NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14: 14
Red Bull has become a massive conglomerate, largely thanks to the substantial profits generated from its energy drinks.
The company has chosen sports as its primary marketing medium, aiming to align its brand with the youthful, energetic demographic that favors energy drinks.
Red Bull's marketing has become famous for its sponsorship of a wide variety of extreme sports and challenges, including free-fall jumps from the stratosphere and the historic achievement of being the first person in the world to break the sound barrier without a plane.
Despite its image as a trendsetter, Red Bull is most passionate about two sports: Formula One and football. These are two of the most popular sports in the world, with the largest and most widespread fan bases.
In Formula One, Red Bull operates two teams—Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri. In the early 2010s, the team won four consecutive titles with Sebastian Vettel leading the charge. After a period of decline, they triumphed again in 2021, defeating Mercedes' dominance and clinching the championship with Max Verstappen at the helm.
Red Bull has also emerged as a powerhouse in football. The company invests in and operates soccer through the 'Red Bull Football Group,' which owns four clubs worldwide:
RB Salzburg, an Austrian first-division team
RB Leipzig, a team in the German Bundesliga
New York Red Bulls, a member of the American MLS
Red Bull Bragantino, a team in Brazil's first division
Each club operates according to a similar football philosophy, discovering and developing promising players, and sharing coaching expertise and know-how.
In order to increase the value of promising players discovered in lower-tier leagues, such as those in Austria, Brazil, and the United States, they are often sent to sister clubs in Germany's Bundesliga for further development.
Among the Red Bull Football Group clubs, RB Salzburg holds a unique position. While they may not have the high status of RB Leipzig, which consistently ranks high in the Bundesliga, Salzburg benefits from its location in Austria, home to Red Bull's headquarters, and serves as the primary gateway for young players recruited from around the world who show potential for European football.
The RB Salzburg system is renowned for its player development program, which sees players gaining experience with Salzburg, and if needed, they may be sent to the satellite club Liefering in the Austrian second division. From there, they move on to other Red Bull clubs or are sold to top-flight clubs. This approach has been hailed as one of the best player development programs in the world.
Several players who passed through the Salzburg system are now playing in the Premier League, including Liverpool's Sadio Mane, Takumi Minamino, and Naby Keita; Wolverhampton's Hwang Hee-chan; Leicester's Patson Daka; and Brighton's Enoch Mwepu. Expanding this to the top five European leagues, the list includes dozens of players.
The standout player among Red Bull's recent stars is Erling Haaland, now playing for Borussia Dortmund. Haaland has caught the attention of top European clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester City, and PSG.
The person with the most influence over the recruitment and transfer of players at RB Salzburg is Marc Lang. He has been with the club for 15 years, working as a coach and manager, and now serves as the technical director responsible for player recruitment and transfers.
It was a pleasure for Mark Lang to hear from Kim, who had recently taken over as manager of a Premier League club.
"Kim! Hahaha, I'm honored that the official manager of a Premier League club contacted me!" Lang said, holding the phone to his ear as he briskly walked down the hallway of the club's offices.
As he hurried, Lang made sure to greet the staff he passed.
"… I always thought I'd see you as a first-team coach one day, but I didn't know you'd become a full-time Premier League manager just two months after leaving Salzburg! Everyone's thrilled to hear about you. Of course, I've been following Burnley's games closely these days."
Mark Lang paused when he heard the message on the phone and entered the conference room.
"… Yeah. Of course, I'm always interested in that kind of thing. You know that too, right?"
As he entered, everyone in the room, who had been deep in conversation, quieted down and waited for him to finish his call.
After a moment of concentration, Mark Lang said, "That's a very interesting proposal. I need to go to the transfer committee right now. I'll discuss it quickly and get back to you."
After hanging up, Lang sat down, and the football director, Christopher Prudence, immediately asked, "What's going on?"
Lang smiled and looked around the room at the members of RB Salzburg's transfer committee.
"Our friend Kim, who moved to England, brought us a very interesting proposal."
Before the transfer window closed on August 31, Burnley Football Club managed to secure no fewer than four promising young players on loan.
The previous owner, Mike Garlick, had mobilized all his connections and successfully loaned two promising players that Hyung-min had scouted during his time at Salzburg in European youth competitions.
The first was Tunisian midfielder Hannibal Mabrey, who played for Manchester United's reserve team. The second was Jacob Ramsey, an English midfielder with Aston Villa's reserve team.
Both clubs were attracted to the opportunity to showcase their players as semi-regulars in the Premier League, giving them valuable first-team experience.
Although the purchase fee was set at an amount Burnley couldn't afford, Burnley's board had anticipated this and arranged for the rent to be exempt, even paying the weekly wages themselves.
On the other hand, Red Bull had more demanding terms, as RB Salzburg's system was optimized for developing promising young players.
"Look, Kim. I want to help too. But our kids can reach their full potential and increase their value even without Burnley. On the contrary, we're more concerned about them not receiving our guidance during this crucial time for their growth," Marc Lang explained.
"I understand," Hyung-min replied. "How about this?"
Hyung-min suggested that Red Bull request the amount of money that would completely transfer the players, and in return, Burnley would sign a lease contract with a transfer clause, covering the weekly wages. Rather than paying rent, Burnley would impose a penalty for guaranteed appearances and treat the players as key figures in the first team.
"What do you mean by 'key player'?" Lang asked.
"Except for injuries, player protection reasons, and cup competitions, I will definitely start him in every league match," Hyung-min clarified.
"And who exactly do you want?"
Hyung-min took a deep breath before responding quietly, "Nicholas Seywald and Karim Adeyemi."
Lang sighed audibly, clearly taken aback. "Christopher and Matthias are both going to try to kill me for this. Okay. I'll talk to them and let you know."
After ending the call, Lang let out another sigh. He knew the transfer would have to happen sooner or later, but convincing the director of football, Christoph Fröd, and the first-team coach, Matthias Jaisle, to part with two key players on the final day of the transfer window would be no easy task.
According to a friend still at Salzburg, Matthias Jaisle was summoned to Lang's office immediately after the phone call with Hyung-min. Though the exact content of the conversation is unknown, it's said that Jaisle was upset, shouted, but eventually agreed to let the players go, considering the club's overall structure and financial strategy.
Thanks to Red Bull's ample finances and their willingness to prioritize long-term investments over immediate cash flow, Hyung-min was able to loan top-class prospects without needing to pay transfer fees.
However, this positive momentum was short-lived. Hyung-min was left frustrated after attending an emergency board meeting called by Helena.
"Ashley Westwood?!" Hyung-min exclaimed.
"Yes, we received an offer from Norwich, and honestly, it was too good to pass up," Helena replied.
Norwich had offered £10 million for the 31-year-old veteran midfielder, with immediate payment upon transfer.
The offer was a strategic move to strengthen Norwich's squad and weaken a relegation rival at the same time.
Burnley's board, aware of their fragile financial situation, knew they could not refuse.
"Can we use some of that money to permanently sign the players we have on loan?" Hyung-min asked.
Helena shook her head. "After all, they're ours once they're loaned out, right? We're not paying them much, so it makes financial sense to keep them as rentals for now. If we have the funds later, we'll prioritize permanently acquiring them."
This was a decision for the future, one that could only be made if the club could pay its players and staff their salaries consistently.
Hyung-min, having strengthened the midfield with three promising young players but losing a veteran, swallowed his frustration at being part of a smaller club.
It remains unknown whether Matthias Jaisle was equally frustrated, knowing that Hyung-min, who had successfully signed players from his system, now faced the same challenge of losing talent at the last minute.