The arrival of Sergio Ramos changed everything. Before the signing of the Real Madrid legend Barnsley was a cute story. They were the plucky underdogs who punched above their weight. They were the team with the funny bald defender and the pink boots. But now they were news. Global news.
Michael Sterling stood by the window of his office. He looked down at the training ground entrance.
Usually there were two or three journalists. Today there were fifty.
There were vans with satellite dishes. There were reporters speaking Spanish, French, Italian, and Japanese. A reporter from Marca was trying to interview the security guard. A reporter from L Equipe was taking photos of the grass.
"It is a circus," Arthur Milton said. Arthur was sitting on the sofa hiding behind a newspaper. "I cannot go outside Boss. They want to ask me about the Ramos contract. They want to know if we paid him in gold bars."
"Did we pay him in gold bars?" Michael asked with a smile.
