For any football club, the philosophy behind its academy is crucial.
And that philosophy is closely tied to how the first team itself is positioned.
Clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, for example, have often strengthened themselves by signing established stars who have already proved their quality elsewhere.
In Ethan's previous life, Barcelona only began relying heavily on academy graduates after establishing a successful sporting cycle. Even then, foreign signings still made up a significant part of the first-team squad.
And among the players often described as products of Barcelona's academy, many were actually highly promising youngsters recruited from other clubs while still developing.
Barcelona would bring them into La Masia, refine them technically, teach them the club's tactical system, and eventually promote the best of them into the senior squad.
Pedro and Piqué were obvious examples of players whose development had involved more than simply growing up entirely within Barcelona's own academy structure.
If Ethan wanted New Manchester United to operate like clubs such as West Ham United or Southampton, developing young players, selling them for large fees, and reinvesting the profits into the next generation, then there would be no need to keep raising the wages of prodigies such as Kaká.
That kind of model was closer to what Sevilla were beginning to build in Spain.
But Ethan's position had always been clear.
With the talent already available in the first team and academy, he believed New Manchester United could become capable of winning the Champions League within three years.
By then, the group led by Kaká would be approaching the prime years of their careers.
At that point, how many clubs in Europe would possess a squad capable of matching them?
From the beginning, Ethan had intended New Manchester United to become one of Europe's elite clubs.
That was why he had been willing to spend heavily on a new stadium, attract investment, and develop the surrounding land.
Part of the goal was to expand the club's influence.
The other part was to create stable long-term revenue.
If New Manchester United wanted to become an elite club, then its academy had to remain a priority.
Homegrown players needed a genuine pathway.
But recruiting promising youngsters from other clubs before they became established stars was equally important.
Even the biggest clubs could not produce a top-level player for every position.
Barcelona were a good example.
Bojan had been promoted to the first team at a young age, but that did not mean Barcelona were prepared to build their attack around him.
When Eto'o left, they signed Ibrahimović.
When Ibrahimović moved on, Villa arrived.
That did not mean Barcelona had abandoned Bojan's development.
It simply meant that, at the time, he was not yet good enough to become the undisputed first-choice striker for a club with Barcelona's ambitions.
The same principle applied to Ishmael at New Manchester United.
He was talented.
He had already reached the first team.
But he still needed coaching, experience, and competitive minutes before anyone could expect him to carry the attack.
That was why recruiting highly promising players who were already partly developed made so much sense.
It reduced risk.
It also made tactical integration easier.
Spending enormous sums on established superstars was always tempting.
But the financial cost was obvious.
Transfer fees rose.
Wages rose.
Operating expenses rose.
And the club became increasingly dependent on constant outside investment.
As European football entered a more difficult financial period, only a handful of clubs could continue spending recklessly.
Real Madrid and Barcelona still possessed enormous commercial power in Spain.
Chelsea had Abramovich's backing.
Other clubs could occasionally spend heavily when wealthy owners injected capital.
But a club that wanted genuine long-term stability could not depend forever on its owner writing cheques.
Once large-scale owner investment slowed, even the richest clubs would eventually need a more sustainable transfer strategy.
That meant paying greater attention to talented young players who had not yet reached their peak.
It was also one of the reasons the term "wonderkid" would become increasingly common in European football.
Clubs everywhere were beginning to think the same way.
Why spend £30 million or £40 million on an established star if you could spend a fraction of that on an exceptional twenty-year-old, develop him for one or two seasons, and potentially end up with a player of similar quality?
Ethan had money now.
If he wanted, he could spend tens of millions on players every summer.
But what happened if, one day, he could no longer continue investing at the same level?
What happened to the club then?
A properly managed football club needed to protect both sporting performance and financial stability.
In Ethan's view, recruitment should follow a clear order.
First, develop your own academy.
Second, recruit talented young players who could still be shaped.
Only after that should the club look towards expensive, fully established stars.
Some people might argue that a club could never become one of Europe's giants without spending heavily in the transfer market.
Ethan disagreed.
If spending alone could create a great club, then greatness would simply be something anyone with enough money could buy.
Transfers could improve a squad.
They could turn an average side into a strong one.
They could even help transform a strong side into a title contender.
But becoming a truly great club required more than purchasing power.
It required trophies.
Influence.
History.
Identity.
Real Madrid could assemble the Galácticos because Real Madrid already possessed decades of prestige behind them.
Inter Milan could survive years of expensive mistakes and still remain one of Italy's great clubs because their status had been built over generations.
Not every club had that foundation.
Modern football used the word "giant" far too casually.
But at the very least, a club needed sustained success and genuine influence before the label meant anything.
That was why Arsenal and Chelsea could both be regarded as major clubs, even though they had followed very different paths.
Arsenal had increasingly relied on youth development and the improvement of talented players.
Henry.
Pires.
Vieira.
Later, Fàbregas.
Chelsea, meanwhile, had risen rapidly enough to challenge the established dominance of Manchester United and Arsenal.
Their growth also coincided with the Premier League's accelerating international expansion.
And behind the scenes, the commercial work carried out by executives such as Kenyon would also play an important role in turning that sporting success into global influence.
Ethan wanted New Manchester United to reach that level.
But not simply by outspending everyone else.
He wanted the club to climb through results, reputation, influence, and the development of world-class players.
And once they reached the top, he wanted the model to remain sustainable.
Under that philosophy, the scouting department became enormously important.
...
"Özil?"
Ethan looked surprised.
He had been in this world for several years already and had almost forgotten about the quiet German playmaker.
Then he noticed the red mark beside Özil's profile.
The recruitment attempt had failed.
"He's currently playing for a lower-division club in Germany," Villas-Boas explained. "But he has no intention of leaving Germany anytime soon."
He gave a helpless smile.
"And according to our scout, languages are definitely not one of his strengths."
Ethan immediately remembered Mourinho's frustration with Özil during his time at Real Madrid in his previous life and burst out laughing.
From what he remembered, Özil had never found foreign languages particularly easy.
German and Turkish were natural to him.
English and Spanish were another matter entirely.
For Mourinho, a man who had originally entered professional football partly through his ability with languages, that had apparently been especially frustrating.
"Keep watching him," Ethan said, patting Villas-Boas on the shoulder.
New Manchester United had dealt with similar problems before.
When Cristiano Ronaldo first arrived, his English had been extremely limited.
The club had therefore arranged private language tuition specifically for him.
It took more than half a year before he became comfortable enough to communicate properly in everyday football situations.
After that, Cristiano gradually continued improving on his own.
Özil was not the only German player listed in the scouting report.
There were several others.
Toni Kroos.
Thomas Müller.
Kroos was currently developing at Hansa Rostock, where his father worked within the youth setup.
New Manchester United had already made an approach, but the family turned it down.
Thomas Müller was even more difficult.
He was already considered one of Bayern Munich's most promising academy players.
Although still very young, Bayern had no intention of letting him leave.
"Germany have invested heavily in youth development since their disappointing international tournaments around the turn of the century," Villas-Boas said.
"Over the last few years, the quality of young players coming through their system has improved significantly."
He tapped the report.
"I think we'll see the results even more clearly over the next few years."
Germany occupied a particularly important section of Villas-Boas's report.
Ethan nodded.
He knew exactly where that process was heading.
By the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Germany would field one of the youngest and most exciting teams at the tournament.
Players such as Özil and Müller would announce themselves to the world.
Compared with Germany's progress, Ethan was much less impressed by the structure of youth development in England.
"Luis, I want the scouting department to collect as much information as possible on Germany's youth development reforms."
Villas-Boas looked up.
"I'd like New Manchester United to take the initiative at some point," Ethan continued. "Invite representatives from other Premier League clubs, academy directors, coaches, and football-development specialists."
"We should have a serious discussion about the state of youth development in England."
Villas-Boas nodded.
It would certainly help New Manchester United's public image and influence.
More importantly, improving the overall standard of youth development in England would eventually benefit every Premier League club.
Ethan also had another concern.
If FIFA or UEFA eventually introduced stricter limits on foreign players or stronger homegrown-player regulations, English clubs could find themselves in a difficult position.
The Premier League's growing financial power relied heavily on importing talent.
Without improvements in domestic player development, that model could eventually become vulnerable.
Across Europe, youth coaching was increasingly placing more emphasis on technical development, small-sided games, tighter spaces, and more touches of the ball.
England remained more traditional in many areas.
Young players were often developed on larger pitches with greater emphasis on physical qualities.
That helped produce strong runners and powerful athletes.
But Ethan believed technical development needed far more attention.
Germany's prospects were proving difficult to recruit.
France produced another interesting name.
Karim Benzema.
New Manchester United's French scouts had identified him inside Lyon's academy and rated him extremely highly.
Lyon, however, regarded Benzema as one of their most important prospects.
The player himself also believed remaining there was the best decision for his development.
Leaving too early could do more harm than good.
Alongside those familiar names, Villas-Boas's latest report included several other players Ethan recognised.
Two were in Argentina.
Javier Mascherano.
Carlos Tévez.
Mascherano had come through a football-development programme with connections to the Redondo and Solari families and had been personally recommended through Redondo's father.
The reports described him as an outstanding defensive midfield prospect.
New Manchester United had already decided to secure his rights while allowing him to continue developing at River Plate for the time being.
Tévez was a different case.
He was already playing regularly for Boca Juniors and had become one of Argentina's most exciting young attackers.
New Manchester United were monitoring him closely, but there was no immediate plan to sign him.
The first team already had more than enough attacking talent.
The report also included updates on players New Manchester United already controlled but had sent elsewhere to develop.
Dani Alves and Thiago Silva were both playing regularly for Benfica.
Both were progressing extremely well.
The club continued to monitor them closely, hoping that one day they would be ready to return to Manchester and compete for first-team places.
Ethan continued turning through the pages.
Near the end of the report was a list of youngsters the scouting department was currently trying to recruit.
Most were English.
If signed, they would join the academy and strengthen the youth sides.
Several others had been invited to Newton Heath for trials.
Most academy transfers involved only modest compensation payments to the player's original club.
Once all parties reached an agreement, the youngster would enter New Manchester United's development system.
Trialists were slightly different.
Some were already playing competitive football elsewhere when New Manchester United's scouts discovered them.
The club would invite them to Manchester for an assessment.
If the coaches decided to keep them, New Manchester United would negotiate an appropriate transfer fee with their existing club.
The sums involved were usually relatively small.
Ethan rarely interfered directly in that level of recruitment.
He trusted Mourinho to understand what types of players were needed for the tactical system.
Villas-Boas and the scouting department handled most of the identification and negotiations.
Ethan usually did little more than read the reports and remain informed.
This time, however, one name on the list of trialists immediately caught his attention.
It was even more familiar than the others.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)