Chapter 154: The Boardroom Battle

Chapter 154: The Boardroom Battle Chapter 154: The Boardroom Battle Monday, 25 October, 2010 The boardroom felt tense, like the whole room was holding its breath. It was that eerie kind of quiet, right before something big happens where even the smallest noises, like a shoe scraping the floor or the soft ticking of the clock, sounded way too loud. The air smelled strongly of old leather and polished wood, a mix that only made the silence feel heavier. Coach Niels, still wearing his tracksuit, could feel a bead of sweat slowly sliding down his back. He shifted slightly in his chair, painfully aware of how calm and collected the men in suits looked compared to him. The door opened, and a man walked in confident, calm, and clearly in control. He wasn’t a player, and he definitely wasn’t part of the club’s regular board. This was someone different. His name was Mark Sterling, and the moment he entered, the atmosphere shifted. He wore a suit so sharp and perfectly tailored it looked like it had been designed just for this moment. In one hand, he carried a slim leather portfolio no bulky briefcase, just something sleek and intentional. His smile was smooth, polite, almost too perfect. He moved down the line, shaking hands with the board members, his grip firm, but never lingering. When he reached Coach Niels, he didn’t stop just gave him a quick nod. His eyes, cool and calculating, flicked over Niels like he was a piece of furniture, not someone worth paying real attention to. "Gentlemen," Sterling said, his voice smooth and confident, like someone who was used to being listened to. He didn’t bother sitting. Instead, he placed his slim leather portfolio on the table and opened it with a soft, deliberate click. "I’m not here to negotiate a new contract for Dev," he said, looking around the room. "We all know that ship has sailed. What I’m here to talk about is his future." He pulled out a handful of glossy brochures and spread them across the table. Each one carried the unmistakable crest of a major European club. No introductions were necessary, these were giants. A dominant German team. A legendary Italian side. A Spanish club known around the world. Just seeing their logos was enough. Sterling didn’t need to say a word. The message was clear: Dev had options, and they were some of the biggest names in football. "This," Sterling said, tapping the brochures lightly, "is the next logical step." His voice was calm, measured almost gentle, but with an edge of finality. "The Europa League run has been incredible, a real storybook moment. But let’s be honest... it was just that. A platform. A stepping stone. Dev isn’t a League One player anymore. He’s an international-level talent now. And he’s outgrown Crawley Town." He let the words settle, then turned slightly toward Julian Thorne, the board’s numbers man. "Julian, his value has exploded. You’re sitting on a return that could fund this club for years upgrades, signings, the academy. And Dev? He gets to compete at the top. To grow, to challenge himself, to become who he’s meant to be." Sterling’s eyes moved from face to face, his smile never wavering, as if he already knew no one could argue with him. "A fairytale has to end sometime," he said quietly. "And this one? It’s time for the next Chapter." Niels’s hands curled into fists beneath the table, his knuckles tightening as a wave of heat surged to his face. Sterling wasn’t here to talk. He wasn’t negotiating. This was a surgical strike a calm, calculated dismantling of everything they had built, dressed up in smooth words and glossy paper. Beside him, Emma Hayes leaned forward ever so slightly. She didn’t say a word, but the message was clear: ’It’s time’. Niels exhaled slowly, then pushed his own documents across the table handwritten notes, training plans, tactical diagrams. Compared to the slick brochures laid out by Sterling, they looked small. Homemade. Almost childish. But he spoke anyway, his voice steady despite the weight in the room. "I understand what you’re saying, Mr. Sterling," Niels began, meeting his gaze head-on. "But I think you’ve got it backwards." He tapped the edge of his papers scattered notes and game plans that looked worn, but real. "You see the end of a story. We see the beginning." He stood slowly, the chair sliding back with a soft scrape. His voice grew stronger, steadier, the rhythm of belief rising in his chest. "You say Dev has outgrown us. I say we’re growing with him." He took a breath, letting the truth of it settle before pressing on. "This isn’t just about one player anymore. We’ve built something bigger than that. We’ve built a system. A vision. A way forward." He looked around the room now, not just at Sterling, but at the board, at Emma, at every person who’d lived through the grind of the season. "Look at Bournemouth. We were down. We looked finished. But the team didn’t give up, we adapted. We fought. Pogba stepped up. Freeman found space. Simons held the midfield like a veteran." He paused, his voice firm now, filled with quiet pride. "We’re not building a team around a star. We’re building a team of stars." Niels’s voice carried through the room now not just words, but belief. Passion. It filled the air, stark against the polished calm of Sterling’s corporate detachment. "You’re right," he said, not flinching from the truth. "We can’t compete with a Champions League offer. We all know that." He let the admission hang there a moment, then stepped into the silence with something stronger. "But at one of those clubs, Dev is a number. Just another face on a long, star-studded roster. Here, he’s the face. He’s the story. The heartbeat of this club." He looked around the table, then back at Sterling. "Here, he’s not chasing a legacy of club legend, he’s building one. He’s leading a team no one believed in to places no one thought possible." Then he turned to Mr. Hargreaves, the chairman. His voice softened, but lost none of its weight. "So no, we don’t compete with money. We don’t compete with stadium size or trophy cabinets. We stop trying to win that game." He tapped his chest lightly, once. "We appeal to his heart. To his loyalty. We remind him that he’s a hero here. That kids wear his name on their backs. That when people buy a ticket, it’s mainly to see him. Not just the football. Him." Niels took a breath, his eyes steady. "We sell him on the dream. On the chance to make history, not just be part of someone else’s. We remind him that he belongs here." "Coach, I really respect you," Sterling said, his voice dipping into something quieter, more measured almost gentle. A calm meant to disarm. "Without you, Dev wouldn’t be where he is. You’ve helped shape something rare here. That’s a different kind of value. One that doesn’t show up on balance sheets." For the first time, Sterling’s polished smile faltered just slightly. A flicker of something crossed his face. Was it doubt? Regret? He reached down, picked up one of the brochures, and ran his thumb slowly across the gold-embossed crest. The shine caught the light, bright and cold. "But.," he said again, softer now. A low, velvety tone that felt more like a warning than reassurance. "Fairytales don’t win trophies. Ambition does. And Dev’s ambition..." He looked up, the warmth gone from his eyes. "It’s bigger than this club." Sterling let the words hang, their weight settling like dust over the room. Julian Thorne shifted in his seat, the creak of leather the only sound in the silence. His fingers fidgeted with his pen, a tell of discomfort he rarely showed. Across from him, Richard Langley’s eyes flicked between Sterling and the brochures, already doing the math not just financial, but reputational. Headlines. Fan forums. How to spin this without losing face. Then came the quietest sound of the meeting a throat clearing but it cut through the tension like a bell. Mr. Hargreaves. He hadn’t spoken a word until now. Hadn’t needed to. His silence had been a presence of its own. But now, with a slow, deliberate movement, he leaned forward, resting his hands on the polished wood table. And just like that, the entire room turned to him. "Mr. Sterling," Mr. Hargreaves said, his voice low and steady, carrying an unexpected weight. "We’ve heard your offer, and we appreciate the clarity. But Dev is under contract with us for two more years. We’re not in the habit of letting our players walk away without a fight. And we won’t let him go without a transfer fee that truly matches his value." Sterling’s eyes narrowed, a flash of surprise crossing his face. He’d expected bluster, or perhaps some hesitation but not this calm, unshakable resolve. "Let me be clear, gentlemen," Sterling replied, his tone sharp now, businesslike. "These clubs don’t wait around. The window to make this happen is closing fast. You have a chance to sell Dev now for a substantial sum. If you hold him here against his will, his value will drop. He’ll be unhappy, and that will show on the pitch." He picked up his portfolio and snapped it shut with a finality that made everyone flinch. "The transfer window is closing fast," he said, his voice cold and steady. "You don’t have much time to think this through. After it shuts, these offers vanish. No extensions. No exceptions. Let me know what you decide." With a final nod, he was gone. The door clicked shut, leaving the room in a thick, suffocating silence. Julian Thorne stared down at the brochures spread across the table, his mind already running the numbers transfer fees, budgets, future investments all in cold, hard figures. Richard Langley slowly ran a hand over his face, the weight of potential public backlash pressing down on him. How would fans react? The media? Sponsors? Niels sat back, his heart pounding in his chest as he glanced at his tactical diagrams the plays and strategies that had once felt so certain now seemed fragile and meaningless. The future of Crawley Town Football Club, a vision so clear on the pitch, had suddenly been reduced to an impossible choice, trapped inside this cold, sterile boardroom.