Football Dynasty-Chapter 186: Meeting Arsène Wenger again

Richard left all transfer matters regarding Solskjær to Marina Granovskaia, as he had other business to attend to. He was flying to the United States—for the Netscape IPO!

Well, to be honest, it wasn’t an IPO — it was a pre-IPO sale or secondary transaction, where he could sell some of his shares privately to another company.

A week ago, he had received a call from Jim Clark, the founder of Netscape. It wasn’t just a casual check-in—Clark had something important to ask, so he got straight to the point.

"Richard, I need your approval on something big," Jim said. "We’re planning to issue new shares in response to AOL’s inquiries about investing in Netscape’s development."

In short, Clark wanted to dilute the existing shareholders (including Richard) so that Netscape could issue new shares and sell them to AOL.

In many companies, decisions like issuing new shares or making significant equity changes require board approval or a shareholder vote. But since Netscape was a private company with only two major shareholders, Clark needed Richard’s consent.

AOL? Richard was taken aback.

AOL—or America Online—was a major web portal and online service provider based in New York City.

Jim continued, "In return, we’ll get access to their infrastructure — servers, bandwidth, and distribution channels. And when we go public, this will light the fuse."

"So you want to dilute both of our stakes before the IPO?"

"I know how it sounds," Jim admitted, "but it’s strategic. This isn’t just about cash. It’s about getting Netscape into the public spotlight, fast. AOL has the reach and influence to make us a household name before we even ring the opening bell."

Richard stayed quiet, thinking. On paper, his 40% stake would shrink significantly. But if AOL’s involvement pushed Netscape’s valuation into the stratosphere — maybe it was worth it.

’And I also need the cash for Adidas. And looking at Netscape’s current valuation...’

$150 million. If Netscape suddenly announced a partnership with AOL, that number could easily jump. Maybe even hit a billion. After all, Netscape already had 3 million users — add AOL’s 20 million into the mix, the potential was explosive.

Richard sighed. It wasn’t the deal he would’ve picked because he knew the true value of Netscape could reach even $4 billion! — but in this game, leverage came before control. If AOL’s involvement could 10x the IPO valuation as quickly as possible...

Maybe giving up a slice now was worth the whole pie later. Or... maybe it was time to sell it entirely?

At the end of the day, Richard couldn’t just help by attending the business personally since it involved billions.

He first went home to his house in London, Wilmington Square Garden, to meet with his parents before finally making his way to London Heathrow Airport.

Richard stepped into the airport lounge and immediately ordered a cup of orange juice and some pastries from the server before looking for a seat. He set his leisure bag down by his feet, took off his warm scarf, and unbuttoned his coat before settling in.

While waiting for his order, Richard asked the staff if they had a radio and a private room so he could keep up with the City vs. Scunthorpe United FA Cup match. Thankfully, they did, and Richard immediately asked to be moved there.

"And we’re just 12 minutes into the game here at Glanford Park! City’s captain, Cafu, steps up to take the corner... he swings it in beautifully... and there’s Ferdinand rising above the defenders! What a perfect header — and that’s City on the board with the opening goal! Absolutely clinical!"

Scunthorpe United 0 - 1 Manchester City

The energy at Glanford Park was buzzing right from the beginning as City had already found the back of the net against Scunthorpe United.

"Ferdinand gets the ball... he quickly passes to Gallas... Gallas lays it off to Cafu once again. Cafu charges down the right flank, cuts inside, and sends a precise cross into the box—Larsson meets it perfectly! GOAL! What an exquisite build-up from City!"

By the 37th minute, City had doubled their lead, making it 2-0 just before the halftime whistle.

And by the end of the match, Larsson scored another goal, followed by Ronaldo, and then Neil Lennon unleashed a stunning long-range shot to complete a perfect 5-0 victory for City.

This win marked a record-breaking 11 goals scored in just two matches—following their 6-0 thrashing of Peterborough United!

Richard smiled quietly when he heard the final whistle and the announcement of City’s victory. Just as he was about to rise from his seat, he suddenly heard someone conversing just outside his room.

"I’m sorry, sir, but there are no more private rooms available in the lounge," the staff apologized.

"No worries," came the familiar reply, calm and measured. "I can wait here."

"Well, if you need anything, just let me know," the staff said, trying to maintain professionalism.

"Thank you," the familiar voice responded politely. "I appreciate it."

Richard paused, listening closely. Definitely, he recognized who was speaking. ’Who is it?’

Curious, he rose from his seat and opened the door—only to freeze in surprise.

"Mr. Wenger?!"

Arsène Wenger stood there in the hallway.

The current head coach of AS Monaco.

’Wait—shouldn’t he be in France? What’s he doing here in London? Don’t tell me... is this another butterfly effect?!’

As Richard stepped out of the room, the man standing by the lounge counter turned to glance at him. For a moment, there was no sign of recognition—just a polite, neutral gaze. But Richard smiled and stepped forward confidently, hand extended.

"Mr. Wenger, a pleasure," he said.

Arsène Wenger, still caught off guard, reached out and shook his hand politely. "Ah... thank you," he said with a slight nod, clearly trying to place the face in front of him.

"I’m Richard," he added. "I’m the chairman of Manchester City. Remember? We met last year."

Wenger’s eyes widened slightly. "Ah..." His expression shifted in an instant as realization set in.

Indeed—Manchester City. They had tried to recruit him previously, but the deal fell through in the end. If he remembered correctly, the club was now in the hands of Martin O’Neill.

Wenger politely shook Richard’s hand with a warm smile. "Congratulations on City’s promotion last season — well deserved."

Richard smiled at the congratulations, giving a modest nod. "Thank you. It wasn’t easy, but the team pulled through in the end."

Wenger gave a thoughtful nod, his posture relaxed but curious. "Mr. Richard, are you on a business trip?"

"Yes," Richard replied. Then, as a thought crossed his mind, he gestured toward the room behind him.

"Mr. Wenger, Please—if you don’t mind the company, would you care to join me? The lounge staff mentioned there were no more private rooms, and well... mine isn’t that big, but it’s quiet."

Wenger hesitated for only a second before offering a polite smile. "That’s very kind of you. I’d appreciate it."

Richard stepped aside and held the door open for him. "After you, Mr. Wenger."

As Wenger entered the room, Richard followed, closing the door gently behind them. "I must say, I didn’t expect to run into you here." Then, after a brief pause, he began to probe, "But Mr. Wenger, what are you doing here in London? Are you..."

He was about to say "Arsenal" but decided not to.

"Nothing, I’m just here for a little trip," Wenger replied with a smile. Since he didn’t want to elaborate, Richard didn’t press the matter.

Soon, the two of them started chatting, and surprisingly, the conversation shifted to Richard’s ideas about the High Performance Team he’d set up at City.

Wenger raised his eyebrows, genuinely interested. "You actually have a team just for that?"

"Yeah," Richard replied, "It’s not perfect yet, but it’s a good start."

Wenger smiled, a little wistfully. "I tried something similar at Monaco—better nutrition, improved training methods—but the board thought it was too ’unorthodox.’" He shook his head slightly. "That’s probably why we’ve been struggling this season. They ended up letting me go. Luckily, I’ve already been invited to coach another club."

Richard’s heart skipped a bit at this.

"Can you guess where I’m headed?" he then asked Richard.

"...London?"

"Hahaha..." Wenger laughed before shaking his head. "I’ll be off to Japan by the end of the month."

The professor was heading to Japan!

And Richard certainly knew it was Nagoya Grampus in the J-League.

What Monaco couldn’t give him—his aspirations for nutrition and new training methods—he would pursue in Japan first, before finally establishing his foundation and bringing those methods to Arsenal.

In fact, Richard also knew that historically, Arsène Wenger is regarded by many as the trailblazer who introduced continental European methods to England: his emphasis on nutrition and improved training techniques at Arsenal, starting in 1996, is often credited with raising the standards of English football.

Richard stayed silent for a moment, his mind racing with thoughts. Wenger glanced at him, puzzled.

"What’s wrong? You’re not surprised at all?" he asked.

Richard blinked, coming back to the moment. He gave a small nod. "I’m just... at a loss for words."

"Hahaha," Wenger laughed again at this.

They soon talked about current English football, including the cancelled match between the Three Lions and Ireland.

To Wenger’s surprise, many parties were blaming the chaos on Manchester United fans, which left him puzzled.

"Yes, I heard the news—and to be honest, it’s a bit much, isn’t it? Why do you think people in this country seem to harbor such animosity towards Manchester United? From what I’ve learned in France, shouldn’t they be the most beloved club in Britain?"

Wenger furrowed his brow, clearly puzzled.

"Well, that’s a complex issue." Richard didn’t elaborate further, as it was a sensitive topic for him—after all, he owned the club that was United’s city rival.

The history of English football stretches back over a century. If it were just an ordinary sport or pastime, it wouldn’t have grown into such a monumental phenomenon—or earned its place as Britain’s most beloved game.

Football is a war waged in times of peace. It’s woven with politics, culture, tradition, economics, history, and raw human emotion—all clashing together in a blazing spectacle.

Open a map of England, and you’ll quickly find the towns and cities where football has ignited fierce rivalries and unforgettable stories. In England, the football scene never falls silent—because here, the fires of competition burn endlessly.

In truth, during the 1995/96 season, Manchester United was widely disliked, mostly because of how successful and dominant they had become.

Fans of rival clubs often saw them as arrogant or entitled—though it was the media who first provoked United with their famous line, "You’ll never win anything with kids," after the club sold stars like Paul Ince, Mark Hughes, and Andrei Kanchelskis.

But United proved everyone wrong with the emergence of the Class of ’92—Beckham, Scholes, Butt, and the Neville brothers. Their success earned admiration from some, but also intensified the dislike from others, especially because they had defied the odds.

Add to that Eric Cantona’s controversies, along with growing rivalries with Liverpool, Arsenal, and a title-chasing Newcastle—and you get a picture of something that wasn’t exactly hatred, but more a case of jealousy.

Both continued chatting for quite some time until Richard began sharing more openly—discussing his City-building philosophy, operational systems, and even the club’s broader vision—topics well beyond the usual coach’s purview, which this time made Wenger unable to sit still.

"You want to limit the manager’s authority, right? That’s why you created the director of football and sporting director roles out of nowhere?"

For Arsène Wenger, who adopts the traditional view that the manager holds full control of his team, Richard’s view was very unacceptable to him.

"No, I see the role as a bit like the conductor of an orchestra," but Richard gave his opinion differently. "Their role is to sit between the head coach and the board/owners in a club’s hierarchy. They are expected to provide a clear vision, oversee all the departments, and have the ability to manage up and down."

"..."

"Because that’s a role where you’ve got to have a good range of knowledge — you need to know about the technical side, use of data, regulations and laws, about the economy as you’re managing budgets/salaries, psychology so you can manage the team, staff and board. It’s not an easy role." Richard continued.

"But how do you define success in the role? Isn’t that trickier and harder to judge than with a manager, for example?"

"It’s easy as long as an organization knows where they want to go," Richard said.

From his perspective, to be honest, the role was like a bin.

Tomorrow, you might receive a call from the owner saying, "We’re not winning," or from the head coach saying, "We’re not performing," or from the academy saying, "We’re losing this player," or from an agent saying, "My player is not playing," or the same complaint from a player.

You are often the first point of contact for people to offload their concerns. So rather than the manager, the role actually helps to share the burden by handling issues that aren’t related to match preparation.

For Richard, of course, this was an advantage since he was also the owner who held the reins, allowing him to steer City however he wanted. He was the one who drew up the plan and then drove it forward, just like the current high-performance team he envisioned.

All that Richard said left Wenger silent—he couldn’t find the words to respond. On one hand, he wanted to reject the idea outright; on the other, he could see the benefits it offered. Every system had its strengths and weaknesses, after all.

But Richard’s vision struck a nerve, making Wenger’s head ache as he wrestled with the conflicting feelings.

The traditional manager in him resisted the notion of ceding control, yet the practical side acknowledged that perhaps this new approach was the future.

He sighed deeply, realizing this conversation was more challenging than any tactical debate on the pitch.

Just then, a voice came over the airport speaker system, announcing that a flight to Illinois, United States, was now boarding.

The sudden interruption broke the silence in the room.

Richard glanced toward the door, then back at Wenger with a small smile. "It seems my time here is up. But this conversation... it’s given me a lot to think about."

Hearing this, Wenger nodded in understanding, then stood up and offered Richard a handshake. "Safe travels. I hope you arrive safely."

As Richard gathered his things and headed for the gate, Wenger watched him go, still mulling over the ideas they had exchanged.

The future of football—and his vision—felt a little clearer now.