleast hear about my offer and Leicester's sporting project." John said to Jurgen.

"Alright, since you are here from England, there's no harm in listening" Jurgen said with curiosity. The clubs in Germany knew him and his team, but he wanted to see what the young Leicester president has to offer.

"I think your tactics are really good. Gegenpressing can work at every level of football. But you need a team built to play that way. Leicester are willing to tear down the current squad and build a squad tailor made to play the highly physical style of football. We have a 10 million transfer budget for this summer but we are willing to exceed that if needed. It's not much for top level clubs but if we are shrewd in the transfer market , we can make it work." John said as he and Michael already had plans to build the squad from zero. They were just waiting for the manager to be appointed, so that they have a direction and knew the type of players they had to target.

"We're also willing to give you a salary of 1 million pounds annually with various performance related bonuses." John tried to persuade Jurgen futher using financial incentive. John was really going for broke. A salary of 1 million for a manager of a championship side was unheard of. To put it in Sean's word, John was f*cking insane. But John was adamant about it, because he knew how important the right manager was for a club. In the future, a certain team in the red will struggle continuously despite having all the money in the world because they couldn't find the right manager for their situation and ambition.

"I have to say, you've come prepared. The commitment to rebuild is impressive, and the financial incentive is very enticing, but I would like to remain at Mainz and try and lead them to Bundesliga." Jurgen said after thinking for sometime.

He was really impressed by the Leicester owner, because he knew what he was doing. The counterpressing tactics he employed at Mainz needed players that were really physically capable. He could've built something impressive at Mainz to challenge those at the top, but Mainz were the smallest club in the top tier with smallest budget, so instead they were relegated. As for the salary, although it was high, really high considering the position of the club, but he had already received offers that matched that.

"I see. I am really disappointed but I would like to wish you luck for the upcoming season. This kind of loyalty is admirable and rarely seen in professional football. But if you ever need a change, do remember to give us a call." John said what he felt honestly.

"I will." replied Jurgen Klopp.

He wasn't that disappointed since he had already expected it somewhat. But he had to try, because if he missed because he didn't try, he would've regretted it.

After exchanging pleasantries, John left for airport with Michael.

"Michael, I don't want to return to England without a Manager." John said to Michael who was really quiet during the meeting. In the time he worked with Michael, John found out he wasn't really a talkative person. He was really focused on his work but he only spoke when absolutely necessary.

"Then let's go to Italy. I don't wan to return empty handed either." Michael said to John as he flashed a smile in response.