Chapter 118: Ten Hag Remains Puzzled, Tang Ye Worth Millions!

Tang Ye gave a thumbs-up, not directly answering the fan's question.

Which foot is your dominant one?

How would I know such a difficult question!

Back on the pitch, under head coach Escrivá's command, the Yellow Submarine players began their defense, and Tang Ye shifted from an attacking midfielder to a pure defensive midfielder.

Seeing Vázquez dribbling right in front of him, Tang Ye didn't hesitate and ran straight at him.

For a top-tier ball-playing midfielder, he cannot allow an opponent to dribble in front of him.

"Tang Ye, a one-on-one duel with Vázquez!"

"It seems Vázquez has no intention of passing?"

"Tang Ye, marking him individually, going straight for a slide tackle!"

"Tang Ye's defense was extremely aggressive; Villarreal successfully regained possession!"

"Oh, Tang Ye received a yellow card!"

"My fault, my fault!"

After being shown the yellow card, Tang Ye did not argue with the referee; he quickly stood up and pulled Vázquez off the ground: "Are you okay, brother?"

Tang Ye felt a bit awkward; he had clearly aimed his tackle at the ball's location.

Why did he end up stepping on Vázquez's ankle instead!

"Huff..."

Escrivá sat back down on the bench.

This guy Tang Ye is still too young!

Vázquez had obviously placed his foot in front of the ball intentionally to protect it, because Tang Ye's intention to tackle was far too obvious!

Brushing the grass clippings off his clothes, Tang Ye stepped into the defensive wall.

Sevilla took the free kick, but it was utterly useless; Vázquez's long-range shot hit Rodri squarely on the head.

"Beep, beep-beep—!!!"

The referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the match!

"Ugh!"

Tang Ye propped his hands on his knees, gasping for air.

He had made a mistake earlier giving the opponent a set piece, but fortunately, they failed to score from it.

He had nearly become the villain!

While Escrivá was outside giving an interview, the Yellow Submarine players in the locker room had already begun their celebrations.

"Haha, Tom, you pulled off that pass from training!"

Bruno, swaying as if drunk, walked toward Tang Ye, and when he was close enough, he suddenly pulled out a bottle of mineral water hidden behind his back.

Splash!

The captain of Villarreal completed Tang Ye's post-match shower for him.

"Damn, Bruno!"

Before his jersey could get completely soaked, Tang Ye quickly ran away.

Thinking Bruno might still try to ambush him, Tang Ye dragged Musacchio over to block in front of him: "Mateo, help me block him quickly!"

"Huh? No, no, no!"

Seeing Bruno approaching him, Musacchio quickly shook off Tang Ye and immediately ran outside.

Since the home stadium was very close to the training base, Musacchio hadn't brought a change of clothes.

Tang Ye was naturally in the same situation; his undershirt was now completely wet, so on the way back to the base, he would have to wear just a jacket over it.

"No, no, no, don't do this, Bruno, calm down!"

Bruno moved forward step by step, while Tang Ye retreated step by step.

When Bruno let go of the water bottle in his hand, Tang Ye suddenly broke into a smile.

He snatched the water bottle directly!

Tang Ye grabbed the bottle and shook it vigorously, splashing all the remaining water onto Bruno.

"Damn it, Tom!"

"Hahaha!"

While Bruno was taking off his shirt, Tang Ye had already run away.

When head coach Escrivá returned to the locker room, the players inside finally quieted down.

A 3-1 victory over Sevilla was a scoreline worth celebrating for the Yellow Submarine, and Escrivá praised many players in the locker room.

Tang Ye sat in his corner spot, browsing news on Check Dongqiu Di.

Using the Spanish internet to access Check Dongqiu Di sometimes caused lag, so Tang Ye had specifically set up a proxy to connect to the domestic network.

VS Sevilla: Post-match player ratings for the Yellow Submarine.

Víctor Ruiz 8.6, Bruno 8.1, Aleix 7.9, Tang Ye 7.2.

Hmm.

Although he scored no goals and provided no assists, Tang Ye still received a high score of 7.2.

Ranked fourth in the entire team!

Chewing the gum in his mouth, Tang Ye vaguely felt that he was getting closer and closer to a starting position.

Mr. Ferran said he would disrupt the team's formation, but that didn't matter; he would change himself!

"Tom!"

Aleix beside him suddenly nudged Tang Ye with his elbow; realizing what was happening, Tang Ye quickly lifted his head: "Mr. Ferran?"

"You're always on your phone when I'm talking; are you playing a game?"

Escrivá pursed his lips.

"No, no, no, I'm reading match news."

To prove his innocence, Tang Ye turned his phone toward Escrivá, though the latter wasn't interested in what Tang Ye was viewing anyway.

"Tom's passing today was excellent; it almost directly helped us secure the third goal."

"Besides the passing, his overall performance was quite good too."

Escrivá squinted at Tang Ye: "Hmm, Tom, it would be even better if you didn't play on your phone during the next post-match summary."

……

Check Dongqiu Di pinned post: A godlike arc with the left foot; Utrecht's meritorious midfielder brings his talent to Valencia!

Manchester Evening News, front page, second headline—Ten Hag's former Utrecht player Tom is a rare two-footed attacking midfielder; Manchester United had a chance to sign him during this summer transfer window!

Marca, front page, lead headline—Tang's arched through-ball against Sevilla selected for La Liga Round Two Highlights; why is such a super genius merely a squad substitute?

……

After two official La Liga matches, public opinion regarding Tang Ye reversed completely.

Fans, especially Dutch fans, now feel regret over Tang Ye's situation.

Just as Ten Hag said, he shouldn't have gone to La Liga, a league whose style completely mismatches his own!

After escorting Tang Ye out of the office, Escrivá now felt immense pressure.

Just moments ago in a private chat, the Spaniard urged Tang Ye to undergo possession-and-passing training.

He hoped Tang Ye could integrate into the team faster, so that in subsequent matches, Tang Ye could be promoted to the starting lineup.

A quick glance at the news revealed that many fans already held grievances against Escrivá.

They believed Tang Ye possessed the strength to start for the Villarreal first team!

Meanwhile, at the distant Old Trafford training ground, Manchester United head coach Ten Hag and assistant coach Fan Fan Dejiahe were staring blankly at a laptop.

Upon closer inspection, the computer was playing footage of Tang Ye's match against Sevilla.

It happened to be that very clip of the divine long pass.

Slap!

Tang Ye delivered a through-ball; the ball slowed upon hitting the grass before rolling to Ale's feet.

For Ten Hag, this scene was far too familiar.

The only question!

"When did he learn to use his left foot?"

Ten Hag turned to look at Fan Fan Dejiahe, the two staring wide-eyed at each other.

After some calm reflection, Fan Fan Dejiahe offered his view: "Besides passing and set pieces, he clearly knew how to use his left foot long ago, right?"

"Then why didn't he use his left foot at all last season?"

Ten Hag gritted his teeth.

Damn it; if he had known Tang Ye was a two-footed monster, he absolutely would have brought that guy to Manchester United!

What Manchester United currently lacks most is a midfielder like Tang Ye who can pass!

Is the Premier League's pace too fast?

No matter; Tang Ye can pass with both feet, so simple pressing and harassment won't have much effect on him!

"Uh..."

Facing Ten Hag's question, Fan Fan Dejiahe ventured tentatively: "Could it be that you forbade him from eating in the first-team canteen, and he got angry?"

"Impossible!"

"Absolutely impossible."

Ten Hag immediately rejected Fan Fan Dejiahe's speculation: "The fact is, you couldn't find a coach who treats him better than I do; Tang kept losing possession, yet I kept giving him a starting spot, and I even stayed at the training ground at night to give him extra practice; how could I not be good enough to him? Clearly, that's not the issue."

Fan Fan Dejiahe nodded.

Indeed, Fan Fan Dejiahe had also been present during those previous extra training sessions.

These two Utrecht coaches had played a significant role in Tang Ye's development!

Tang Ye could not forget Ten Hag's kindness, just as Montford's little pig would never forget its keeper!

Setting aside the suspicion that Tang Ye wanted to frame Ten Hag, only one possibility remained.

Tang Ye was a special two-footed player; he must have received non-dominant-foot training in childhood but gradually abandoned his left foot after entering professional competition.

And La Liga's high-intensity pressing forced Tang Ye to pick up his left-foot technique again.

Damn it!

Ten Hag was now furious.

Loaning out a rare two-footed attacking midfielder, one scarce even in global football, for a fee of 3 million euros.

Facts proved that even a saint could still make mistakes!

……

After defeating Sevilla, the atmosphere within the Yellow Submarine team grew increasingly tense.

During training, a curious Tang Ye asked Rodri a question: "Sergio, do you know why Bruno hasn't spoken much recently?"

"We're about to play Monaco."

Rodri reminded him: "This is the final match; we must decide this season's Champions League qualification spot."

Tang Ye pressed his lips together, his brows furrowed tightly.

He glanced at Escrivá in the distance.

Mr. Ferran's expression was exactly the same as Tang Ye's current one.

He was pondering what the team needed to do for their upcoming match against Monaco.

Should they stick with the same Tao Ti Fa as before?

The possession-based style was certainly viable, but the problem was that Yellow Submarine had already lost once in the first leg.

Villarreal's possession play was strong, but for Monaco, this was not an insurmountable challenge!

Turning around, he scanned the training ground and spotted Tang Ye looking right at him.

!

Realizing Escrivá was watching him, Tang Ye felt a pang of guilt like a slacker caught in the act, and immediately started doing step-overs with the ball in front of him.

"..."

"It's break time now."

Rodri reminded him.

"Oh, seems like it."

Tang Ye kicked the ball away, then he and Rodri sat down together on the grass.

After afternoon training ended, Escrivá and Martí were eating at the same table.

"You got scolded, Ferran."

Martí, who had been looking at his phone, suddenly lifted his head and stared at the team's head coach in front of him.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

Escrivá asked, and Martí pushed his phone over.

It was the Twitter interface, with the trending topic #TomVCF.

"Tang and Villarreal?"

Escrivá frowned, slowly scrolling through the comments on the webpage.

【Get Tom on the field already! Doesn't Escrivá understand yet? Tom can save the team!】

【Submarine fans assemble! I demand Tom start! Even though Tom is a loanee, the team should give loan players a chance!】

【Oh my god, you guys are insane! Are you really going to entrust the team's fate to an Asian?】

【Fuck off, upstairs! You little white skin, I'll install some sense into you!】

【Tom starts! Tom starts! Not even God could make passes like that!】

【I watched his Eredivisie match highlights; Tom seems to frequently make those kinds of spectacular passes!】

【Tang Tang Qiuwang starts!】

【Don't be nervous, everyone; I, Tang Tang Qiuwang, will save Villarreal just like I saved Utrecht!】

"..."

Looking at the hundreds of fan comments, Escrivá felt sweat constantly breaking out on his forehead.

Tang Ye's spectacular passes in two league appearances as a substitute had captured the attention of Yellow Submarine fans.

Everyone was curious about this new signing wearing number 99, so they went to watch his Eredivisie matches.

Naturally, no one would watch the full match replays; to save time, fans usually watched Tang Ye's match highlights on YouTube.

And Tang Ye himself was the quintessential highlight-reel player.

Highlights never showed footage of Tang Ye losing possession; anyone watching Tang Ye's highlights would get extremely excited!

Now things were complicated, and Escrivá was under immense pressure.

"Martí."

Escrivá pointed at a word on the phone screen and asked Martí.

"GoatTom (Tang Tang Qiuwang), what... what does this mean?"

"I'm not sure either."

Martí shook his head: "It seems to be an honorific title for Tang?"

"But isn't 'Goat' used to refer to Ronaldo and Messi?"

"Well..."

Martí took a deep breath: "There's a Dutch fan on YouTube who made a highlight reel of Tom's last season, editing only the most spectacular moments; I suggest you watch it. In those highlights, Tom looks even stronger than Messi and Ronaldo combined."

"..."

Saying this, Martí operated his phone and opened that YouTube highlight reel about Tang Ye.

The title read: GoatTom in Utrecht! (Tang Tang Qiuwang of Utrecht)

He checked the video view count.

4.82 million!

"Damn Dutch fans; they only know how to edit the most spectacular moments!"

Escrivá was somewhat angry and wanted to block the blogger who posted the video.

But upon clicking into the profile page, he saw:

IP: China

"Why is his location China?"

Escrivá was completely baffled.

"No idea; maybe he's traveling in China. Anyway, every time this account posts a video, the IP shows as the Netherlands, so he must be Dutch!"

Martí stated this with absolute certainty; he had been following this account for a long time.

"Alright."

Escrivá nodded.

It had to be said, the Dutch editing skills were truly excellent; judging solely by this eight-minute highlight reel, Tang Ye was worth at least 100 million!

"Those Utrecht fans just want me to put Tang in the starting lineup; they're trying to pressure me with public opinion!"

Escrivá handed Martí's phone back, his attitude utterly firm: "But it's useless. Fanatics often overlook the team as a whole; just like in that highlight reel, they only see the best side of their favorite star!"

"I won't be swayed by public opinion!"

Having said this, Escrivá took a fierce gulp of the grapefruit juice on the table.

The next second, his phone and Martí's rang simultaneously.

???

When both their phones rang at once, it meant either the Villarreal executives had posted a message in the work group chat, or...

They were both following the same newspaper!

Escrivá pulled out his own phone.

Transfermarkt: New season/phase market value updates for La Liga, Fan Fan Dejia, 2. Bundesliga, and EFL Championship players.

So it was just a market value update...

Escrivá let out a bitter smile; as the head coach, he focused more on the team as a whole, so he actually paid little attention to the market values of his own players.

But today Escrivá had to pay attention, because beneath the news photo he saw Tang Ye's familiar pig-like head.

Marca, front page, second headline—"18 Million Euros: Villarreal Loans 17-Year-Old Super Genius to Eredivisie; Is Villarreal Merely Training Soldiers for Utrecht for Free?"

Utrecht Evening News, front page, lead headline—"18 Million Euros + 15 Million Euros: Utrecht's Twin Stars Soar in Value Simultaneously; An Effect Brought by the Eredivisie Title?"

"18 Million Euros?"

Escrivá gritted his teeth.

Although he had expected it, Tang Ye's market value was indeed a bit exaggerated.

Keep in mind, that guy is only 17 years old!

He just didn't know where a Transfermarkt value of 18 million euros would rank among the entire Villarreal squad.

Escrivá operated his phone, selecting "Clubs," then "La Liga," and finally "Villarreal" on the Transfermarkt website.

"Sort from high to low."

1. Ye Tang (U19), 18M

"..."

He hurriedly turned off his phone.

"No, why is his market value the highest in the entire team?"

"Our team's player values are relatively even, basically all between 10 million and 16 million euros; since Tom is at 18 million, he's naturally first,"

Martí said quietly, and soon Escrivá's phone rang again.

【Mundo Deportivo reprints China Football News front-page headline: "18 Million Euros Yet Only Sitting on the Bench: A Deep Dive Sharing 49 Errors in Escrivá's Tactical Arrangements"】

"Damn!"

Escrivá took a deep breath.

"I... I think I can't hold up under the pressure anymore."

The news of Tang Ye's updated Transfermarkt value quickly shot to the top of the trending searches.

18 Million Euros; a player of this caliber had never appeared in all of China before.

【Tang Tang Qiuwang lives up to his reputation!】

After the Transfermarkt value update, Tang Ye attracted another wave of fans; time moved to the end of August.

Check Dongqiu Di Match Preview: August 29, 2:00 AM, Champions League Qualifier, Monaco vs. Villarreal.

A match deciding Champions League qualification normally couldn't get pinned to the top on Check Dongqiu Di, but with half an hour left before kickoff, the staff suddenly pinned this news to the top.

The reason was simple.

Tang Tang Qiuwang appeared in the starting lineup!

(End of Chapter)