When Zhao Zhao arrived at the Sunderland Training Base, Alan Tate was already waiting there.
As he had given prior notice, Alan Tate's onboarding process was very quick, and he instantly became a member of the Sunderland coaching staff!
However, he couldn't meet the Sunderland first-team players immediately.
Because yesterday was a match day, and they had achieved a big victory, Zhao Zhao had given everyone a day off to rest, and they would return to training tomorrow!
So Alan Tate only met with the Coaches briefly to get acquainted.
And whether for Zhao Zhao or for Breswell, Alan Tate's onboarding was a joyous occasion.
At least there was a good helper for daily training work, and they wouldn't have to do everything themselves anymore!
And today, the club owner and chairman Ellis Short was also at the club, and he specifically called Zhao Zhao to his office for a chat.
"The match last night was fantastic!" Short immediately praised Zhao Zhao, "And you dealt with the criticism beautifully, haha!"
This American owner had always been full of personality; otherwise, he wouldn't have almost gotten into a fight with Newcastle United's Coach Alan Pardew during their match, nor would he have directly promoted a rookie like Zhao Zhao to be the first-team Coach.
Therefore, Short greatly admired a Coach with such a personality as Zhao Zhao.
Of course, Short was also glad that he had made an exceptionally wise decision.
If it weren't for Zhao Zhao's miraculous turnaround, it wouldn't be Middlesbrough that was relegated to the EFL Championship early, but Sunderland!
The Black Cats are indeed Black Cats, with many lives!
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Short," Zhao Zhao replied, neither humble nor arrogant.
"I heard you just signed a new Assistant Coach?" Short asked.
Zhao Zhao replied, "Yes, his name is Alan Tate, and he was originally a Coach from Swansea. I saw that he had good insights into tactics, so I directly invited him over."
"You don't need to explain so clearly," Short chuckled, "I will certainly not question anyone you fancy; I trust your judgment."
Zhao Zhao smiled and nodded.
This owner was indeed quite good.
Besides daring to make him the interim Coach and then making him permanent, Short truly never interfered with the team's affairs.
Perhaps compared to British owners, American owners actually have an advantage?
That is, they don't believe they understand football as well as the British, and thus won't interfere with the Coaches' decisions.
"If you want to continue expanding the coaching staff, go ahead and do it; I will support you," Short added, "I also know that ever since David Moyes took his coaching staff with him, our current setup is indeed relatively thin."
"Understood," Zhao Zhao nodded again, "I will supplement it, and I already have some targets, but it will require slow contact."
Indeed, apart from the Assistant Coach, there are still many positions in the current team that need strengthening.
For example, Fitness Coach, Goalkeeper Coach, Head Team Doctor, and so on.
But now is not the time to rush.
After all, the Premier League has not yet concluded, and it's uncertain whether Sunderland will play in the Premier League or the EFL Championship next season, which will affect the willingness of target personnel.
The same goes for player acquisitions.
The standards and budgets for transfers in the Premier League and the EFL Championship are vastly different!
Only when relegation is truly avoided can Zhao Zhao discuss these issues with the owner again...
However, what Zhao Zhao didn't expect was that Short actually brought up this matter today.
"Actually, the reason I called you here is to talk about next season's transfer budget," Short said, looking into Zhao Zhao's eyes.
"Oh?" Zhao Zhao looked up slightly surprised.
"As long as we continue to play in the Premier League next season, I will give you a budget of fifty million euros for you to buy the players you like," Short said with firm eyes, "and it can even be increased appropriately, as long as our club's finances allow."
Zhao Zhao's eyes immediately lit up.
Fifty million euros!
This was a considerably high transfer budget.
It's worth noting that while Premier League teams' incomes are indeed not low, their expenditures are also substantial.
Taking Sunderland as an example, their weekly wage budget has already reached over 1 million, which translates to five to six million euros per year!
In other words, most of the 100 million euros they receive from the Premier League each year goes to paying wages.
And the club's operations also require spending money in many areas!
Precisely because of this, many mid-to-lower Premier League teams are considered quite good if they can spend one or two million euros to strengthen the team in a season!
Sometimes, even strong teams like Arsenal and Tottenham are reluctant to spend fifty million.
In comparison, Short was truly quite generous to the club.
And the owner choosing this particular time to make such a promise to Zhao Zhao clearly had a deeper meaning.
On one hand, it was obviously to serve as an incentive, hoping that Zhao Zhao could perfectly complete the final relegation task and stay in the Premier League!
After all, only by continuing to play in the Premier League would this large transfer budget truly be implemented!
On the other hand, it also expressed his trust in Zhao Zhao.
Sufficient budget and sufficient delegation of power were meant to let Zhao Zhao act boldly and lead Sunderland to the next level!
This was Short's biggest wish after he initially purchased Sunderland.
"I have never taken money from the club; on the contrary, I have personally covered the club's deficits every season."
Short said this, and he also did it.
He cleared the debts left by the previous chairman, and over the years, he has invested over three hundred million US dollars into Sunderland. He can honestly say that he is "the owner who has spent the most money on the team in Sunderland's history."
However, due to the team's consistently mediocre performance, the club had little market appeal, and its profitability was extremely low.
In the past 9 seasons, Sunderland had always been operating at a loss, a typical "slot machine team" that only received investment without generating returns.
This led the team into a "vicious cycle": declining performance—buying players—improving performance, but high wages leading to financial pressure—selling players—declining performance.
But now, Short seemed to see hope, and that was the Chinese Coach in front of him.
He wanted to seize this hope and let Zhao Zhao help him fulfill his wish.
That was to make Sunderland a top-tier Premier League team like Manchester United or Liverpool, a strong team that could contend for trophies!
When performance improves, attention will naturally increase, and the club's operational status will also naturally improve.
Although under such a goal, fifty million euros still seemed little;
But with Zhao Zhao's current miraculous ability, who knew?
Sunderland's original players were either old or young, and their abilities were average, yet Zhao Zhao was able to lead them to a winning streak.
If Zhao Zhao was given enough power and funds, who knew if he would give another surprise?!
Not to mention Zhao Zhao's special identity as a Chinese, which would also bring potential huge business opportunities in the distant East...
"Thank you, Mr. Short," Zhao Zhao's words, though calm, also conveyed determination:
"We will definitely avoid relegation, so your fifty million euros..."
"I'm going to spend it!"