Chapter 339 Ambitious

The same place, but different people.

Although Paul Walker was there last time, it was Jack Walker who led the group. It has only been half a year, or less than half a year, and things have changed.

After George came into this world, Jack Walker, who was the most admired and supported George, has passed away. Now the new chairman of Blackburn is Paul Walker in front of him.

The place where Paul Walker met George this time was the place where Jack Walker last met George half a year ago.

"Congratulations, George."

Paul Walker's face looked much better. During Jack Walker's funeral ceremony a month ago, Paul's expression was still gloomy. Today, Paul's expression has walked out of the grief at that time.

Time is indeed the best thing.

A month is not long, but it is not short either.

"Thank you, Paul. This is an honor for all of us."

When George came in, Paul and Williams had already been waiting for George. But it seemed that they had a good conversation, and the two seemed to be talking happily.

"George, my father asked you the same question last time. Do you have any plans for next season?"

When George heard Paul ask him, he hesitated for a moment. Although George had some plans in mind, Paul was now George's new boss. George still didn't know Paul's character, so he was thinking about how to answer.

Paul saw George's look and said softly: "George, although this is my first time as a club chairman. But I know the rules of this industry. I didn't think about interfering in the team's internal affairs, I just want to know some plans for next season. In this way, I can also make corresponding cooperation according to your ideas."

When George heard Paul's words, most of his worries disappeared.

As a head coach, George cares most about whether the boss will invest money or do other important actions. What George cares most about is whether the boss will interfere with his authority in the team.

As long as the boss does not interfere with the team's construction and George's affairs in the team, then other things are easy to talk about.

"Paul, the current age structure of the team is very reasonable. Now is the time for the team to achieve results. So keep the current lineup and add one or two strong players. We will definitely be able to achieve better results in the European arena next season."

"At present, there is only one player I have locked on. That is Campbell of Tottenham. He is a free agent this summer. I have already contacted him. If I work harder, I should be able to win him."

Paul and Williams were very happy to hear George's words.

They are all people who have been in the English football world, and of course they understand Campbell's weight. Among Blackburn's current players, only Blanco's fame can be compared with Campbell when he was introduced. But Blanco was too old at the time, he was already 35 years old.

But Campbell is different.

Campbell will only be 27 years old in September this year. He is also the main central defender of England and is very famous in the world football.

Being able to introduce such a player will definitely have unimaginable benefits for the club's influence.

"Okay, George. My father has agreed to 20 million pounds of funds, saying that it also includes an increase in the club's players' salaries. But I recently looked at the club's financial situation. Because our club has performed very well in the Champions League this season, the club's finances are very sufficient."

"So I decided to give you all 20 million pounds as transfer funds."

Paul was very generous. He directly transferred 20 million pounds to George as the transfer fee for the summer transfer.

George was stunned, looked at Paul and then at Williams. George is a head coach and doesn't know much about the club's financial situation. He only knows that Blackburn has a good income this season.

Seeing George's look, Williams explained on the side.

"George, our club is in very good condition this season. There is a lot of income and profit. So the club can afford to increase the players' salaries. And this summer, there are some sponsors whose contracts expire. We have been negotiating with other sponsors. If successful, it will increase by nearly 20 million pounds every year."

Williams said with high spirits.

In the past, Blackburn's chest advertisement only cost 1.1 million pounds a year. For Williams, this kind of advertising contract is the same as having no contract. But because of Blackburn's improved performance in the past two years, the annual sponsorship fee for the newly signed chest advertisement will exceed 6 million pounds.

These are all things that Williams is very happy about.

George nodded. The club's financial situation is in surplus, and George is of course very happy. If Blackburn can really be self-sufficient, then even without Paul's blood supply, the club can achieve sustainable development.

"Then thank you Paul."

Paul shook his head.

"George, you know? We Blackburn actually have all the conditions to become a giant. Our history is not shabby, and we are one of the three clubs in the Premier League that have won the Premier League championship. Like Arsenal, we have also won two Premier League championships."

"As you said, the age structure of our team is very reasonable. There is still a lot of time for the peak period, so it seems that our future performance is also guaranteed. With results, there will be sponsorship and income. With money and results, we can become a giant."

Seeing Paul so confident, George did not refute.

Blackburn is really difficult to become a giant. In fact, the biggest obstacle to Blackburn becoming a giant is that Blackburn is too small and has too few people. Of course, more importantly, Blackburn is not a wealthy city.

Preston is the richest in Lancashire. Although Blackburn is much richer than Burnley, it is much poorer than other cities in England. This is the first factor that restricts Blackburn's development.

Unless there is a rich man like Abramovich who continues to invest in Blackburn from now on. If that happens, Blackburn may really become a giant. But...

"George, we Blackburn already have all the conditions. There is only one thing that is restricting the club from becoming a giant."

Paul confidently stretched out a finger. "That's the stadium."

George didn't know what Paul meant. So he listened quietly. When he heard the word "stadium", George understood Paul's idea. Did Paul want to build a new stadium?

"Stadium?"

"Yes, George. I talked to John. We think that only with a modern stadium can our club become a real powerhouse. A new stadium will definitely greatly increase the income of our club."

"As long as there is money, everything will be easy."

Paul stood up, as if he was pointing out the world. And he looked very excited.

"Paul, it takes a lot of money to build a stadium, right? You..."

Paul smiled and shook his head when he heard George's words.

"George, if we want to build a stadium, of course it can't be me or the club. Because we don't have the financial ability, I have been looking for institutions to analyze with John. See how many financing channels we can have. Once the source of funds is determined, we will start to build it."

"And this plan will take at least a year to implement. If it takes longer, it may be two or three years. And once the stadium is built, it may take another two or three years. Therefore, George, if you really want to complete this plan, you need to ensure the team's performance."

George looked at Paul, not knowing what to say.

Jack Walker also thought about building a new stadium, but because of financial pressure, he only expanded Ewood Park. But now his son Paul Walker seems to be far more ambitious than his father.

Although George is not sure about the funding requirements for building a new stadium in Blackburn.

But as a former Arsenal fan, George knows how Arsenal lives for a stadium. Wenger is said to be a miser. Arsenal's income and expenditure in those years have been negative since the construction of the new stadium.

And for a new stadium, Arsenal has always had an unwritten rule. That is, the weekly salary of players does not exceed 100,000 pounds.

Is it possible that I have to go through such a period of time?

George didn't know how to answer Paul.

But turning around and thinking, once the new stadium is built, the benefits to Blackburn are indeed obvious. Now Blackburn's annual home revenue is just over 10 million pounds.

But when the new stadium is built, let alone other related income. The home ticket revenue alone will exceed 20 million pounds, or even more. In addition, if the Champions League results are good, the revenue from the Champions League tickets will also be a lot.

With the team's performance improving and ticket prices increasing a little, it will not be difficult to exceed 30 million pounds or 40 million pounds in the future.

For a small team like Blackburn, 10 or 20 million pounds is already a very good income.

"Paul, it's too early to say anything now. If the lineup can be kept stable, I can guarantee the results in the next three or four years. I can enter the Champions League every year and appear in the Champions League group stage every year. This is the limit I can guarantee."

George did not say whether he supported or opposed Paul's plan. And George had no position to oppose this plan. Since Paul promised not to interfere in the team's affairs, George should not interfere in the affairs of the club's top management.

What George can do is to guarantee the results in the next few years.

Hearing George's words, Paul was very happy.

"Yes, George. That's it. As long as we cooperate happily, Blackburn will be among the European giants in the future."

George looked at Paul, and only one thought came to his mind. Paul is really ambitious, but I don't know what impact his ambition will have on Blackburn.