Chapter 10: Do You Choose Ba Shen or Li Mo?

Chapter 10: Do You Want Balotelli or Li Mo?

The summer transfer window had only two days left. It was like the final exam of a school term: the top students had already put down their pens and handed in their papers, while the underachievers—or at least, those not quite as hopeless—were still scribbling away frantically.

AC Milan was still locked in a tense tug-of-war with Manchester City over the transfer of Mario Balotelli. Media in both Italy and England were churning out constant reports on this transfer soap opera, and Milan fans were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Italian "bad boy." After a disastrous start to the season with two consecutive losses and zero goals scored, the Milan faithful were ready to hail Balotelli as their savior.

Meanwhile, Arsenal had also sprung into action. According to Arsène Wenger’s plan, signing Li Mo was the ideal outcome. If AC Milan refused to sell, he would opt for a loan.

When Adriano Galliani, who had been agonizing over a two-million-euro budget deficit, received Arsenal’s offer, he was momentarily stunned.

"Li Mo, 500,000 euros?"

Galliani’s bald head went into a brief system freeze before his brain finally retrieved the image of Li Mo. "Oh, that little guy..." Galliani stroked his chin. He was a shrewd man; although the offer of half a million wasn't much, he could smell Arsenal's intentions. The offer was low, but it carried the air of a club determined to get their man.

"They saw him score two goals and now they’ve set their sights on him, have they?" Galliani muttered to himself. He replied that anything under two million was non-negotiable.

Li Mo certainly had talent, but he wasn't like Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, or Ronaldo Nazário—players whose talent was so obvious that one knew immediately they would become world-class. Even then, talented players don't always become superstars. Take Bojan, the "New Messi" who joined the team this season. His talent was immense—he had scored at a rate of three goals per game in the La Masia academy—yet he had spent years being loaned out everywhere. Having talent is one thing; whether one can adapt to the professional game and fulfill that potential is another.

If seventeen-year-old Li Mo could fetch two million euros to help AC Milan secure Balotelli from Manchester City, it was a guaranteed win.

"Two million?" Wenger was slightly surprised. It wasn't the figure that shocked him, but the fact that AC Milan was willing to sell Li Mo without much of a struggle. Wenger frowned. Two million for a seventeen-year-old academy player with no professional experience was undoubtedly expensive. However, considering there were only twenty-four hours left in the transfer window and Li Mo held an EU passport, requiring no work permit, the price was acceptable—had there been more time, Wenger certainly would have haggled.

But now... Wenger gritted his teeth. "Two million it is!"

He knew he was gambling on Li Mo’s future. Wenger trusted his own eyes; Li Mo was a good player. He even believed that at the very least, Li Mo could become a super-sub. His sense for the game in the final third was too sharp. Such talent, which didn't rely solely on physicality, was unlikely to turn into a total bust.

When Galliani received the two-million-euro offer, he immediately regretted it. If he had known Arsenal would agree so easily, he would have asked for more. Two million to ship out Li Mo and bring in Balotelli—how should he choose? Galliani was indecisive, so he decided to call Massimiliano Allegri.

"If you had to choose between Li Mo and Balotelli, who would you pick?"

The question baffled Allegri, but the choice wasn't difficult. Any normal coach would pick Balotelli. He was already a proven commodity with stellar performances for Inter Milan and Manchester City, and he was a current Italian international. As for Li Mo? He had no professional experience and his physical attributes couldn't compare to Balotelli’s. His only talent was his positioning, which, in a tactical sense, was less valuable than what Balotelli brought to the table.

"But why choose?" Allegri asked, confused. "Can’t I have both?"

He was told that Arsenal was willing to pay two million for Li Mo, and that the club was exactly two million short of signing Balotelli. Accepting the Arsenal offer meant they could finalize the Balotelli deal immediately.

Allegri was speechless. He knew the club was strapped for cash, but he hadn't realized it had reached the point where they had to sell an academy player just to scrape together two million. Did he have another choice? Li Mo was the future of AC Milan, but he wasn't *his* future. Allegri knew that if the team's results were poor, he would have no future at Milan. In such a situation, how could he worry about the club's long-term future?

If selling Li Mo meant getting Balotelli, why not?

The gears of fate began to turn. Years later, Milan fans would tear Galliani and Allegri apart for this decision, blaming it for the beginning of the club's multi-year decline. But at that moment, neither Galliani nor Allegri believed their decision was wrong or absurd—because, at least for the time being, Balotelli was indeed better than Li Mo.

Li Mo received the news from the club at the end of training that day: the club had accepted Arsenal’s offer, and he was now free to negotiate terms with them. Li Mo was bewildered. He had just been thinking about finding an agent to help him look for a new club, and here Arsenal was, knocking on his door.

He carefully considered Arsenal’s current situation: a manager who excelled at using and developing young players; a forward line featuring the "happy" Olivier Giroud, the "happy" senior Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and the "happy" little tiger Theo Walcott. Hmm... it seemed their ability to convert chances wasn't exactly top-tier. With aging players like Arshavin and Rosicky not getting much playing time, joining Arsenal seemed like a real opportunity.

Li Mo decided to consult his uncle. Filippo Inzaghi nearly exploded when he heard that AC Milan wanted to sell Li Mo, but at forty years old, he had his emotions under control. After calming down, Inzaghi thought it over and agreed that Arsenal was a good fit for Li Mo. Arsenal lacked a striker who could reliably convert chances. If he played well, becoming a starter at Arsenal wasn't impossible. Furthermore, Arsenal was a decent platform, and Wenger was famous for his fondness for young talent.

Just then, Li Mo’s phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Li. This is Arsène Wenger."