Indeed, the team had not yet fully decided on such matters, and both of them were quietly making plans for their future paths.
At this particular juncture, the club's higher-ups were undoubtedly discussing these very issues. While there might have been disagreements and conflicts among them, the players' own thoughts at this moment had become even more crucial. This was a time when no one had made a definitive decision, yet private discussions were necessary.
Cao Baming knew that this was the first time Messi had officially and proactively discussed such a matter with him.
However, what truly intrigued Cao Baming were Messi's words: "The team will 100% lower my salary." On the surface, this might have seemed straightforward, but it conveyed a multitude of meanings.
The reason Messi had said this was undoubtedly because the team's management had likely discussed this matter with him privately. The club's higher-ups had actually approached Messi to discuss a salary reduction and asked if he was willing to stay with the team next season.
It was evident that their intention was to use Messi as a scapegoat, perhaps even to get rid of him. Cao Baming had never expected the club's management to be so ruthless and to have made such a decision so quickly.
Recalling the past, the management had also approached him, but they had never mentioned a salary reduction. They were still trying to keep him and make him the core of the team for the next season. It seemed that both Messi and Henry would no longer be part of the team.
The reason was simply that they were out of money and could not afford so many star players. Even if the defense was not reinforced, the three forwards up front could wreak havoc, yet it was still not guaranteed that they would win every game.
With this thought, Cao Baming decided to be direct.
"It seems they've already spoken to you. Isn't it clear what they want? They want you out. But don't worry, you won't be the only one leaving; I will be too!"
Upon hearing Cao Baming's words, Messi appeared surprised at first, but then he regained his composure.
"Is that really the case? Have you definitely decided to leave the team, to leave next season?"
"Not just next season, I'm going to the team tomorrow to sign my final contract. From then on, I will no longer be an Arsenal player. I hope you also take this opportunity to sign your contract quickly, to avoid any future troubles."
Messi nodded thoughtfully and then gave a definitive reply.
After their call ended, Messi continued to ruminate on the information from their conversation. The amount of information contained in that single phone call was overwhelming for him.
He had too many decisions to make. The most urgent was to reach a final agreement with Arsenal's management. If he intended to leave the team, there was no need to delay any further. And if he wanted to join another team, this was the best time for negotiations.
As for Manchester United, which Cao Baming had mentioned, it might indeed be a good option. However, he couldn't make such a hasty decision. He needed to wait and see what kind of team Cao Baming could build there.
After all, while friendship was precious, when it came to life-altering decisions, everyone would naturally prioritize their own interests and could not completely disregard everything for the sake of a friendship.
Cao Baming, on the other hand, was very satisfied. He felt that all the objectives discussed on the phone had been achieved.
This was his vacation time, and he didn't need to worry about so many things right now. As for the team's matters, that was what he wanted to focus on most. From this moment on, the first move had been made, and the next step was the construction of the entire team!
With this thought, Cao Baming suddenly had a flash of inspiration, as if a light had shone before his eyes, or perhaps within his mind. He couldn't quite describe it.
But then, a truly excellent idea emerged in his mind.
Since he was preparing to embark on something and wanted to build a strong team, instead of continuing to ponder, why not test it in practice? While practice had its costs, not all experiments did, for example, within the system's time bubble!
In such a place, all actions could be undertaken without considering the consequences. This would allow him to experiment with which players to buy, who to appoint as the team's head coach, how to plan the team's development, and what the future commercial objectives should be, all within the time bubble.
Whatever yielded the best results would become the final outcome!
With this idea, Cao Baming became ecstatic. Finally, he had found a use for the time bubble's function beyond just predicting team matches or making money from stocks. What he was doing now seemed more meaningful than anything he had done before.
With this thought, Cao Baming simply conceived an initial plan, which involved the most fundamental aspects of team building. For instance, what personnel changes should this team make?
Regarding the management structure of the team, it seemed there was not much room for change at this point, as everything had already been decided in discussions with Mike. The truly important matters now were the coaching staff and the players.
With this in mind, Cao Baming suddenly recalled a scene he had witnessed once within the system's time bubble. He had some recollection of which players were on the field at that time. It would be better to use that as a starting point to extend, change, and experiment!
The room was perfectly quiet at this moment, making it the ideal time to visit the system's space.
Cao Baming began to recall the appearance of the meeting room he had seen when he first entered the time bubble, the scene, the familiar atmosphere, and the surrounding scents.
Simultaneously, the system's time bubble was initiating. With a flash of white on his mental screen, the scene before him began to subtly change.
In just a few seconds, Cao Baming found himself standing in a deep corridor.