Chapter 49: Chapter 48: Terms of Engagement [II]
Inside, a receptionist greeted them by name and directed them to a conference room on the second floor. They were asked to wait while the sporting director finished a call. They sat in comfortable chairs around a polished table. Folders with the Atalanta logo were placed in front of each seat.
Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Luca Percassi, Atalanta’s Sporting Director, entered. He was younger than Demien expected but had a reputation as one of the smartest minds in Italian football. His family had transformed Atalanta from a small club into a European contender. Two other executives followed him—the club’s legal counsel and head of player development.
"Gentlemen," Percassi greeted them warmly as handshakes were exchanged. "First, let me officially welcome you both to Atalanta. We’ve been very impressed with what we’ve seen during your trial period, and Mister Gasperini has personally advocated for both of you to join our project."
Marco nodded appreciatively at the mention of the first team coach’s endorsement. "We’re very excited about the opportunity. Both Demien and Luca have been extremely impressed with the club’s infrastructure and philosophy."
Percassi smiled and gestured to the folders in front of them. As Demien opened his, he found a detailed contract proposal:
PLAYER CONTRACT - DEMIEN WALTER
Duration: 3 years (2022-2025) Status: First Team Squad Member Base Salary: €120,000 first year, €160,000 second year, €200,000 third year Weekly Wage: €2,300 first year (increasing annually) Signing Bonus: €30,000 Appearance Bonus: €2,000 per Serie A appearance (starting or minimum 45 minutes) Goal/Assist Bonus: €3,000 per goal or assist in official competitions Clean Sheet Bonus (Team): €1,000 when playing minimum 45 minutes Image Rights: Club retains 80% of image rights revenue Release Clause: €8 million (active after first season) Performance Review: Salary increase of 10% if player makes 20+ appearances in a season
As he read through the terms, a familiar blue glow appeared at the edge of his vision, and the system interface materialized discreetly:
「TRAIT ACTIVATED: AGENT NEGOTIATION PERK」
「CONTRACT ANALYSIS: ・Base Salary: BELOW MARKET AVERAGE for promising first team talents ・Image Rights: UNFAVORABLE (industry standard is 75% club/25% player) ・Appearance Bonus: FAIR ・Goal/Assist ARKET for attacking midfielders ・Release Clause: SLIGHTLY LOW but acceptable for unproven talent ・MISSING: European competition bonuses ・RECOMMENDATION: Push for improved image rights split and appearance-based salary escalators」
The panel faded as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Demien with crystal clear insights that would have taken years of experience to develop. He kept his expression neutral, but his understanding of the contract’s weaknesses was now razor-sharp.
He glanced over at Luca’s contract, which was similar in structure but with different numbers:
PLAYER CONTRACT - LUCA BIANCHI
Duration: 3 years (2022-2025) Status: U23 Squad Member with First Team Training Opportunities Base Salary: €60,000 first year, €80,000 second year, €100,000 third year Weekly Wage: €1,150 first year (increasing annually) Signing Bonus: €15,000 Appearance Bonus: €1,000 per Serie A appearance; €250 per U23 appearance Goal/Assist Bonus: €2,000 per goal or assist in Serie A; €500 in U23 competitions Image Rights: Club retains 85% of image rights revenue Loan Clause: Club reserves right to loan player for development purposes First Team Promotion Clause: Automatic salary increase to €120,000 upon making 8 Serie A appearances
"As you can see," Percassi continued as everyone reviewed the documents, "we’re proposing three-year contracts for both players, with Demien joining the first team squad immediately and Luca beginning with our U23 team with a pathway to the first team based on performance."
Marco nodded while making notes on his own copy, and Demien felt a strange warmth emanating from somewhere deep within his consciousness as the Agent Negotiation Perk trait activated subtly, providing insights that might otherwise have escaped his notice.
"The base salary seems reasonable for players at their stage," Marco began while tapping his pen thoughtfully against the table.
Before he could continue, Demien surprised himself by speaking up. "Actually, I believe the image rights split is below industry standard." All eyes turned to him, including Marco’s widened ones. "Most clubs offer a 75/25 split for first team players."
The room fell silent. Percassi’s expression shifted from surprise to calculation as he studied Demien with newfound interest.
"That’s typically for established players," the director countered smoothly, leaning forward. "For new signings without proven commercial value, 80/20 is standard. We take on the marketing risk initially."
Demien felt the trait working, feeding him information like an experienced agent would whisper in his ear. "But you’re bringing me directly into the first team, which suggests you already see value. And commercial rights grow exponentially with first team exposure. At 80/20, I’d be leaving significant value on the table as my profile grows."
Luca’s jaw dropped slightly. Marco recovered quickly, hiding his surprise behind a professional smile.
"Demien raises an excellent point," Marco added, smoothly supporting his client. "Additionally, there’s no provision for European competition bonuses, which seems like an oversight for a club with Atalanta’s continental ambitions."
Percassi’s lips twitched with something between amusement and respect. "You’ve clearly done your homework, Mr. Walter. I appreciate negotiating with someone who understands the business." He turned to his legal counsel. "We could adjust to 75/25 for the third year, contingent on making at least 25 appearances in the second year."
Marco immediately shook his head, stepping back into his role. "With all due respect, Director, we’re talking about first team football in Serie A. Twenty-five appearances is an extremely high threshold for a young player just establishing himself. Even your established players don’t all reach that mark."
He leaned forward, his tone reasonable but firm. "We need to be realistic about integration into the squad. Fifteen appearances would be a more appropriate measure of successful integration, especially with the competition for places at a club of Atalanta’s quality."
The system interface flickered into view again at the edge of Demien’s vision:
「NEGOTIATION INSIGHT」
「COUNTEROFFER STRATEGY: Image rights tiered structure provides better long-term value than appearance-based triggers.
・Current offer ties rights to uncertain playing time
・Propose time-based rights improvement instead
・Recommended structure: 78/22 → 75/25 → 70/30 over contract years
・Avoids dependence on coach selection or injuries」
Demien nodded slightly as he absorbed the information, then spoke up. "I’d propose a different approach altogether. Let’s structure the image rights as 78/22 for the first year, 75/25 for the second, and 70/30 for the third. That rewards the club initially while recognizing my growing commercial value."
The sporting director chuckled. "Ambitious. 78/22 transitioning to 75/25 after 20 appearances. That’s as far as I can go on image rights."
"That’s fair," Demien conceded, recognizing when to accept a good compromise.
The system interface appeared again:
「NEGOTIATION INSIGHT」 「WEAKNESS DETECTED: Current appearance bonus structure is flat and undervalues consistency. ・Industry trend: Progressive bonuses rewarding sustained contribution ・Opportunity: Suggest tiered structure that increases with appearances ・Psychological advantage: Shows commitment to long-term performance ・Financial impact: Could increase total compensation by 15-20% with regular playing time」
"But we should also discuss appearance bonuses," Demien continued, drawing directly from the system’s insights. "The current structure doesn’t incentivize consistency."
"What did you have in mind?" Percassi asked, eyebrows raised.
"Progressive appearance bonuses," Demien suggested. "€2,000 for the first 10 appearances, €3,000 for appearances 11-20, and €4,000 for each appearance beyond that. It rewards sustained contribution to the team."
Marco jumped in, building on Demien’s suggestion. "And similar progressive structures for Luca’s contract. His pathway to the first team needs more clarity too."
Luca stared at Demien with a mixture of amazement and gratitude as his friend advocated for both of them.
Percassi leaned back, considering. "An interesting structure. I’m concerned about budgetary predictability with such escalating terms." His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Demien. "You seem remarkably confident for someone who hasn’t played a single minute of Serie A football. What makes you so certain you’ll reach those appearance thresholds?"