Lass Diarra had always been a player with a mixed reputation.
On the pitch, he possessed excellent tackling and interception abilities. Hailed as the next Makelele, he was highly regarded and was seen as destined to become a top defensive midfielder of his generation.
Even more impressively, in addition to his outstanding defensive skills, his solid footwork and passing range had earned him widespread praise—especially in recent years, as European football demanded more and more from defensive midfielders.
But off the pitch, his behavior was often bizarre.
Born in 1985, Lass Diarra came through the youth system at French club Nantes. But at 16, he was released due to concerns over his short stature and slim build. He then moved to Le Mans, who were in Ligue 2 at the time.
However, shortly after joining Le Mans, Lass Diarra complained to the media, claiming he was underappreciated by the club and wanted to leave. This completely offended Le Mans, who then refused to release him from his contract, leaving him in limbo with no team to play for.
A year later, Lass Diarra joined Le Havre, where he quickly impressed, earning the nickname "the new Makelele" and attracting the attention of top-tier scouts.
In 2005, Chelsea signed him from Le Havre for a hefty €4 million.
Back then, Stamford Bridge was packed with talent. Mourinho had assembled stars like Essien and Lampard. How could a youngster like Lass Diarra expect to get consistent minutes?
In his second season at Chelsea, Mourinho experimented with Diarra at right back. He performed well and even claimed a regular starting role, which led to a call-up to the French national team.
But Diarra, ever ambitious, wasn't content with his position at Chelsea and pushed for more. Mourinho refused. Chelsea soon signed another right back, and in the summer of 2007, Lass Diarra moved to Arsenal.
Arsenal only paid €2.61 million for Diarra—a sharp drop from the €4 million Chelsea had shelled out—but Diarra and his agent still secured a sizable signing bonus.
This time, things got even more outrageous. At Arsenal, Diarra failed to secure the core starting role he wanted, especially with young Fabregas now the team's captain and main playmaker. Diarra became increasingly dissatisfied.
Just six months later, he publicly declared his desire to leave and transferred to Portsmouth for €6.3 million.
Redknapp, Portsmouth's manager at the time, had great faith in Diarra and immediately made him the team's midfield anchor. Diarra repaid that faith with top performances.
That season, he helped Portsmouth win the FA Cup.
At that point, many believed Chelsea and Arsenal had misjudged him.
In January 2009, Real Madrid entered the race, and Diarra didn't hesitate. He joined the Spanish giants, and that summer, after Sneijder left, he gave up his No. 6 shirt and took the iconic No. 10—symbolizing the team's core.
This said a lot about Diarra's ambition.
After Pellegrini departed, Mourinho, who had clashed with Diarra at Chelsea, took over at Real Madrid. The two never got over their past differences.
Mourinho wanted Diarra to focus on the defensive midfielder role, but the Frenchman—now wearing No. 10—wanted to be the heart of the midfield.
He believed he had the ability.
Unhappy at Madrid, when Manchester United came knocking, looking to strengthen their squad, Diarra jumped at the chance. He even went on strike to force the move to Old Trafford.
As expected, Diarra brought balance to United's midfield and quickly became one of Ferguson's most trusted players. Many even claimed he was the club's best defensive midfielder since Roy Keane.
But Lass Diarra never let go of his obsession with being the core.
He never saw himself as a defensive player. He believed he should be wearing the No. 10 shirt.
At United, however, with Sneijder playing ahead of him and Carrick behind, Diarra's only responsibility was to do what he did best—defend.
The Frenchman wasn't happy.
Ferguson, known for his authoritative management style, continued to suppress Diarra's ambitions. Most thought that under his discipline, Diarra would gradually mature and correct his attitude.
Especially as he got older.
But unexpectedly, right after Manchester United's match against Benfica, Diarra's agent, John Williams, suddenly gave an interview to the media, saying Diarra was considering leaving United at the end of the season.
The news stunned the entire Premier League.
What was going on?
Why had this news suddenly broken?
Hadn't Diarra been performing well?
He had been vital in United reaching the Champions League semi-finals. Why would he suddenly want to leave?
Only then did people realize that behind Manchester United's seemingly smooth progress, Ferguson had been suppressing internal conflicts and off-field drama.
What was going on with Lass Diarra?
This became the Premier League's hottest topic.
From the media to the fans, everyone was watching and speculating.
As Manchester United's biggest rival—and their opponent in the Champions League semi-finals—Gao Shen and Manchester City were of course paying close attention to every move the Red Devils made. And since their training grounds were adjacent, they had access to more insider information than most.
"According to reliable sources, John Williams has already met with Russian club Anzhi, who offered Diarra a sky-high contract of €7 million after tax," Carlos Vargas reported.
As soon as he finished, Gao Shen, Carlo, Brian Kidd, and the rest all exchanged stunned glances.
"After tax?" Brian Kidd repeated in shock.
"After tax," Vargas confirmed. "Anzhi have been throwing money around in recent years, recruiting players all over Europe. Diarra had already clashed with United before, but it never made it into the press."
Ferguson's influence on English football was unmatched, especially in his relationship with the media.
Don't underestimate Ferguson's power.
He once banned the BBC just because they exposed that his third son, who worked as an agent, was involved in embezzlement.
Since then, Ferguson refused to give interviews to the BBC or attend any event involving them.
In European football, the media generally inform clubs before publishing negative stories. That's how Ferguson was able to suppress so much internal drama.
Only now was it revealed that Diarra had previously requested to be the team's core, but Ferguson had refused.
After all, with players like Sneijder and Carrick in the squad, how could Manchester United build around Diarra?
Still, Ferguson's management was remarkable. Even after rejecting him, he got Diarra to continue playing hard for the team.
But now, Russian club Anzhi stepped in and stirred things up with Diarra and his agent.
And who did John Williams speak to?
The Independent.
Everyone in England knew that this newspaper was heavily influenced by Arsenal fans.
There weren't many British media outlets that would dare break such negative news without notifying Ferguson—and The Independent was one of them.
Clearly, John Williams had done his homework.
After hearing all this, Gao Shen didn't know how to feel.
Schadenfreude? Or gratitude toward Diarra and his agent?
The Champions League semi-finals were just around the corner, and they chose to stir things up now—clearly an attempt to pressure Manchester United and create an opening for a summer transfer.
"I guess he thinks United can't live without him," Gao Shen speculated.
Manchester United were indeed in a tight spot.
Fletcher was sidelined indefinitely with ulcerative colitis and likely wouldn't return this season. Anderson had been out from November to March due to a knee injury and still hadn't regained form.
Both of United's other defensive midfielders were out, leaving only Diarra to hold the line.
The Frenchman was well aware of this and saw a chance to cash in.
He wanted to elevate his role at the club, gain more influence, and land a new contract with a higher wage.
You had to admit, the timing was spot on.
United were about to play a massive Champions League semi-final. Ferguson had publicly declared he wanted one last title before retirement.
In this context, both Ferguson and the club might be forced to compromise.
Just like they had done when Rooney demanded a wage increase.
"Do you think Ferguson will tolerate this?" Carlo looked at Gao Shen and asked.
Everyone knew Gao Shen and Ferguson had a close relationship. They could even be considered friends, despite the age gap.
Gao Shen gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "I'm not Ferguson. How would I know?"
After a pause, he changed tack. "But if it were me, I'd keep him calm, have him play for me and give his best, then in the summer, I'd demand a big transfer fee and sell him."
"If no club wants to pay, I'd freeze him out and let his agent find a buyer. Since Williams is so capable, I'm sure he can find a team willing to meet my asking price."
Carlo and Kidd exchanged glances, both feeling a chill.
From now on, no matter what happens, never get on his bad side!
But even Gao Shen couldn't guess what Ferguson would do.
He had a rough idea, based on his understanding of the man. But this was a special situation, and he wasn't sure whether Ferguson still had that kind of resolve and ruthlessness.
(To be continued.)
***
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