"Rebirth of the Football Tycoon".

"It's true that the attacking line and midfield are now complete, and the team looks impressive on paper, but everyone knows that defense wins championships. No matter how sharp the offense is, if the defense is a sieve, you won't win games. Now, Notts County's chairman has made a grave mistake. He's over-simplified football. Without a strong defense, Notts County cannot avoid relegation in the upcoming season," many critics stated.

This argument seemed reasonable, and fans of both Notts County and Nottingham Forest were anticipating what would happen next. But this time, the fans of Nottingham Forest weren't mocking their rivals blindly. Nor were the fans of Notts County overly optimistic; they were all cautiously aware that the Nottingham Post might be wrong again.

As expected, in the next issue of the Nottingham Evening News, more transfer news from Notts County was announced:

€4 million for central defender Carvalho from Portuguese giants Porto. €400,000 for central defender Lescott from Wolverhampton Wanderers. €300,000 for Bolaruz, €1.2 million for Westman, €450,000 for Bosingwa, €100,000 for Grosso, and a loan for Ram from Bundesliga's Banba.

Along with these signings, there were also two young goalkeepers: Diego Lopez and Ben Foster. With these acquisitions, Notts County's first-team roster seemed complete.

For loyal Notts County fans, this was an emotional moment. After years of struggling, they had finally seen the club's long-term investment take shape. While this group of players may not have been the best in the league at present, the potential was clear. Most importantly, they saw the commitment of Chairman David and his vision for the future. As long as the investment continued, Notts County was destined for a glorious future.

Meanwhile, fans of Nottingham Forest couldn't help but express their jealousy, saying, "So what if you have money? You're still stuck in the second division. When will you ever get promoted to the top league?"

Still, even the Forest fans had to admit that if this lineup couldn't secure promotion, then the strength of League Two must be significant.

The transfer fees paid by Notts County during the summer were staggering, even by Premier League standards. The total amount spent came to an astounding €38.98 million. If you included Deco, who was temporarily loaned from Porto due to his inability to play, the total was €25 million after discounts.

To put it in perspective, this kind of spending would be remarkable even for a Premier League club, and Notts County wasn't even in the top flight yet. The sum was enough to purchase any Premier League club outright, including their stadium.

When compared to Premier League spending, Notts County's transfer investment was startling. Their €25 million in net spending ranked third in the entire league, only behind Manchester United and Arsenal.

Manchester United had spent €46 million, acquiring the likes of White Wizard Belon for €28 million and Eindhoven striker Van Nistelrooy for €19 million. Arsenal wasn't far behind, investing over €27 million in several high-profile players. But with their €25 million, Notts County's net spending surpassed the rest of the Premier League, including Chelsea, who, despite spending €32 million, had offset some of their costs by selling players.

As the season hadn't even begun, many fans were already considering Notts County a potential contender for promotion. With such significant investment, even a rookie coach would have the resources to dominate the majority of the league.

The Nottingham Post, however, wasn't backing down. Despite being proven wrong several times, the newspaper clung to its criticisms, now arguing that the mix of young talent and experienced players might backfire.

"The first and second teams may be well-balanced in terms of player quality, but high-value signings don't always guarantee success in League Two. Notts County might have a bright future, but young players are prone to inconsistency, and their on-field performance can be erratic. In a tough situation, a team of young players might end up disoriented and collapse under pressure."

Fans of Notts County, though, couldn't help but laugh. How could the Nottingham Post continue to criticize the team after being proven wrong so many times? Did they really think they would go unpunished for their harsh words?

Sure enough, the next day, Nottingham Evening News broke more transfer news: Notts County had signed Serie A striker Hubner. Fans gleefully pointed out the hypocrisy of the Nottingham Post, which had argued that Notts County lacked experienced players. Now, the club had signed a veteran forward, one so seasoned that he could almost double as a coach.

The Nottingham Post had originally planned to criticize Hubner's age and his declining abilities, but when they looked into his statistics, they were forced to reconsider. Hubner had scored 17 goals in 31 matches for Brescia in Serie A last season—one of the toughest leagues in Europe. Even if Hubner was past his prime, he would still be a major force in League Two.

The Nottingham Post was left with no choice but to remain silent. As the season approached, Notts County's squad was complete, and preparations for the new campaign began.