Chapter 753: A Sigh

During the press conference, Twain promised Pierce Brosnan that George Wood was definitely staying at the club. However, he only said so to placate the team and the fans. He did not know if Wood was going to stay at the club either. He was not foolish enough to think that Wood had a change of heart simply because he came back to practice.

This whole issue between him and Wood was yet to be over.

Tony Twain has to speak to Wood. This time, they need to speak in an environment that was peaceful, and they both need to be frank and open with their thoughts so as to be able to solve what was going on between them.

Twain was definitely not going to tell Wood that his mother was doomed to die, and that he should give up on treatment for his mother. He just wanted to tell Wood that he has to be more realistic. Nottingham Forest had tried their best to provide Sophia with treatment in the past, and they even sent her to America where the treatment methods were the most advanced.

But what was the result of it all?

She experienced terminal lucidity for a while, and that was it.

Of course, Twain needs to be more tactful with his words this time round unlike how he spoke during the rushed conversation that they had on the car previously.

All he wanted to tell Wood was that he could not take AC Milan’s promise seriously. He can’t grow up if he keeps on living in his fantasies. They are both well aware of Sophia’s current condition. All they have not done is to turn their thoughts into words and openly express them.

AC Milan might offer more money to find better doctors and a better hospital, but what George Wood feel if Sophia were to go to Italy and still not recover?

The bigger your hopes, the bigger your disappointment.

Twain was worried that Wood would not be able to get over it afterwards. He knew what Wood was like. He might act like a grown-up most of the time, but he was still like a child on certain things. Without his mother and Twain beside him, Twain felt like Wood might sink into depression if he were to face the greatest setback of his life alone.

George Wood is the only driving force that keeps Sophia alive. Who is to say that Sophia isn’t the only driving force that keeps Wood alive?

However, the situation could not go on like this any longer. It might be brutal of him to say it like this, but all humans have to grow up eventually. Since no one wishes to be the ‘bad guy’, then Twain, who is ‘rotten to the bone’, will take up the role. It was also why he said those hurtful words to Wood in the car.

Now was the time for the two of them to have a calm and deep conversation. The topic might be brutal, but everyone has to face the brutality of life someday.

We have to learn to face life’s brutality head on, and not hide ourselves in the fantasies that we have constructed forever.

Whose life isn’t brutal?

I transmigrated all the way to England for no particular reason and I lost my father and mother as a result. Is this not brutal? If all I did was to escape from this brutal life of mine, then how can I live on? I might as well tie a rock to myself and then jump into the English Channel.

In the 24 years of George Wood’s life, he never lacked motherly love. The only thing he did not even get to enjoy a second of was fatherly love. The notion of ‘father’ was something that was distant and foreign to him. In his life, he has never experienced the impact that a ‘father’ brings.

Twain did not mind being his ‘father’. He was a character who was so strict it could be considered a little too demanding, and a character who was brutal.

“I need to apologize to you, George.” Twain did not beat around the bush the moment they met.

Wood looked at him and said nothing. He listened to his mother’s words and apologized to Twain, but he still felt a little queasy inside.

“You are still angry about the words I told you that day right?”

“I thought you understood the relations.h.i.+p I have with my mother.”

“Of course I do. Actually, I understand it better than you think…” Twain threw out his hands. “I know that my words will make you feel uncomfortable. But don’t misinterpret me. I also hope that your mother can live on healthily. I don’t doubt that there is a possibility that this might happen. Every single year, you spend millions of pounds from your yearly salary on her and that acts as the economic base for this whole issue.”

Twain observed Wood’s reaction after saying those words. He realized that Wood did not exhibit feelings of repulsion, so he went on to say, “Do you believe in miracles, George?”

“Miracle?” Wood thought about it. Before he went to bed each night, he would wish that he would be able to wake up the next day and see his mother sitting by the side of his bed with a smile. She would tell him, ‘George, my body has recovered!’

Does this count as a ‘miracle’?

If this counts as a miracle, then he has believed in it since the day he became sensible, for close to 20 years.

But it never came true even once.

Should he believe in it? Should he not believe in it?

“I still remember that time when we sent your mother to America for treatment. The doctor who diagnosed her was very surprised and indicated your mother should not have been able to live till then based on her condition…” Twain slowly recounted the story that Wood has never heard of before.

Twain still vividly remembers the look of consternation on the doctor’s face, because he too, was very surprised after hearing his words. The doctor told everyone present at the scene that Sophia should have died after giving birth to Wood. She lost a lot of blood while trying to give birth to Wood, and she did not have any nutrients in her body after giving birth. This caused her face and lips to appear pale and devoid of color. Almost every single incident in her life since then was like a ‘poison’ that could lead to her sudden death.

Evan was also very surprised. He asked Twain, who was closest to Sophia, if it was true.

The first thing that came to Twain’s mind was George Wood. He nodded his head. “She has something that works better than any doctor or medicine… And it is supporting her life.”

“It’s you, George.” Twain told Wood who was sitting in front of him. “Your mother believes in miracles. But her miracle isn’t any of those medical equipment, doctors or medicine. It’s you, her son. You are the essence of her life and you allow her life to continue on. You are her miracle. Do you know why your mother never had a religion despite being in such a difficult situation? It’s because you are her G.o.d, George.”

Wood had lowered his head without Twain realizing, and said nothing in response. Twain could not see his expression and he could only guess what Wood must be feeling based on his gut feeling.

“This joke is not funny…” Wood’s voice was a little low.

“Unfortunately, George. Those are all words that your mother told me personally.” Twain looked at Wood, who had his head lowered, with an utterly serious expression.

Before she was pushed into the operating room, Sophia suddenly grabbed hold of Twain’s hand. There was a dim light that s.h.i.+mmered in her irises as she looked at him with her raven black eyes.

Her voice sounded a little weak, and so Twain had to bend over his body and place his ear beside her lips to listen to her murmurs.

“Other than George… I actually don’t have anything else that I worry about, Mr. Twain… He’s my baby and I just can’t help but worry about him. If I…”

Twain squeezed her icy cold hand. “You will be fine, Sophia. You are just going to sleep for a while. Don’t entrust such an important to me. I’m not a careful person. I’m always forgetting things. I will mess a lot of things up… You have to be the one to care of the thing that you cherish the most. You have to live on no matter what for George.”

Two streaks of tears rolled down from the corners of Sophia’s moist eyes.

Twain smiled at her and said, “Whenever I lead my team, I will always tell my players, including your son, that I don’t want them to choose to give up on attaining success, no matter how tough a situation they might find themselves in. ‘Never admit defeat’ and ‘can’t lose’ are all words that people use to scold me, but I think those words are the best forms of compliment towards me. I take pride in being what they scold me for. Now, I’m going to say those same words to you, Sophia. No matter what happens, don’t admit defeat and don’t give up. You have to keep living on no matter how tough it might be. Isn’t that how you managed to pull through for the past 18 years? Now that your son has become a professional footballer and is making a lot of money, your life has also become much better than before. What other reason do you have to give up on the thing that you cherish the most? You have to live on, not for anyone else, but for George and for yourself.”

Sophia nodded her head as tears continued to roll down her face.

She released her grip on Twain’s hand and was wheeled into the operating room.

Twain noticed that Wood’s head had been lowered further.

“The operation was very dangerous. It lasted for 12 hours.”

After going quiet for a moment, Twain continued, “I am not opposed to you letting your mother undergo treatment. A huge chunk of your yearly salary is spent on it after all. You have visited many countries in the past to try and treat your mother. Maybe Italy is a choice that you can consider as well? I don’t know. The only reason why I am stopping you from leaving is because I don’t believe that AC Milan would be able to deliver their promise. Of course…” He looked at Wood. “I admit I’m much more realistic than you when it comes to such things. I might even be too realistic that I become a little too callous… But if you still insist on trying things out at Italy after our conversation today, you can put in a transfer request and I’d let you go. I’m just giving you a suggestion. Whether or not you take it up is up to you. Think about it, when your ex-team mates all wanted to leave the club, who did I manage to keep?”

Twain threw out his hands and laughed self-derisively.

That’s right, it all started from Michael Dawson to the recent Bendtner. When has he ever succeeded in keeping a player that he wanted to keep?

I’m just a f*cking cat’s-paw from head to toe.

They call me the ‘King’ who dictates who lives and dies? What a joke. Those are nothing more than the media’s antics in trying to hype things up. You guys actually believe in it?

That’s strange, wasn’t I supposed to be persuading Wood to stay in the club? Why am I persuading him to leave now?

This isn’t right…

“Uhh… No… I actually don’t wish for you to go, George. We should use another method to solve this. You want to find the best doctor, the best hospital and the best medicine and equipment to treat your mother, right? What makes you think Nottingham Forest can’t fork out the same amount of money that AC Milan has promised you? Their laboratory at Milan is a place that only treats sports injuries. It is not a place that treats the illness that your mother is suffering from. Why must you go to Italy? Isn’t it the same no matter where you go?”

After making one big round, Twain had finally found his ‘main idea’.

He was almost duped by AC Milan. AC Milan promised to provide treatment for Wood’s mother regardless of the costs involved, but they never said that the treatment would be performed in Italy. They were just hoping to attract George Wood’s attraction and make themselves look more favorable in his eyes by showing him kindness. They can then reach a personal agreement with the player, which would aid in their all-out attack on the club…

Isn’t that a method that he uses all the time?

AC Milan’s offer was not something decisive. As long as Nottingham Forest Football Club puts an identical offer on the table, then George Wood is the one who gets to have the final say on the matter.

Can Nottingham Forest present the same offer as AC Milan?

Without a doubt.

In truth, after the previous surgery, the surgeon had told them that Sophia’s body was extremely weak, and if they wanted to let her live for a longer period of time, then she should not undergo anymore surgeries in the future. She should instead take expensive medicine to sustain her life. The money needed for those medicine is peanuts to Nottingham Forest.

What a calm conversation this turned out to be…

Actually, the one who calmed down was him. Twain realized that once he had calmed down, he was able to see that AC Milan actually posed no threat to him. He was the one who had almost messed things up in his anxiety.

The h.e.l.l!

Did you think that the whole world was against you? You almost lost yourself there!

Twain stopped talking and looked quietly at Wood as he waited for a reply from him.

After a while, Wood’s gloomy voice rang out once again. “I never said I wanted to go to Italy.”

“Huh?” Twain thought he had misheard things.

“I’ve never said I wanted to go to Italy all this while.” Wood finally raised his head. His eyes were red, but there were no tear streaks on his face.

Twain opened his mouth wide and stared blankly at Wood. He thought he was looking at an alien.

The confrontation went on for a while before Twain suddenly burst out, “You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” He was not angry. He had only yelled because he just realized that Wood had not told him or the media the he wished to go to Italy…

The truth was that he was actually the b.a.s.t.a.r.d here, but Twain was a man of pride. He could never bear to tell Wood that.

“All right, looks like I jumped the gun and was too full of myself…” The man of pride still lowered his head. “I’ll apologize to you. Will you accept it?”

Wood shook his head. “It’s not like whatever you said didn’t make sense…”

There was another man of pride right here.

Now that they have gotten most of what they wanted to discuss about out of the way, it was time to discuss some other personal issues…

“George, I’m telling you this seriously. It’s really time for you to start thinking about your love life. Your mother really hopes to be able to see you stop being single. How much longer do you want her to wait?”

Wood went quiet for a moment and then said, “I haven’t found one yet…”

“What kind of girl are you looking for? I can get Shania to introduce a few girls to you. It’s not a problem if you happen to be looking for supermodels or movie stars.” Twain said jokingly.

“Someone like my mum.”

George Wood’s honest answer nearly caused Twain to puke blood.

He inhaled deeply to calm himself down, then he exhaled sharply.

This lad’s love life…

Let’s just leave it all to fate!

※※※

To Twain, the ‘triangle story’ between him, George Wood and AC Milan had concluded. However, to the reporters who would only wish for the world to be in chaos, the story had only just begun.

Twain kept them outside the door, but actually, they were the ones who had run out. Nonetheless, being kept outside the door did not hamper them from making up a news story.

Why would George Wood miss out on training? He might have turned up afterwards, but it remains a fact that he was late for training. There must be a hidden reason behind Twain suddenly throwing a temper. He must be p.i.s.sed off that AC Milan was courting George Wood. One cannot help but let their imagination roam wild after connecting Twain’s loss of self-control and George Wood’s lateness to the training session together.

Could the man known as Nottingham Forest’s most loyal warrior also face a day where he cannot resist temptation and would end up betraying his country?

This is definitely groundbreaking news!

The next day, reports about how George Wood was definitely on his way out of the team began surfacing in all the various media outlets. The reporters were all positive that Wood would transfer to AC Milan, and they gave life to all sorts of inside stories regarding the potential transfer. It was as though the reporters were invisible and had followed George Wood and Adriano Galliani 24/7. There was no room for doubt from the readers.

“… Why would George Wood be late for training for the very first time in his career? We have to remember that he is the model player in the team when it comes to discipline. It must be because he is upset with Twain’s decision in not letting him transfer over to AC Milan, and so him not turning up for training on time is actually a form of protest against Twain. Back then when the Malinese player Mahamadou Diarra wanted to transfer from Lyon to Real Madrid, Jean-Michel Aulas refused to let him go. Diarra refused to turn up for training and also threatened that he would retire if they did not let him go to Real Madrid. Looks like George Wood might have learned a thing or two from him…”

“It is easy to see why Tony Twain would be so furious. His most trusted star player was going to betray him. Every single person in this world would be furious. Word has it that AC Milan had offered an astronomical price for George Wood. Coupled with the fact that Wood’s manager Billy Woox is also coaxing him to make the switch over… It must be hard for George Wood to not feel tempted…”

“Yesterday, Tony Twain lost self-control by the side of the pitch. The reason for that clearly has something to do with the troubles that he has faced lately. George Wood is being seduced by AC Milan’s high salary and he cannot find a good way to deal with it. To make matters worse, Wood deliberately turns up to training late as a way of expressing his stand. So…”

The next day, Nottingham Forest faced Fulham in the first match of the new season.

The media was ‘surprised’ to find that George Wood sitting on the bench!

The entire scene felt as though it had been set up to allow the media to include a footnote in their news articles.

“George Wood did not pick up an injury recently. Additionally, the Premier League had only just begun, surely he has no issues with his stamina either… No, even if the Premier League had progressed to Christmas, Wood would not have stamina issues. As for his form? Have we ever heard of a time when this monster was not in form? Then why has George Wood been put on the bench? The answer is clear as day!”

The commentator was speculating excitedly. If George Wood, who had put in sublime performance during the World Cup, left Nottingham Forest for AC Milan, it would undoubtedly become the most sensational transfer of this summer.

A banner calling for the club to keep George Wood had been hung up at the stands of the City Ground stadium. The whole scene gave off the impression that the player was really on his way out.

On Forest fans’ forums, there were extreme fans who chastised Wood for becoming Judas who would betray everything for money, and there were also loyal fans of Wood who came out to defend their idol. Both parties had a heated debate online over Wood.

Honestly, if they wanted to understand the truth behind the matter, all they had to do was to listen to what Twain or Wood had to say.

Unfortunately, Twain’s relations.h.i.+p with the media had soured a few days ago, and he had rejected all media interviews, barring Nottingham Evening Post. At the same time, he did not allow the media to get close to his players either. Even when he answered Brosnan’s questions, he refused to bring up anything related to George Wood. His actions puzzled others.

As for George Wood?

Even if the media managed to get a hold of him through other means, he would not answer any questions regarding his transfer to AC Milan. He made use of the two things that he was good at, that being silence and his poker face, to answer all of those questions.

After the match commenced, the screen cut multiple times to the face of George Wood who say on the bench. His expressionless face was interpreted by the commentators to be a face that showed ‘discontent towards Tony Twain’.

The commentator mentioned numerous times during the match, “If George Wood has already reached an agreement with AC Milan, then Twain would not even give him a minute of game time before he leaves. This might be the very last time we get to see him in the City Ground stadium.”

“In the past, both Tony Twain and George Wood were people that others discussed about enthusiastically. The relations.h.i.+p that they had between them was like that of a father and a son, and was akin to the one that Ferguson shared with Beckham back then. Twain transformed Wood from a porter living in a slum into a superstar living in a mansion, whereas Wood helped Twain earn the glory of becoming a champion that he so ardently coveted. The two of them were like the best partners in the Premier League. But this best partners.h.i.+p between them is able to meet its end. Loyalty and glory are no match against the temptation of money… I suddenly feel a little sorry for Tony Twain…”

The Twain who was being sympathized with was currently standing by the side of the pitch with a solemn expression on his face as he instructed the team. His team was caught in a deadlock with Fulham at the moment. The score was 1:1, and based on the situation on the pitch right now, no one knows who would win the match just yet.

The commentator went back to his job after sympathizing with Twain.

“Without George Wood, Nottingham Forest lacks some toughness in the midfield and their ability to control the midfield has also gone down. Tiago is not on the same level as George Wood. Moreover, he is getting on with his age and his condition is going on the decline every single day. If I were Twain, I would see him this summer. Şahin lacks protection up front while he keeps giving the ball away. How can Forest put together an attack?”

“Ibišević has yet to fully blend in with the team and as the striker, he lacks a bit of a.s.sistance up front. Cohen is putting in an average performance, but he might be a little too honest as someone who should be a.s.sisting in the offense… Nottingham Forest needs some kind of inspiration or some kind of spark. Maybe Twain should put the Chilean on?”

The first half ended with the score of 1:1.

In the second half, Twain did not make any changes and continued using his current team and set-up.

On the 67th minute, Nottingham Forest went into the lead just three minutes before the time that the commentator conjectured that Twain would make a subst.i.tution.

Eastwood abruptly kicked the ball from outside the penalty box, and caught Fulham’s goalkeeper Diego Pani off guard. The goalkeeper did not expect Eastwood to do a long shot from where he was without making a run. It was already too late when he made the dive to the side, and he could only watch as the ball flew into the net behind him.

The City Ground stadium burst out into cheers for the second time of the day, as the fans celebrated Eastwood’s goal.

“A brilliant goal! Eastwood has maintained his excellent form from last season! Twain has been looking for a forward this whole summer, but I must say that he already has a talented forward right by his side!”

“The Romani Rooney has helped put Nottingham Forest in the lead with his brace!”

Twain, who had his face scrunched up all along, finally found a reason to vent his emotions. He flung his arms out as he dashed out of the technical area, and hugged the people around him.

The screen cut to Wood once again. They wanted to see how the Nottingham Forest captain, who appeared to be a part of the team but has his heart elsewhere, would react to the goal.

Wood stood by the side of the pitch, and were applauding the goal alongside the other subst.i.tutes.

The scene looked harmonious, but to those with a hidden agenda, the scene looked like one of ‘feigned harmony’ instead…

※※※

After Eastwood helped the team regain their lead, Twain finally brought on Matías Fernández for Cohen, and also took Şahin off for Bostock. There were no changes to the team formation and tactics, however.

Towards the end of the match, Twain took off Ibišević, who had put in an average performance for the match, and brought on van Nistelrooy in his stead. Van Nistelrooy had been out of action for the past year and a half, and he received a standing ovation from the fans the moment he made an appearance.

In truth, Twain had not taken Ibišević off because he was upset with his performance, because he himself did not know what kind of performance van Nistelrooy would put in either. Rather, he only put van Nistelrooy on the pitch to allow him to make a public appearance at their home grounds. Nottingham Forest’s next two matches were all away games.

Ibišević’s head was drooped and he looked crestfallen when he went off the pitch. He had tried his hardest to score a goal on his debut for Nottingham Forest because he wanted to prove his abilities, and he also wanted to prove that Tony Twain was right to buy him for the team. However, it seemed like the Premier League was truly very different from the Bundesliga.

Twain shook his hands and told him, “Well done, Ibi.”

Ibišević looked a little disenchanted and said nothing. He just shook Twain’s hands and panted as he sat on the bench.

The boss has a bet with someone regarding how I would score 20 goals this season. I’ve played 88 minutes for my first match of the season and I’ve scored none, but he still looks relaxed. I really don’t know what’s on his mind.

Twain used up his last possible subst.i.tution by bringing on van Nistelrooy. This also meant that George Wood would definitely not be making an appearance in the match.

The commentator could not stop talking on and on while on air, “It looks like the conflict between Twain and Wood has been utterly publicized. Twain has not even let Wood get up to warm up throughout this match. It seems like he never had the intention of letting Wood get on the pitch from the start! This brings me back to the 2008-09 season, when Bendtner kicked up a fuss with Twain when he was adamant about going to Manchester City. Twain dropped Bendtner from the players’ list, and sent him home to watch TV while the team competed on their home grounds. Based on what we have seen so far, perhaps tomorrow is the day we will get to know the final outcome of this transfer rumor?”

The reporters sitting at the press box had already started coming up with different kinds of sensational t.i.tles that would attract readers after watching the match.

‘The Steel Soldier Lands in Milan!’

‘St George Blesses Milan!”

‘The Seven-year Itch! Tony Twain and George Wood Officially Part Ways!’

‘Father and Son Turned Rivals. The Warmth in Their Relations.h.i.+p Has Dissipated…’

One cannot help but admit that a person needs to be imaginative to be able to work in the news industry. If not, the person cannot last in the job.

In the end, Nottingham Forest got a narrow 2:1 win over Fulham on their first match of the new season, owing to Eastwood’s goals in the first and second halves.

※※※

The City Ground stadium’s press room was teeming with people. Numerous reporters from different media outlets had all gathered under one roof for the post-match press conference.

What they cared about was not the outcome of the match. Roy Hodgson, the manager of Fulham who went against Forest earlier, was just like air in the reporters’ eyes.

All the reporters had their arms raised during the segment where they could freely ask questions. They were all eager to ask Twain if his act of leaving George Wood on the bench meant that the two had officially fallen out with each other, and that George Wood would soon be on a flight over to Milan.

However, an unexpected scene happened, that no one, not even the press officer present at the scene, saw it coming.

Twain looked at the outstretched hands that seemed to form a forest beneath him. He then s.n.a.t.c.hed the job of the press officer for himself. He picked up the microphone and told the reporters with a smile, “There is something I need to declare before you ask your questions. I will not accept any questions from any media outlet besides Nottingham Evening Post. If you do not want to tire your arms out, then I suggest that you put them all down now. If not, even if you do get picked by the press officer, I will just pretend that I didn’t hear them. Have I made myself clear? With that being said, Mr. Pierce, do you have any questions?”

Pierce Brosnan did not stand up to ask questions, however. He was shocked by Twain’s decision, just like the rest of the reporters.

Tony Twain intends to shut out almost all the media outlets in Britain. Does he know what it means to go against the all the media outlets in the country?

After Twain had finished those words of his, the reporters sitting below went into a frenzy. Chaos broke out at the scene as the reporters clamored.

Twain stood up and shrugged his shoulders. “Looks like no one has any questions. If that’s the case, then goodbye.” Before he left, he did not forget to shake the hand of the unlucky Roy Hodgson who had been dragged into the conflict between Twain and the reporters. Hogson looked at Twain with bulged eyes when he did, and clearly did not understand what was going on.

Afterwards, Twain spun around, looking confident and at ease. It was his turn to play the reporters, just like how they had played him two days ago.

One of the reporters shook their heads as they watched him disappear out the door.

“This Tony Twain… He’s back!”

“Who does he think he is?” Someone yelled out in anger. “What right does he have to treat us like this?”

“Don’t be foolish, young one.” An older reporter told off the reporter who had just complained. “He doesn’t need us to put money in his pockets. Of course he can treat us in that way. As long as the board of the club trusts him, then he will have the guts to do that. On the contrary, we are the pitiful ones. We have to rely on him for our money…”

His words elicited sighs from all those around him.

Tony Twain was an out-and-out ‘newsmaker’. He is always able to play the media in the palm of his hand. The media hates him to the core, but they are unable to leave his side for even a moment. Twain carried controversy with him wherever he went, but that did not seem to diminish his charisma in the slightest.

It was grievous for the British reporters, who have gotten used to being arrogant all this while, to meet a person like Twain.

They were ‘kings without a crown’, whereas Tony Twain was a ‘king’ who had been officially crowned in the City Ground stadium.

※※※

Even though the press conference ended on a bad note, the reporters were not worried that they would have nothing to write about. Besides hyping up the whole incident whereby Twain was rude to the reporters during the press conference, the reporters also focused on publicizing the ‘rift’ between George Wood and Twain.

If a reader only read the articles about Nottingham Forest for the past two days, then it was likely that they would think that George Wood harbored a deep hatred for Twain. The word ‘vendetta’ could be aptly used to describe the situation between the both of them at the moment.

As for the Italian media, La Gazzetta dello Sport was unable to contain their excitement for the transfer and they had impatiently ‘photoshopped’ an image of George Wood wearing AC Milan’s red and black-striped jersey. They indicated that George Wood was already in Adriano Galliani’s bag in their article.

Galliani, the old fox, exhibited caution and optimism despite the obvious advantage that he had in the situation.

He told the media, “We admit that we are interested in buying George Wood, but as for whether or not he’d be able to join our club, the decision lies not with us but with Tony Twain and Nottingham Forest Football Club. It’d be best if he is able to come. He is a great player. I believe he’d be able to attain the same level of success… No, even greater levels of success at San Siro.”

In comparison to the ‘caution’ displayed by Galliani, which was nothing more than a botched attempt at covering up the truth, the ‘caution’ that was displayed by Carlo Ancelotti was definitely him being cautious with the transfer.

“I don’t know, I am not responsible for handling his transfer. If the club is really able to sign him as a player, then I’d certainly welcome him with all my heart. His arrival at our club would definitely help us go one level higher… I hope he can come, but before he is here at our club, I can’t say anything else.”

Kaka, who was a representative for the players at the club, represented the San Siro’s locker room and welcomed George Wood to the club, “Milan’s locker room is just like a big family. Everyone gets along well, and we are all happy, like how a family should be. I believe George would come to love this place. It’s okay if he doesn’t know how to speak Italian. I can speak to him in Portuguese, and I can even be his interpreter for free.” Kaka smiled as he finished saying those words. “I really admire him as a player. George is the most outstanding defensive midfielder in the world right now, and we need a player like him at our club. To be honest, I think the same way as Fàbregas. The opponent whom I do not wish to encounter the most in a match is George Wood.”

Rumor has it that George Wood really likes his number 13. However, this number currently belongs to AC Milan’s senior full back, Alessandro Nesta.

Nesta would definitely not give up on his own number, but he mentioned during a interview, “I like the number 13. But I’m already 34 this year. I think I’d be very happy to see George Wood wear my number 13 s.h.i.+rt after I have retired.”

Therefore, as long as George Wood bears with a non-number 13 s.h.i.+rt for two seasons, then he would definitely be able to get the number 13 s.h.i.+rt that he liked.

There have been loads of high-sounding words that have been said in reference to George Wood. It seemed as though the entire AC Milan, from the board to the players, are all prepared and ready to welcome George Wood’s arrival at the club.

However, the truth was that all that had happened at that point of time was that Billy Woox had agreed to help Galliani convince Wood to join AC Milan, and he had told the club to wait for further news.

A few days went by since then, and neither Wood or Woox gave Galliani a reply, not even an ambiguous one.

※※※

Another day pa.s.sed by after Forest’s last match, and the rumors surrounding George Wood’s transfer continued to escalate, despite how Brosnan had published an article as the ‘spokesperson of Nottingham Forest’, which claimed that George Wood was not going anywhere in an interview with Tony Twain.

The article had been interpreted by many to be one of ‘Tony Twain living in denial’.

All he is doing is nothing more than a final struggle before death. Didn’t he also publicly announce that Bendtner wasn’t going anywhere when the latter wanted to go to Manchester City?

His behavior is just like that of a girl who is about to sleep with a guy, and she acts all shy and embarra.s.sed during foreplay and keeps going ‘no’ or ‘you can’t’ or ‘don’t’, but in the end she still gives in and just pants away underneath the man…

We have already seen through him!

When George Wood’s open letter got published in the Nottingham Evening Post however, all these media outlets that have been hyping up his transfer went silent.

“I would like to offer my apologies to all the Nottingham Forest fans and my team mates for the events that have happened in this period of time. I would like to reiterate my loyalty to the club to all of Nottingham Forest’s fans through the Nottingham Evening Post. I will not be going anywhere besides Nottingham Forest. I am a player that has been groomed by Forest, and this is where I belong. I am the captain, and I am not going anywhere.

Your Captain, George Wood.”

That was all that was written in the letter.

There were no criticisms against the media for adding fuel to the fire, and he also did not use any words to describe how deep a relations.h.i.+p he had with Tony Twain. Wood also did not mention AC Milan’s name in his letter, despite how they are the other party involved in his transfer saga.

If it was any other player, he would most likely have included a few words to express his grat.i.tude and happiness that a big club like AC Milan was interested in him. However, Wood only focused on issues involving him and only conveyed his own thoughts.

The way the letter was written was just like how George Wood usually speaks and thinks.

Nottingham Evening Post’s editors did a great job. They published Tony Twain’s article right beneath George Wood’s open letter.

Twain mocked the media without restraint for a.s.suring their readers that ‘George Wood had already transferred to AC Milan’, that ‘the transfer was just pending confirmation from both clubs’, and that ‘the relations.h.i.+p between Tony Twain and George Wood had reached its end and the two will remain foes from now on out’.

“… George has reached a total agreement with me over how he would continue to stay at Nottingham Forest. He has never thought of leaving the club, and it was just pending confirmation from the both of us. You lot just want to see me break up with George Wood right? I know what you lot are thinking. But I’m sorry everyone… You have all been played by me! Ahahahaha!”

Twain’s words slapped almost all the British media outlets on their faces. The sounds of the slaps were so crisp and loud that they were able to travel from the English Channel all the way to Italy.

Galliani had to thank himself for always being cautious, while Ancelotti did not dare to act like ‘he knew a long time ago’ in the club. Nesta did not worry about having to retire when he was 36 either, and there was a possibility that he might be able to keep playing in the club for a bit more time. The one who was in the most awkward position was Kaka.

“… This is what football is like. We never know what’s going to happen in the next second until the end. However, I am a little disappointed that I am not able to play football with him…” Kaka replied a little resentfully during his interview with the Italian media.

Perhaps it is not AC Milan that Kaka should complain about, but the Brazilian Football Confederation instead.

Back when George Wood was just an up and coming star, there was actually a fight between Brazil, Jamaica and England over which team he should represent as his national team.

Jamaica was the most zealous and warmhearted of the three. Sophia’s parents might not acknowledge her as their daughter, but the Jamaica Football Federation was willing to acknowledge her son as one of them. However, George Wood flatly told the country that had no future in World Football ‘no’ after consulting Twain.

His final choice was England, not only because he was born in England, but because he had the deepest understanding about England, and it was only natural for him to want to play football for England.

Additionally, there was also another important reason that led to his decision to play for England. It was that the Brazilian Football Confederation responded very coldly to the entire issue.

There are a lot of Brazilian football players playing football throughout the world. You might not get selected to play for the Brazilian national team even if you are a football player born and raised in Brazil. Didn’t Aílton Gonçalves da Silva keep on demanding that he wanted to switch nationalities and play for Qatar instead? Did anyone actually cared about him?

What’s so good about some up and rising star from the Premier League? We have our hands full just with picking all the players that we have at our disposal. Who cares about a lad like you who only carries a little Brazilian blood in you? Also, your skills are so poor. There’s no use for players like you other than the fact that you have a bit of physiciality…

Brazil doesn’t want a player like that.

Several years later at the 2010 World Cup, the Brazilian team led by Dunga was eliminated in the semifinals, and they lost to their bitter rivals Argentine. Dunga blamed the loss on how they failed to find that defensive midfielder that would help the team solidify their defense. Neither Anderson, Lucas Leiva nor Renato could live up to what he wanted in a defensive midfielder, whereas Argentine had Javier Mascherano in that position.

It was only during the match against England for the third and fourth place in the World Cup that he noticed the player wearing the number 13 s.h.i.+rt. George Wood, whose defending had caused Kaka to disappear from the game, was exactly the ‘Dunga Jr.’ that he was looking for.

Sadly, the man who had Brazilian blood in him and could even speak Portuguese was already a British through and through.

After the match, when Dunga was summarizing the World Cup, he said, with a little bit of grievance and mostly regret, “If we had George Wood on our team, then we would have had 6 stars on our chest!”

There were media outlets in Brazil that berated the Brazilian Football Confederation’s president, Ricardo Teixeira, for his decisions during the time when George Wood was still deciding the national team he would play for.

But what good does it do to say such words now?

Kaka softly sighed at the end of his interview.