I became the Premier League’s youngest manager

As the first half drew to a close, Aston Villa had 60% possession but were outshot 7 to 11. The effective shooting was an even more serious disadvantage, 1 to 7. And crucially, the score was 0-2.

The sound of Aston Villa owner Nassef Sabiris' teeth grinding could be heard as he sat, visibly shaken, watching his team get thoroughly beaten by an away side widely considered to be at the bottom of the relegation race. Helena, sitting next to him, could sense his distress.

"I'm sorry, Miss Cartwright. I have an urgent matter to attend to…" Nassef mumbled, apologizing as he quickly left the game after the first half.

Christian Purslow, the Aston Villa CEO, and Johan Lange, the club's director of football, who had been seated next to their guest, moved to sit next to Helena, their faces gloomy.

Helena, who outwardly appeared apologetic but inwardly felt a surge of excitement, sipped her wine happily, even though she still didn't quite understand the game (and honestly, she couldn't see the field very well from her box seat).

On the pitch, Burnley, under Kim's relaxed direction, neutralized Villa's attacks throughout the second half with ease.

The second half ended, and extra time was added.

The gloomy voice of the stadium announcer echoed through Villa Park and reached Helena's ears, like the singing of an angel.

"Goal. It's a goal! 93 minutes into extra time. Burnley's Chris Wood scores another goal. The score is now 0-3. 0-3."

Hyungmin, sitting in a quiet room after the match, couldn't help but think back to his conversation earlier that day.

"I'm sure I ended the conversation on a good note back then," he mused, replaying the events in his mind.

"No, we don't have any funds to transfer players," Helena had firmly rejected his request for player support.

It had been an emergency board meeting on the morning of August 30th, just two days before the summer transfer window closed. Hyungmin, who had just been appointed the official manager after Burnley's dominant 3-0 win over Aston Villa, had hoped for more financial backing.

He had pleaded, "We can't continue like this. Helena knows that. With Matej Vydra, Ben Gibson, Aaron Lennon, and Phil Bardsley leaving before the season started, we only have 21 players registered for the first team, including three goalkeepers and Dale Stephens, who is out with a long-term injury. We only have 17 outfield players. We don't even have enough players to sit on the bench."

Helena raised an eyebrow, thinking it over. "What about players from the reserve or youth team?"

Hyungmin quickly responded, "Let's leave the youth team out of the question. If there were any players ready to join the first team in the short term, they would have already been promoted to the reserves. Among the reserves, the only players who could potentially play for the first team are Richard Narthy, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, and Jacob Beddoe, but they are all out on loan. Bailey is a goalkeeper, so he's not needed right now."

Helena, seemingly frustrated, asked, "Can't we cancel their leases?"

John Banaskiewicz, who had been assigned to guide Helena through the intricacies of soccer, answered for Hyungmin. "It's not possible under the current contracts."

Sighing, Helena vented her frustration at her father's financial mismanagement before refocusing on the matter at hand.

"Kim… As you know, we don't have much money right now. Before ALK Capital withdrew, we signed Max Cornet, Nathan Collins, and Connor Roberts, and whatever spare money we had left was taken by ALK Capital to repay debt. We've barely secured enough funds to operate this year, but we really don't have the money for transfers."

Hyungmin, who had witnessed Helena's earlier attempts to secure more funds from the Cartwright Fund, didn't press her to find additional money. However, he knew it was nearly impossible to play an entire season with their current squad.

He hesitated before unveiling his backup plan. "Uh… then how about this?"

"What is it?" Helena asked, her tone skeptical but curious.

Hyungmin, now the official manager, was determined to present a solution. He carefully explained, "We're trying to rebuild, right?"

Helena sighed. "It's more of a rebuilding process than an improvement in constitution. Anyway, go on."

"So, are we aiming to recruit young players and sell them at high prices?" Hyungmin asked cautiously.

"If possible, yes. But first, we need to replace the aging players who are currently occupying positions with younger ones," Helena responded with a hint of irritation, returning her attention to her laptop.

Hyungmin, sensing an opportunity, continued, "We can't just recruit promising young players and sell them at high prices, but what if we loan them out and use the club as a showcase?"

Helena looked up, intrigued but puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Hyungmin gestured as he explained, "Many clubs have young players with potential, but to fully realize their talent, they need real-world experience. They have to play regularly, as their value goes up and they earn opportunities at their parent clubs."

Helena's expression remained indifferent. "And?"

"We can loan players from top clubs—ones with potential, but who can't immediately make the first team due to competition. We guarantee them playing time at Burnley, and in return, we cover their costs."

Helena interrupted, shaking her head. "I can't accept Burnley becoming a satellite club."

Mike Garlick, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. "A satellite club signs a contract with a higher-level team and borrows players from them, without having much control over which players come or go. It's like a AAA or AA team in the major leagues."

Helena raised an eyebrow. "AAA or AA? What is that?"

The room went silent as Hyungmin, Mike, John Banaskiewicz, and Arthur exchanged unsure glances. Arthur, finally breaking the silence, explained, "A small club borrows players from a big club to give them more playing time. The bigger club uses this to develop its reserve players or sell them for a profit later on."

Helena blinked, processing the analogy. "Ah, I see. It's like when a small bank borrows funds from a larger bank. I can understand that. But when you say major leagues—are you talking about baseball?"

Hyungmin chuckled awkwardly, but before he could respond, Helena continued, ignoring his confusion. "So, you want us to sign these players on loan, but we don't want Burnley to be a minor league team for larger clubs."

Hyungmin nodded. "Exactly. We control who comes and goes. If we can, we'd include a transfer clause to secure the player permanently when we have the money. The goal is to develop talent and potentially sign them permanently later on."

Mike Garlick, still cautious, asked, "How much does this kind of deal cost?"

Hyungmin was ready. "It depends on the player. Premier League-level loans might cost between £250,000 and £1 million per month. Plus, we have to cover their wages."

Helena quickly ran the numbers in her head. "That's between £2.5 million and £10 million a year. It's too much."

Hyungmin quickly countered, "I'm not asking you to pay rent. Instead, we would charge the loaning club a weekly salary without paying a rental fee."

Helena raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

Hyungmin explained, "We'll guarantee a player's appearances, and if they don't meet the agreed terms, they pay a penalty. For example, if the original rent is £250,000 per month, the player's parent club would pay £500,000 for any month the appearance guarantee is broken."

Helena raised a skeptical eyebrow. "High risk, high return?"

Hyungmin and John Banaskiewicz excitedly continued discussing the proposal.

"Would any club agree to such a contract?" Mike Garlick asked.

"If it's more important for the player to play and increase their value than simply earning money, they'll agree. We just need to find one or two clubs willing to take the chance," Hyungmin said confidently.

"But what if the player gets injured or fails to adapt?" Garlick pressed.

"We'll add a clause that allows us to terminate the lease at any time. We'll also have a mutual termination agreement in place if the player isn't performing well," Hyungmin replied.

As the board members processed the details, Hyungmin pushed for approval.

"This way, we can recruit first-team players without spending upfront. The players get playing time, their parent clubs increase their value, and if they're really good, we can sign them for a fixed price when we have the money. It's a win-win."

Helena remained silent for a moment before glancing at Mike Garlick and John Banaskiewicz, who nodded in agreement. Finally, she spoke.

"Alright. This might work under those conditions."

"But we can only bring in two players on loan from clubs in the UK," John Banaskiewicz cautioned.

"That means we have to bring them in from abroad as well," Garlick added.

"Where will we find such players in such a short period?" Helena asked.

Hyungmin, now full of confidence, smiled. "Oh, don't worry about that. I know a really good business partner."