Lina was surprised as she took back The Sun from William's hand. Ever since William had started making tons of money, she had a lot of trust in his judgment. But looking at the absurdly young, 37-year-old José Mourinho, she shook her head vigorously. "You've really gone mad. I've never even heard of this guy, and just by looking at him, it's clear he's never coached a big team."
By that morning, the outside world had been buzzing due to The Sun's report. All of England's attention was drawn to this, and the fact that the financial genius William Devonshire had personally sent someone to negotiate with Mourinho had put the "Special One" on the global football map for the first time.
However, after some digging, critics were quick to scoff at William's actions. At this point, Mourinho was an unknown figure, practically a nobody.
The only somewhat notable thing on his resume was briefly taking over as head coach for Benfica, one of Portugal's major clubs, after replacing Jupp Heynckes. But that stint had only lasted nine matches before he resigned due to a dispute with the club's president.
To put it nicely, it was a resignation. In reality, it was because he couldn't handle staying on any longer. Mourinho was currently considering a small club's offer, feeling bitter and frustrated, when he received an unimaginable phone call—one from William, of course.
William understood all too well that, at this point in time, Mourinho had no reputation whatsoever, and his coaching skills were still an unknown. But he also knew that Mourinho, during his time at Chelsea, had won back-to-back Premier League titles in his first two years, even though he hadn't managed to secure the Champions League title.
Of course, all these memories were from William's past life, and things in this world were unlikely to go exactly the way he remembered. Still, someone who had proven himself once before would have a high chance of succeeding again, even if walking a similar path.
Mourinho became a household name by winning the Champions League with Porto and earned widespread acclaim for breaking the dominance of Wenger and Ferguson's rivalry during his time at Chelsea. Later, he achieved the historic treble with Inter Milan.
But to say Mourinho was William's only choice? That was a lie. William considered him because he wanted Mourinho to serve as an assistant coach at Chelsea for two years, preparing him to take over. Perhaps, just as he had with Porto, Mourinho could replicate that success at Chelsea and even bring home a Champions League trophy.
However, judging by his mother's reaction, whether Mourinho would come to Chelsea now depended on whether he could convince the real boss—his mother, Lina. William wasn't about to argue with her over this, though one thing was certain: Ranieri's time as coach was up.
William had money to spare, so why stick with Ranieri, who had earned the nickname "The Tinkerman" for his constant lineup changes? Especially since Ranieri had once insulted William's "god." As soon as William found a suitable replacement, he'd kick Ranieri out without a second thought.
"Alright, Mom, you're right. Chelsea is yours. From now on, you call the shots with the team, and I'll just handle the funding," William said as he served Lina some steamed egg custard. "This was made in the Tianchao style. It tastes pretty good. Try it."
"Now that sounds reasonable. You don't understand football, so leave the team matters to me," Lina said, taking a bite of the custard. "Mmm!" She took another bite and said, "It is pretty good. No wonder you like Tianchao food so much. Looks like I'll have to try more of it."
"Hehe, I've been telling you for a while now. Compared to Tianchao cuisine, English food is basically dark magic. Just thinking about fish and chips or sausages makes me lose my appetite."
"Ha, are you complaining that my cooking is terrible?" Lina stared at William, slightly annoyed.
"Haha, Mom, try this soup dumpling and bone broth wonton. It's made in the southern style of Tianchao—thin skins and plenty of filling. It tastes way better than fried eggs and sausages."
Lina tasted a few bites. "Hmph, I still prefer my fried eggs and sausages," she said, but her spoon never stopped moving, which made William smile quietly to himself. He briefly considered hiring Ancelotti but then remembered that Ancelotti was currently Juventus's head coach, leaving him uncertain.
While William and his mother enjoyed their Tianchao breakfast, the situation outside was heating up. All across England, football fans were curious about who this José Mourinho character was and why William Devonshire, England's super-wealthy magnate, would approach him just as he was about to take over Chelsea—especially when Ranieri, the current coach, seemed to be doing a decent job.
These questions and uncertainties left Chelsea fans feeling uneasy. The joy they had felt in recent days was quickly dampened by the mocking taunts of their rivals, Tottenham and West Ham fans.
At this time, Chelsea wasn't yet a serious contender against Arsenal, so there wasn't as much rivalry. For Chelsea fans, Arsenal didn't even make it into the top three of their enemy list.
A few days ago, when they learned that Chelsea had been bought by William, who grew up in the Chelsea district, the fans were ecstatic. Although William had bought the club as a gift for his mother, Lina was also a Chelsea local and a diehard fan. Many fans knew Lina personally and were well aware of how much she loved the club.
So, the fans didn't care that the team was being treated as a gift. When facing Tottenham and West Ham, some Chelsea supporters even held banners that read, "We're the richest team in the world," taunting their rivals.
This infuriated the Tottenham and West Ham fans. No matter how they tried to retort, Chelsea fans would just repeat, "We're the richest. We're the richest. We're the richest."
Some of the more hot-tempered Tottenham and West Ham fans almost got into fights with the Chelsea supporters.
But today's newspaper cast a shadow over Chelsea fans. William hadn't even officially taken over the team yet, and it seemed like he was already planning to replace the seemingly capable Ranieri. While Ranieri wasn't the best coach, he was certainly better than this unknown Portuguese guy. Anyone would feel uneasy about this situation.
As a result, many Chelsea fans, upon reading that William was staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in London, spontaneously gathered outside, demanding to see him.
William, who was busy serving his mother breakfast, suddenly noticed the hotel butler hurrying over. Standing about five or six meters away, the butler knocked on the open dining room door. William gestured for him to enter, and the butler said, "Mr. Devonshire, Mrs. Lina, I'm sorry to disturb your meal, but something has come up, and I believe I must report it immediately."
"Hmm?" William set down his fork and took a hot towel from a nearby attendant to wipe his hands. He looked at the slightly anxious butler. "What's going on?"
"Sir, Chelsea fans have gathered outside the hotel, and they're calling out, demanding to see you," the butler said, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. "We've tried our best to dissuade them, but the fans are insistent on meeting you."
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Hello, if you enjoy mythology novels, I invite you to check out "I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother", a story inspired by Norse mythology