NOVPUB
Chapter 125: City’s Backline is in Safe Hands
John Terry started out with the famous East End feeder club Senrab before joining West Ham’s academy setup under their academy boss Tony Carr.
To be honest, for Richard, it wouldn’t have been easy to convince Terry if he hadn’t personally stepped in to recruit him.
At the time, Terry was already on a YTS contract with West Ham, so Richard’s first move was to approach Terry’s father. Initially, he was rejected. His dad told Richard that it had always been his dream to see his son captain the Hammers.
(P.S. YTS *Youth Training Scheme* was the name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17)
However, Richard had a few tricks up his sleeve. He essentially sweet-talked both John and his father into making the move to City. He offered money, a release clause in case City failed to gain promotion to the Premier League within three years, and other benefits, like the promise that John would eventually be made team captain. In the end, Terry, ever obedient, agreed to join Manchester City.
Richard still remembered how Tony Carr cursed him when he found out Terry was leaving West Ham. For Carr, it was the second time a highly talented player he had admired had just walked out the door.
The first was Tony Adams. Though Carr had managed to bring him to West Ham initially, Adams informed him on decision day that he’d be signing for Arsenal instead. Fair enough—Arsenal probably offered better terms.
But Terry? A massive disappointment.
When you’ve had a player in your care for two years, and then he suddenly ups and leaves to sign for another club—it stings. It forces you to question everything: ’Why did he leave? Was it something we did? Did we not treat him right? Was he unhappy with his position?’ Something, clearly, had gone wrong.
Clearly, just like how strong Arsenal scouts back then managed to entice Tony Adams to reject them, the name of the UK’s youngest billionaire, Richard Maddox, was enough to persuade John Terry and his father as well.
Of course, he cursed in the media, though not directly—he used difficult metaphors and slang that Richard couldn’t care less about. For him, the most important thing was that he got his man.
Watching John Terry’s performance, Richard was lost in thought. Not because of his disappointment, but because... he was interested.
As the future captain of England and Chelsea, if following the original timeline, naturally, leadership, mental strength, emotional control, and decision-making are key priorities. So, what would you do, John, if you were in this situation?
He was interested in how this future England great defender would handle it
And Richard was right. Currently, John Terry was in crisis.
He was not blind. He saw O’Neill and even Richard Maddox’s sudden appearance on the sidelines and knew that this was a good opportunity to show himself. His teammates were also trying hard to perform well, and he was not willing to fall behind
It was just that no one was willing to pass the ball to him, because if it were passed to him, it would only make the team’s overall performance look bad. Everyone else would lose the chance to perform.
Because... he is the youngest on the team, and people don’t believe in him.
When Richard asked why John Terry’s physique was noticeably smaller than that of the other players, he initially assumed it was due to nutrition or something along those lines. But he didn’t expect the reason to be truly messed up.
"You say what?!" Richard was stunned as he listened to McStay’s explanation.
Every player on the pitch was at least 16—Gallas and Ferdinand included. Paul Robinson was 15, but he was a goalkeeper, which Richard could understand.
But John Terry?
A fuckin 13 years and 1 month old.
That group of players would usually share a few laughs, but when it came down to the crunch, who wouldn’t prioritize themselves first? There was nothing to be done. Such was the harsh reality of professional football. One couldn’t complain about others not giving them a chance if they didn’t have the strength to earn it.
Still, though, at the last moment, one or two chances came his way, and the ball landed right at his feet. Terry knew this was his chance. He made a run before striking the ball, but instead of heading towards the goal, it veered off towards the stands.
Terry wondered if his performance was over just like that.
Looking at his teammates—how the more they pressed on, the closer they got, and how, as a midfielder, the more he kicked, the farther away he was from the goalmouth—he thought that maybe taking off the blue jersey and following his father to work in construction, a job that didn’t require any skills or positional awareness, was the most suitable option for an uneducated clod like him. As long as he had the strength, he could do it.
’What if I had stayed at West Ham instead?’ Doubts flickered in his eyes.
The pressure here, even though this club’s reputation is far below West Ham’s, why does it feel like the pressure is so much greater?
"Mr. Richard, do you think Terry has the potential to be a great footballer?" McStay couldn’t help but tease, speaking aloud in a way that made O’Neill, who was sitting beside him, skip a beat.
After all, this is the renowned "Super Agent Richard"—a man with 13 players under his name, each one exceptionally talented. You could say every player he represents is top-tier, with Premier League clubs lining up to pay millions for their signatures.
Rumors even say he managed to buy Manchester City using the money he earned from brokering deals for the top players under his management.
Richard didn’t answer. Instead, he rubbed his chin and watched more closely as John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, William Gallas, and 15-year-old Paul Robinson played.
As for Paul Robinson, there’s no need to discuss—he’s too young to be City’s number-one goalkeeper, so that’s something to skip.
Rio Ferdinand, there’s no need to question his ability. He had already become a starter at 11 years old and never once missed a starting spot at Eltham Town before gaining further experience at Charlton Athletic, Chelsea, Millwall, and Queens Park Rangers’ youth teams.
Not to mention, his mother even said he traveled north to Middlesbrough’s training ground, spending a good part of his school holidays in a bedsit just to be there. Watching how Ferdinand played, Richard was satisfied and gave a thumbs-up to Tony Carr once again.
First John Terry, and now Rio Ferdinand. Once again, he had been the one to go up against Richard to secure Ferdinand’s signature. Thankfully, Richard and the Ferdinand family maintained a strong relationship, especially after all the support he gave to Anton Ferdinand. Even now, they stayed in touch.
The next moment, Richard’s gaze landed on William Gallas.
He immediately turned to O’Neill and pointed at Gallas, who was holding the ball.
"Let’s promote him to replace Ian Cox."
O’Neill’s eyes widened before he looked to McStay, hoping for a different perspective. But to his surprise, McStay cleared his throat and said, "Bad communicator, but a fantastic player. If you’re looking for versatility, Martin, I think if you want to promote someone, Gallas is definitely the better choice."
’Of course, has any of you seen a defender wearing number 10, except Gallas?’ Richard’s mouth twitched, remembering the future he knew.
He recalled from the future when Gallas played for Chelsea, and their manager, José Mourinho, said, "Fantastic player. He’s the kind of player that when you have him in your squad, instead of having 22 players, you have 24 or 25. He can play right-back, left-back, central defender on both sides. I don’t remember a mistake from William; I just remember his untouchable performances."
This is why Richard recruited Gallas in the first place. In case any club was willing to snap up their bank accounts for Campbell, Cox, Cafu, and Carlos, at least he had a reliable, versatile player to replace any one of them.
And finally, the last piece of the puzzle—John Terry, the current anomaly.
He immediately turned toward McStay. "Want to bet?"
"What?"
"On what happens in the second half," Richard said. "Let’s see if your opinion changes about John Terry—whether he can become a superstar or not. What do you say? Don’t worry, it won’t affect your career here."
"...What’s the catch?" McStay asked cautiously.
"Hmm..." Richard paused, then held up two fingers. "Unconditional support—no questions asked—when I start revamping the academy. Second, I’ll give you a list of players, and I want them to be your top priority for getting minutes on the pitch. Deal?"
Football clubs—especially in England—have long followed a structured system, heavily influenced by ’old-school’ mentalities. Managers and coaches held most of the power over footballing decisions, including those related to the academy and player promotions.
It was culturally rigid, as most owners didn’t typically have the expertise or background to run a football club themselves. As a result, this structure was respected and rarely challenged.
Micromanagement—common in corporations—was rarely seen in football. The expectation was to trust the professionals hired for each role. Hands-on interference would have been viewed as ’stepping on toes’ or seen as disrespectful.
Richard definitely wanted to break that culture at City. As someone passionate about football, he truly wanted to be more involved.
Unfortunately, his business in America had already created a gap, so he couldn’t just step into the current City first team setup as he pleased. He also couldn’t fire O’Neill, as the manager hadn’t even been in the role for a full year yet.
Since he couldn’t get involved with the first team, focusing on the academy was the next best option. Exceptions did exist, after all. The only challenge was making sure he approached it not with force, but with a more careful and strategic touch.
After O’Neill and McStay discussed for a long time, they soon came to a conclusion. O’Neill coughed before clearing his throat and asked, "Mr. Richard, pardon me if I’m being offensive, but what if you lose?"
Tapping his finger against his thigh, Richard responded, "Since I’ve made two unconditional requests, I’ll grant two requests from you as well, as long as they make sense and are within my reach. How does that sound?"
